TAMPA, Fla. — If you're looking to ditch the bridge and downtown traffic, there's now a year-round ferry service connecting Tampa to St. Petersburg.
That's right — the Cross Bay Ferry is expanding its season to span across the next year.
Starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4, the Cross Bay Ferry will set sail for its new season, inviting passengers to take a more scenic route to and from the bustling downtowns of Tampa and St. Pete. Once it disembarks to kick of it's season, it'll run from October 2024 through October 2025.
Before the year-round expansion was announced, the Cross Bay Ferry only operated seasonally. Typically, it avoided the majority of the Atlantic hurricane season, only offering rides from around October through early May or June.
The ferry departs from two locations:
- Port of St. Pete at 250 8th Ave. SE
- Tampa Convention Center at 333 S. Franklin St.
One-way tickets for adults are $12 while round-trip fares will run $24. However, seniors ages 65+ and military personnel can get a discount, getting a round-trip for $22. Kids, ages 5-19, are a couple of dollars cheaper, $10 for one-way and $20 for round-trip. Additionally, wheelchair users can travel for just $10 round-trip and kids under 4 ride for $2.
According to the Cross Bay Ferry's website, the schedule runs from Wednesday through Sunday. If a Tampa Bay Lightning home game lands on a Monday or Tuesday, the ferry will run on the Wednesday/Thursday schedule.
To find the full schedule and times for the ferry, as well as more ticket info, click or tap here.