RV Rental Near Tampa Bay in Riverview, FL

Every winter I get the same call from a family flying into Tampa International: “We want to see the manatees and spend a few days on the water — can you just have the RV ready?” That’s the easy part. I run the local Fireside RV Rental franchise right here in Riverview, off US-301 a few minutes from I-75, and I deliver and set up rigs all around Tampa Bay every week. The thing first-timers don’t realize is that Tampa Bay itself — the open water you see from the Selmon Expressway or the Sunshine Skyway — is the destination, not a campground. So a Tampa Bay RV rental almost always means renting a rig from me, basing at a full-hookup campground or state park nearby, and using it as your home for day trips to the bay, the beaches, and the attractions.

Tampa Bay Is the Day Trip — Here’s Where You Actually Camp

You can’t pull a 30-foot trailer up to the water’s edge of Tampa Bay and plug in — the bay is ringed by causeways, city streets, and day-use parks. What I do instead is set you up at a real campground within easy driving distance and let you chase the bay from there. The Manatee Viewing Center down in Apollo Beach (free, and busiest from December through February when the water cools and the manatees pile into the warm discharge canal) is day-use only. Same with Ybor City, the Florida Aquarium downtown, and the beaches out at Fort De Soto. So the play is simple: I drop your RV at a campground with hookups, you make day runs to the bay, and you come back to a cool, set-up rig every evening.

For Tampa Bay access, the campgrounds I lean on most are E.G. Simmons Regional Park in Ruskin, which sits right on the bay with a boat ramp, and Fort De Soto Park Campground over in Pinellas if you want to be steps from the Gulf and the bay beaches. Both put you on the water without the chaos of staying downtown.

My Go-To Campgrounds for a Bay-Area Base

After years of delivering around Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pinellas counties, here are the spots I actually send people to depending on what they want out of the bay:

  • E.G. Simmons Regional Park (Ruskin) — Right on Tampa Bay with a boat ramp and fishing. This is my first call for anyone who wants to fish or kayak the bay. The interior loop roads are sandy and a little tight in spots, so I usually steer first-timers to a manageable-size travel trailer here.
  • Fort De Soto Park Campground (Pinellas) — Tucked between the bay and the Gulf at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Gorgeous, but it books out months ahead — if you want a holiday week here, tell me early.
  • Lazydays RV Resort (Seffner) — Easy on/off I-4 and I-75, big rig–friendly, pool and amenities. My pick for families doing Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, and ZooTampa, since you’re a short drive from all three.
  • Bay Bayou RV Resort (Tampa) — A polished resort on the northwest side, good if you want a quieter base with full amenities and still want to reach the bay and beaches.
  • Hillsborough River State Park — North of town off US-301. Shaded, with a swimming pool fed by the river — a great escape from the heat if you don’t need to be right on the bay.
  • Alafia River and Little Manatee River State Parks — My local favorites for folks who want quiet woods and paddling close to Riverview, with the bay still an easy day trip.

How Delivery and Setup Works

You don’t have to tow anything or even know how an RV works. I bring the rig to your campsite, level it, hook up water, power, and sewer, walk you through everything, and pick it up when you’re done. Most of my customers fly into TPA, grab a rental car or rideshare to their campground, and the RV is already sitting there waiting. If you’re staying at E.G. Simmons or Lazydays, those are short, familiar runs for me. For Fort De Soto, I plan a little extra time because of the drive out across the toll and the park loops, but it’s a regular delivery for us. Just give me the campground and the site number once you’ve booked, and I handle the rest.

When to Book and What the Weather’s Doing

The busy season around Tampa Bay runs roughly November through April — cooler, drier, low humidity, and the snowbird crowd fills the resorts. If you want a bay-front site at Fort De Soto or E.G. Simmons during that stretch, or anywhere near a holiday weekend or spring break, book the campsite and the RV well ahead. Summer (June through September) is hot, humid, and brings near-daily afternoon thunderstorms that usually roll through and clear out — I make sure the AC is running cold before I leave any rig in summer, because in Florida that’s non-negotiable. It’s also hurricane season, so I keep an eye on the forecast and stay in touch with anyone who has a trip booked during a storm watch.

Good Days Out From a Tampa Bay Base

Once you’re set up, the area opens up fast. Run to the Manatee Viewing Center in winter, spend a beach day at Fort De Soto, do Busch Gardens and Adventure Island for the family, or head downtown for the Florida Aquarium and Ybor City. Anglers love launching from E.G. Simmons straight into the bay. If you’d rather stay close to Riverview, Riverview Springs and the Alafia and Little Manatee rivers are great for paddling and a cooler dip on a hot day. The beauty of doing it this way is that your RV is your basecamp — fridge stocked, AC on, your own bathroom — so the kids can nap, you can eat lunch out of the heat, and you’re not paying downtown hotel prices to see the bay.

Tell me what you want to do and how many people you’ve got, and I’ll match you to the right rig and the right campground. You can browse the fleet serving the Tampa Bay area, check out my guide to local campgrounds and RV parks, or just call me at 813-421-1293 or email [email protected] and I’ll get your delivery on the schedule.

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