Cypress Point Park

Got here about 8 AM last Saturday, difficult to find even as hiding in plain sight. Go into circle drive and park along it, walk past rest rooms into the long beach and canoe launch area. A trail leads off one side the beach, I assume to the frisbee area since I did not go that way.
Docks and boat ramp beyond opposite side of beach behind office buildings, there were one or two people fishing off boats when I got there. Several bicyclists arrived as the cool morning went on. The park is clean and well-​kept, a hidden urban oasis.
Directly under the Tampa International Airport flight path and just off the I-​275 exit. Hidden behind an office park, but HART bus #10 turns around right at park entrance. From Kennedy Boulevard, go north on Westshore to Cypress and turn left to dead-​end at park.

A sweet oasis in the middle of warehouse district sprawl.
I stumbled upon this place by accident. I forget what I was searching for on Unilocal and somehow this came up. What? A beach, that’s not Ben T, and not an hour or more away from me?
The first thing you notice about this park is it makes you feel like you’re lost. You’re heading down this bizarre access road or Cypress, through some warehouses until you finally start to see signage and greenery. Parking lies along a meandering road that leads to a centrally placed shower/​bathroom pagoda. Spread out from this location you’ll find a kid’s jungle gym, covered tables, and barbecue grills. Further out from that you’ll find some trails for jogging or biking, as well as a full-​on disc golf course.
Past the park area lies a couple of spots to access the «beach.» Is it what you find on a Florida postcard? No. Does it have water, breezes, some great views, awesome sunsets and 3 feet of sand to squish between your toes without having to drive an hour? Yes. Depending on whee you set up, you get some great views of the Westin/​Rocky Point, the Howard Frankland bridge, and on very clear days, you can see the St Pete «skyline.»
I almost feel bad writing this review and bringing attention to this place. No loud music, no overcrowding, no «crews» drinking like at Ben T Davis. A true little oasis.

Is it a park, or a beach? I think that is where the confusion is found in the reviews I’ve seen written up on this ridiculously fantastic hidden gem. First off, let’s get one thing straight, Tampa doesn’t have beaches, none notable in size or reputation at least. We’ve got Ben T. Davis on the Causeway, which is a man-​made «beach,» we’ve got Picnic Island and then we’ve Cypress Point. Now, anyone who grew up here is familiar with this spot because it was a classic hideout for High Schoolers to illegally drink. It was just a sandy spot to park at the ass end of some business park off of Cypress. We called it Cypress Point back then, and I’ve heard it referred to as all kinds of other silly things, but no matter its many names, it was never a nice destination, and you certainly wouldn’t take your family out there.
Fast forward to 2015. I’m nerding out on Google Maps using the satellite view when I notice lots of cars, people and a clean beach where Cypress Point used to be. And it even looked like there were amenities. Could the city have come in and actually made good use of what could be a nice spot? I had to find out, so off I went.
When I arrived, I first couldn’t believe I remembered how to get there. I’m getting old, so it was good to see I haven’t lost my damn mind yet. Second, I was astonished by the official park-​like entrance, well-​manicured landscape, trash bins, grills and signage. There were tons of folks out there and kids were frolicking in a playground area. There was a public restroom, and water fountains. It was like being in some parallel Tampa universe. I waltzed over to the benches near the beach, enjoyed the breeze and snapped some pics of the setting sun over Tampa Bay. It was relaxing, and I was just internally excited that this little strip of land had been put to good use.
To any newcomers, please think of this as a city park that happens to be on a small stretch of sand on the bay and you won’t be disappointed.

This is one of my favorite places to take in a sunset or get some air. I also like the disc golf course.

All I can say is im. glad I do research and found a great place to meditate. Not only can you BBQ with family and friends, but this place has great blinds pots to sit, relax and intake the beach and nature.
The view was amazing, and I was there in the day time. The fish were jumping out of the water, the birds were fishing… all things that make meditation grand. It seemed like there were multiple areas in which you can stroll along the beach or just spread your blanket out and relax as well.
Overall xoxo I love this place. The only thing is if you are looking for piece and quiet hmmnmm, maybe this particular spot is not for you since the planes are coming into TPA to land. It really didn’t bother me, but I just wanted to put it out there.
Till next time… enjoy the view and the water! $

This beach is the best kept secret in Tampa! If you don’t feel like making the trek across the bridge to St Pete or Clearwater, you can get here in 15 min from South Tampa. Just take the Westshore blvd exit and go left on Cypress until you hit this park! You will see a lot of planes coming in low as they prepare their descent for the Tampa International Airport runway and you can see the Clearwater & St Pete bridges from here. On the negative side: the sand on the ocean floor here is a bit murky /​sticky like quick sand, the water never gets that deep, there are no waves, but this is a close beach if you need one in a hurry. This park features paved walking or jogging trails, an 18 hole Disc Golf course, restrooms, showers, changing rooms, free parking, a connection to the Courtney Campbell trail, a kids playground, and a nice view of the sunset. Naturally the water in St Pete beach and fort desoto beach is a lot nicer, you get bigger waves there, and the sand isnt sludge-​like there. This place just makes the list for nice views and proximity to Tampa but not really for hanging out in the water.

This park used to be a bit more secluded, but here’s a tip… Grab your chairs, your umbrella and walk south once you enter the park into the water. From there you can walk east into the little inlet and relax and enjoy the calm waters.

Not the best beach or facilities, but the location is impossible to beat and will keep me coming back. Located right in Tampa, just behind the airport, it’s the perfect beach for a quick city getaway – especially with kids. It’s a bay beach, so limited white sand and clear water, but it’s made up for by good facilities and a lot of wildlife. I especially love the playground for kids – though it’s geared more towards older kids – and the bathroom/​shower/​changing area. They have covered picnic areas and plenty of free parking to complete the deal. It’s a GREAT quick beach spot, with or without the kids!

I’ve got mixed feelings about this park. I think its largely due to the expectations that I had prior to visiting, which were created as a result of visiting the other parks in this city/​state that have lush vegetation with plenty of shade. This is more like a beach in my opinion, and not a bad one. There are shower & bathroom facilities and boat/​kayak launches available for use, as well as free parking. You can either go down to the beach and get in the water, and/​or play on the playground. The place appeared pretty clean and well maintained. There were vendors selling hot dogs (and sandwiches I think) and ice cream, as well as grills and a few picnic tables with covered pavilions. Looking across the water towards the bridge as well as over towards the mangrove shoreline is pretty easy on the eyes. I saw a number of people with fishing equipment and a few on kayaks fishing as well. We came on a Sunday afternoon, so it was pretty crowded and hot as hell with no where to escape the sun. My 5 year old seemed to enjoy it, but the wife and I agree that it may be better on a cooler and less crowded day. So I’m not sure how I feel about this place, but I think I will check it out again.

Plus side, free parking, play ground, sand and good spot of nature.
Down side, slimey Brown dark water. I am not sure I’d go back. Maybe in cooler weather, so the importance of feeling like the water is sanitary is not applicable. People were swimming in it, but for an extra 25 minute drive there are much better beaches.
I really tried to like this one.

This beach is FREE and only about 10 – 15 minutes from downtown, Ybor, Seminole Heights… much of what I think of as «the city of Tampa». This is not a picturesque beach like you’ll find in Clearwater, St. Pete, etc. BUT it’s totally fine and is really a pretty nice park. LOVE that it took us less than 15 minutes to get from our house to a bonafide beach.
+Paved walking/​jogging trail
+Disc golf course (18 holes)
+Restrooms, showers, changing rooms, water fountains
+Picnic shelters, grills, benches
+Sandy beach and castle building
+Free parking
+Park more-​or-​less connects to the Courtney Campbell Trail which goes most of the way over the bay to Clearwater
+Nice view to watch the sunset
+Cool playground for the kids
–Some of the people you will find here
–People will bring glass bottles
–People will dump their still alive bait onto the pavement
–People will leave fishing hooks and line laying around
–Dumb people will let their kids climb (destroy) the dunes
–People aren’t very careful with their litter, including plastic which injures marine life and cigarette butts which are just filthy
We went on a Sunday around 2 – 2:30pm and stayed until 5 – 5:30. Lot was packed the entire time because there was a quite large gathering of hippies with hula hoops preparing to twirl fire. The more urban visitors were clearly amused by the barefooted & dreadlocked tie-​dye wearing kids who were choreographing their routines to the likes of DMB, Phish, and the Grateful Dead.

This is a nice little park. We got married here in 2010, so it will always have a special place in my heart. The city did have some requirements for waivers, usage fees, etc. for having that kind of event, but it wasn’t too difficult.
There is only one reason for me not giving this park 5 stars… A couple days before our wedding, the city decided to do some «improvements». This consisted of dumping dark tan sand on top of the nice white-​ish sand and driving tractors around on it. This wouldn’t be so bad, but the new sand contained large amounts of broken glass and little pieces of trash. On the morning of the wedding, my groomsmen and I went out to the beach and picked up as much glass as possible, and raked out the tractor tire tracks in the sand so people wouldn’t trip or so they wouldn’t show up in photos.
If you go to the beach here, watch your step or wear shoes, there is probably still some glass remaining. Also, check the water quality reports before going in the water. This isn’t that far from Ben T. Davis beach on the causeway, which is closed on a regular basis for bacteria in the water.

What a delightful surprise this hidden gem turned out to be!
Today we held the our annual TKE Tampa Bay Alumni Association Picnic at Cypress Point Park. I was excited to check this park out because I had heard many good things about it. It was a perfect day, because the park was not too overcrowded.
The park was very clean and seemed to be well maintained. Parking is free and there is an abundance of spaces. There are several pavilions here which you can reserve through the City of Tampa’s website. There are grills located throughout the park if you want to get your cook on, too.
There is a really nice kids’ playground and the restroom facilities are clean. For those interested in a bit of exercise, there is a trail for biking and walking. More importantly, this seems like a safe park for people to go to without feeling like they are endangering their lives.
An added bonus to this park is that there is a small beach here. While it may not be the largest or breathtaking beach, it is still has a nice view… especially if you don’t want to make the trek to Pinellas County. Pets are more than welcome in the park itself, but prohibited the on the beach.
Keep in mind that because this park is in close proximity to Tampa International Airport, there will be a great deal of loud planes flying overhead.
I will definitely be back when the weather gets cooler because I would like to see a sunset or two and take my bike out on the trail.

While Cypress Point Park pales in comparison with other parks and beaches in Tampa this tranquil oasis is conveniently located for those of us that live an hour away from the beach.
Amenities at Cypress Point Park include free parking, restrooms, covered pavilions, picnic tables, grills, water fountain, playground, jogging trail, and a Frisbee golf course. While this isn’t the most pristine of beaches the beach does have a nice rustic appeal. Dogs are allowed in the park, but not on the beach. Since we had our furry friend with us we enjoyed the sunset from a bench in the park instead of on the beach.
While this would not be my choice spot for a day at the beach I would definitely come back after work again to enjoy a sunset or play some Frisbee golf.

A delightful surprise to find such a nice beach/​park so close to my home in West Tampa. Admittedly the beaches along the Pinellas barrier islands have more white sand and clearer Gulf waters, but they are also an hour away, with scant parking at times and almost blocked from common folks by cliffs of hotels and condos. Cypress point feels more like an undeveloped beach and is part of a wetlands habitat restoration project so it is buffered from the city by quiet marsh and treed hiking paths. If you are between flights landing directly overhead and do not look at the streams of cars whizzing on the Howard Frankland bridge, you could imagine you were far from any city.
When we visited with our granddaugher on a weekday morning, we had easy parking and a short walk to the beach. Other reviewers do a good job of describing the recreational amenities, but a few comment on litter and obnoxious patrons. It was quite clean overall and mostly used by families with children (Plus an FBI class practicing metal detectors) when we visited. And compared to the beaches I remember from my youth on Lakes Erie and Ontario, this is paradise… without legal Canadian firecrackers.

The only reason I didn’t give it one star is because it really is beautiful and it isn’t the beach’s fault that the people there are ruining it.
There is trash and cigarette butts everywhere. I almost ran over a Corona bottle when I was parking.
The pavilions were full of people doing random things, including one lady with a mannequin making weaves. Not sure that’s the use the city had in mind…
Sure, it’s convenient and way closer than the Gulf to South Tampa.

By far not the best beach. It’s a practical beach for those of us who live nearby. If you don’t feel like traveling far from Tampa and just want to soak some rays, this is a hidden little beach behind office buildings.
Good enough for kids to play in sand and wade in water. There’s also a playground for the kids. You can grill here and there’s a path to take a jog or bike.
You will have to deal with planes landing overhead, but if you’re prepared for it watching the planes land overhead can be quite relaxing.
Parking is free and there’s never too big a crowd.

If I had to use one word to sum up Cypress Point Park it would probably be Convenience. CPP seems to have all the bases covered. They have plenty of parking space, though I will say you may wanna get in early to find a great spot, the Park will get packed from time to time. They also have a nice little playground for the kids, which was recently added, nicely built and well situated. This playground was long overdue and very necessary imo.
CPP offers a trail for joggers, it’s not as long as I’d like but it does the job. As you jog along the trail you will find wooden decks for playing frisbee, on the other end of the deck you’ll see the frisbee golf baskets with the chains, never noticed these before, they may be new additions to the park. I notice a good amount of these baskets along the park, so if this is your thing, this is the place to be. Ok, moving on, in the heart of the park you’ll find pavilion equipped with small to medium size bbq pits, great for a get together or parties, these must be reserved btw, to check availability you can go on
. If you wanna come out to bbq, you may get lucky and find other pits set up around the vicinity of the Pavilion that can be used by anyone, some if not all will have a picnic table as well.
CPP also has a beach, perfect for those looking for a quick getaway without having to deal with the traffic and expenses that comes with going to other popular beaches. If peace and quiet is what you want, you may take issue with the fact that this park is not far from Tampa International, every so often you will hear the loud sound of the airplanes as they are gearing up for landing. The sound doesn’t bother me much but I can see how some people may think otherwise. Great beach for the family, hanging out with friends. Highly recommended, just remember to limit your expectations and keep in mind it’s the right place for the certain type.

I only recently discovered Cypress Point Park planning a biking route. This park has everything: gorgeous park with picnic shelters, bathrooms, lots of parking spaces, bike trail that connects to a trail that runs all the way to Courtney Campbell, small beach, canoe and kayak ramp, great view of the bay and you can see planes take off and land overhead.
I got a feeling of peacefulness when I was here, despite the fact that it’s under a flight path. My friends and I met up here around 11am Sat morning to start our biking adventure. There were people jogging and families having picnics. When we got back around 3pm, there were even more families having picnics and some people sunbathing on the beach. I like how you can see Howard Frankland on one side and Courtney Campbell on the other, yet feel like you’re secluded and away from the hustle and bustle.
This park doesn’t have much shades, but it’s great for a picnic under the shelters, and it’s great for exercising and bike trail usage.

When you need a peaceful, pleasant picturesque place to escape and it needs to be near, not far, Tampa residents within close proximity to Tampa International Airport and the Westshore district have a retreat that is hard to beat.
This park is maintained by the City of Tampa so no fees and plenty of parking on-​site. There are restrooms, water fountains, covered picnic areas, a sand volleyball court and a very cool new children’s playground.
You can plop down a beach chair and enjoy looking out over the water, stroll along paved paths, easily launch a canoe or set off on your stand up paddleboard or just generally soak up the sun and scenery.
Just before you turn left off of Cypress Street (where it dead ends) to access the park, look to your right. There is a wide, paved path that connects with the Hyatt Regency Westshore and beyond and it is strictly for people on foot, blades or bikes. Sweet.
Sure we are pretty close to some pretty fabulous beaches in neighboring Pinellas County but sometimes time is not our friend so a nearby place to escape can give you a nice back-​to-​nature-​fix until you can go the distance.