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About this vendor

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33 years in business

We speak English

Small team (2-10 members)

Tampa Bay Watch is a coastal wedding venue located in Tampa, Florida. This tropical oasis is perched on the shoreline of Cunningham Key, just before the entrance to Fort De Soto Park in Tierra Verde, Florida, and is conveniently located close to many beach resorts and the airport. With its natural waterfront setting, large deck with sunset views, and expansive grounds, Tampa Bay Watch provides a stunning space to host a one-of-a-kind celebration that your guests aren't soon to forget.

Facilities and Capacity
The Tampa Bay Watch Community Center is comprised of 2,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. Featuring a clean, neutral coastal vibe, the interior is primarily made up of one large, open room with wall-to-wall picture windows overlooking the bay. The highlight to this space is its wraparound deck, complete with 1,900 square feet of covered open-air balconies, providing spectacular birds-eye views of Tampa Bay, Fort De Soto, Shell Key, and the Gulf of Mexico. They also have a prep kitchen and storage room available. The venue can accommodate up to 150 guests for an unforgettable ceremony and reception.

Services Offered
The Tampa Bay Watch offers many services during your wedding experience. They will provide tables and chairs for your event, as well as a list of preferred vendors to help make your decisions easier. They will even suggest many ways to make your wedding more eco-friendly. The wedding services they offer include:

  • Outside vendors
  • Wireless Internet
  • Parking
  • Valet
  • Wheelchair access


History
Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1993, whose mission is dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Tampa Bay estuary through scientific and educational programs. They work hard to preserve the delicate ecological balance that exists in Tampa Bay - performing a variety of habitat restoration and protection activities throughout the year, utilizing thousands of volunteers to help the bay recover from its environmental problems.

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FAQ

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$4,000

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$2,500

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

No

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Chairs
Parking
Tables

What is the minimum number of guests required to book your venue?

1

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

1

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Beach
Waterfront

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Covered Outdoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Get Ready Rooms
Outside Vendors
Pet Friendly
Wifi

What event items are available?

Chairs
Tables

What food and beverage items are available?

Linens

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Valet
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

January
February
March
April
October
November
December

What months are included in your off-peak season?

May
June
July
August
September

Still have questions?

Reach out about anything you didn't see answered here—no question is too small!

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Reviews of Tampa Bay Watch

This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

Powered by AI

Tampa Bay Watch is highly praised by multiple reviewers for its stunning waterfront location, beautiful views, and exceptional staff, particularly Jon, who is noted for his responsiveness, professionalism, and helpful vendor recommendations. Guests appreciate the accessible layout, provided tables and chairs, and the option to support wildlife conservation through the venue. The venue's flexibility in accommodating various setups and its commitment to environmental sustainability, along with the beautiful sunset views and generous support provided during wedding planning, make it a highly recommended choice for couples seeking a natural, private, and picturesque wedding venue in Florida.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Tampa Bay Watch is highly praised by multiple reviewers for its stunning waterfront location, beautiful views, and exceptional staff, particularly Jon, who is noted for his responsiveness, professionalism, and helpful vendor recommendations. Guests appreciate the accessible layout, provided tables and chairs, and the option to support wildlife conservation through the venue. The venue's flexibility in accommodating various setups and its commitment to environmental sustainability, along with the beautiful sunset views and generous support provided during wedding planning, make it a highly recommended choice for couples seeking a natural, private, and picturesque wedding venue in Florida.

Weddingwire
4.9/5 118 reviews
Google
4.8/5 205 reviews
Sarah
Sarah Sent on 12/30/2025
5 out of 5 rating

The perfect venue!

My husband and I had such a wonderful time celebrating with our friends and family at Tampa Bay Watch! The venue is breathtaking, gives right back to our community and everyone we worked with was wonderful. Something that was really important to us in a venue was being accessible for my husband's grandmother who is in a wheelchair. I promise, you won't regret having an event here!
Savanna
Savanna Sent on 12/17/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Best Waterfront Venue

We are so happy we chose Tampa Bay Watch for our wedding. Nothing compares to natural Florida beauty that Tampa Bay Watch offers. It is far better than having a venue on a public beach as it is private and on the water. I highly recommend Tampa Bay Watch!
Crystal
Crystal Sent on 09/09/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Best venue in Tampa Bay

The most amazing choice for our wedding venue! Huge open spaces, chairs and tables provided, and the money spent to rent the space goes 100% to wildlife conservation ❤️ Shanna was so knowledgeable, professional, had recommendations on vendors, and was ready to make our day the greatest day of our lives. The view was everything, and our wedding was PERFECT thanks to this gorgeous site! THANK YOU for everything!
Ashlee
Ashlee Sent on 03/13/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Perfectly positioned for a bay sunset!

If you're looking for a gorgeous water view for your ceremony, cocktail hr and reception.. that has a perfect angle of the sunset AND includes all the tables and chairs you would need, you found it! Shanna, their Rental Coordinator is awesome. She is knowledgeable, responsive and prioritizes your experience over everything else. As a planner, I'm always looking for functional, flexible venues with a great flow and TBW was fantastic. Can't wait to be back!
N
Nikki Sent on 12/10/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Dream Wedding!

We cannot say enough amazing things about this venue. It felt like a tucked away gem that allowed for such an intimate and private ceremony and reception. Jon was incredibly responsive, had amazing recommendations for vendors, and made sure that everything went incredibly smoothly the entire process. The value of this place was incredible (on the lower end of many that we saw) and we could not have imagined any other place to have our wedding. Cannot recommend enough!!!
K
Kim C. Sent on 11/20/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Lovely setting, great experience

Our November wedding was everything we'd hoped for (despite the earlier hurricanes). The setting was beautiful and Jon, the coordinator, was very responsive and gave us some good ideas for the wedding. We liked the options of having the ceremony on the lawn, then moving to the deck for cocktails, then inside for the dinner. And we liked the idea of giving our money to a non-profit, rather than another type of venue.
A
Amanda Sent on 11/13/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect day

This venue is not only stunning, but the staff is amazing too. They worked with us through both hurricanes after our beach venue got destroyed. Jon, the event staff, was excellent with communication and working with our price and timing concerns. They fit us in last minute and made sure our day was perfect. The sunset at this venue is STUNNING! I can’t say enough good things about this venue. I was devastated having to relocate at first, but I am so amazed with how perfect our day ended up being.
Colleen
Colleen Sent on 08/31/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Just get married here already!

Choosing Tampa Bay Watch as our venue was the first major decision we made in our wedding planning and we have no regrets! First, working with Jon was a dream, he was so supportive and professional. He's seen all the weddings, knows all the vendors, and has a ton of knowledge to share. TBW provided us with a recommended vendor list which informed how we picked the rest of our vendors and we couldn't have been happier with all of those too.

Second the LOCATION and venue, wow! So beautiful, all the benefits of getting married on the water, but with the lawn, you don't have to worry about sand and dust everywhere. There is ample open, but covered space, so you don't have to worry about bad weather, because they will show you a ton of alternative set ups for if it rains/storms. Your guests will love the balcony for the sunset, cocktail hour, views of the pier and bay. There is an educational room off to the side where the wedding party can get ready and Palm the turtle and other critters hang out to keep you all company :)

Inside, the neutral tones are beautiful. You can decorate a lot, or keep it simple. There's so much flexibility there and Jon and our planners, Simple Weddings, gave us a ton of great advice. The main room works well for 60-80 guests and a dance floor.

In case you can't already tell, we HIGHLY recommend TBW. It is an amazing location with a wonderful group of ppl working there. And we also learned some about their organization and all the work they're doing to keep Tampa Bay clean and flourishing too!
Jenn
Jenn Sent on 06/21/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Venue fit us perfectly!

This wedding venue was everything we’d hoped for. We loved that everything goes to ocean conservation which is very important to us, and that they have a rule of no single-use plastics at the venue. What really impressed me was they didn’t change their price at all when I first was looking at a 2021 wedding, and when we finally got to have a wedding in 2024. The location was so gorgeous that we didn’t need any florals to beautify the venue. We didn’t add a wedding arch or ceremony florals - just let the bay speak for itself. Jon was great to work with and explained everything, and the best part was they let us choose our own vendors and bring our own alcohol which helped keep costs down immensely. (Taco Bus catering and Costco alcohol return policy guys!) We opted to not get ready in the science classroom, but it provided so much staging space for the bridal party to change once we arrived. We opted to have our reception on the main lawn, which meant we had to rent tables, a dance floor and lights - but it was so worth it. We had our wedding on May 18th and were worried about bugs - but they weren’t even an issue! The patio is a perfect place to have a cocktail hour, and we had tables setup in their indoor reception space so people could get some AC if they wanted. We were so happy with the venue, and they were very easy to work with. Thank you Jon and Tampa Bay Watch!
William
William Sent on 10/14/2023
5 out of 5 rating

WOW!! The Most Beautiful Day of Our Lives

Jon Ziegler, our site coordinator at Tampa Bay Watch, and the venue itself were absolutely exceptional! Jon was not only incredibly caring but also an absolute delight to collaborate with. He generously allowed us, along with our coordinator, Christine Ferkile of Enchanted Weddings and Events, to visit the venue multiple times for measurements, photos, and rehearsals to ensure our vision for the big day was realized. He consistently made time for us, going the extra mile whenever we reached out.

The venue itself was breathtaking. From dolphins frolicking in the bay, which our guests were able to enjoy, to a mesmerizing sunset backdrop during our fire dancers' performance, it truly marked the most beautiful day of our lives. All 150 of our guests raved about it, deeming it the best and most enjoyable wedding they had ever attended. We can't express our gratitude enough to Jon and Tampa Bay Watch. Our wedding photos were so stunning that they went viral on Facebook, garnering over 9.5K likes and hundreds of comments. Without a doubt, we wholeheartedly recommend Jon and Tampa Bay Watch to anyone seeking to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Tampa Bay on their special day.
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Awards

118
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2012 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
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Professional Network & Endorsements

CCS Photography CCS Photography Wedding Photographers

We absolutely love working with Tampa Bay Watch. The staff are friendly and courteous, and their property is one of the most beautiful properties in the Tampa Bay Area. If you have not chosen your venue yet, you definitely want to check out Tampa Bay Watch. You will not be disappointed.

DD's Florals DD's Florals Wedding Florists

Fantastic venue, beautiful water view and great staff. Ceremony sight is amazing and the venue is very bride and vendor friendly. Florida themed for sure with the privacy.

Beautiful You Make-Up & Hair Services Beautiful You Make-Up & Hair Services Wedding Hair & Makeup

I love doing hair and makeup at this location! It is so lovely and peaceful there.

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