Bay Life, Electrified

Tampa Bay is one of America's great estuaries — 400 square miles of water, teeming with dolphin, manatee, osprey, and roseate spoonbills. The city that sits on its shores has invested heavily in its waterfront in recent years, and the result is a downtown that's genuinely compelling even outside of Busch Gardens and the cruise ship terminals.

Electric boat tours of Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough River give visitors access to the wildlife that makes this estuary worth protecting — you'll see more dolphins on a quiet electric pontoon than you ever will from a gas-powered speedboat. The Riverwalk, Tampa's 2.6-mile waterfront promenade, is ideal e-bike territory — flat, well-maintained, and offering views of the working bay and the distinctive Sunshine Skyway in the distance.

St. Pete Beach and Clearwater are within easy reach, and the Gulf Coast beaches here are among the best in the country. Electric bike rentals along the Pinellas Trail connect Clearwater to St. Petersburg with 47 miles of protected riding. From the bay to the gulf, Florida's west coast zero-emission scene is quietly becoming one of the country's best.