Things to Do Near Moffitt Cancer Center at USF

When someone you love is at Moffitt Cancer Center, the days can blur together. Time is measured in test results, visiting hours, and conversations you wish you never had to have. The air inside can feel heavy, and it’s easy to forget what the sky even looked like that morning.

Sometimes, the only thing you can do for yourself—and for them—is to step away for a little while. Not to run from what’s happening, but to catch your breath, feel the sun on your face, and remember there’s still a world outside those hospital walls. I know that feeling all too well. While we’re fortunate to live near such an excellent cancer treatment facility, the three times my mom has been have felt exactly like this. As someone who understands what it’s like from the family’s perspective—and as resident of the Tampa Bay area—I wanted to share some of my favorite places to get a quick break.

These nearby spots aren’t about entertainment. They’re about space. Space to think, to walk, to be quiet. Some are just across the street. Others are a short drive away. All of them can give you a small moment to steady yourself before you go back inside to face the reality none of us should have to face.

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Right Outside the Doors (Walking Distance)

Did you know there are a couple of really nice places to take a quick break right across the street from Moffitt Cancer Center? We discovered the art museum our first time at Moffitt when we spent hours walking the nearby campus. I explored Simmons Park this last time we were there in August 2025.

Simmons Park (Simmons Pond)

Simmons Pond is the closest and simplest place to take a break. It’s directly across the street from Moffitt, tucked behind a small stand of trees that muffle the sounds of traffic. A paved path circles the pond, but you don’t have to commit to the full loop—just a few steps in, and you’re surrounded by water, trees, and whatever birds happen to be passing through. Ducks often paddle across the surface, their ripples catching the light. On still days, the water reflects the sky so perfectly it feels like you’re looking into another world.

While you walk the path, benches and picnic tables beckon. Stop for a few minutes to see and hear the sound of the fountain in the middle of the lake. Or spend a bit of time taking in the Concentric Figures artwork. You can walk here in less than five minutes, stay as long as you need, and be back in time for the next visit or update.

USF Contemporary Art Museum

If you need an indoor space that’s quiet but not clinical, the USF Contemporary Art Museum is a short walk from Simmons Pond. The museum’s small size works in its favor; you can wander through a few galleries without feeling like you’re on a schedule. Exhibits range from thought-provoking photography to abstract sculptures to large-scale installations that transform the room around you. The space is softly lit and uncrowded, offering a kind of mental stillness that’s hard to find in a hospital corridor. You don’t have to “get” every piece of art here. Sometimes it’s enough just to stand in front of something and notice the shapes, the colors, the textures, without thinking about anything else.

A Quick Drive (5 Minutes)

If you’re a walker, you can walk to these places also though it’ll take longer. The botanical gardens and the geological park are connected through space and geology and offer a variety of fascinating facts and quiet places to regroup.

USF Botanical Gardens

Only a few minutes away, the USF Botanical Gardens are a place where the pace naturally slows down. The grounds are small enough to explore in under an hour, but the variety of plants means there’s always something to catch your eye—orchids hanging in shaded corners, native wildflowers scattered along the paths, and butterflies drifting between blooms. The air here often feels different: heavier with the scent of flowers, warmer or cooler depending on the shade, and layered with the sounds of birds and rustling leaves. There’s no rush to move on; you can sit on a bench and just watch the play of light on the leaves until you’re ready to leave. For many, it’s a welcome way to shift their mind out of the constant loop of hospital thoughts.

USF Geological Park

Located down the street from Moffitt Cancer Center, this spot caught my eye every time I drove past on my way to or from a visit. The first thing I noticed was the copse of trees with large boulders scattered in their shade. Then I noticed there was signage. I stopped one day and took a short walk across an old sinkhole and around a variety of boulders and signs that explain the topography found there and across much of Florida, the karst limestone that often gives rise to sinkholes large and small.

Close but Tucked Away (10 Minutes)

Moffitt and USF are located in a well-developed part of north Tampa, close to places like Busch Gardens and Islands of Adventure, but there are still a few nature places nearby.

Violet Cury Nature Preserve

A ten-minute drive takes you to Violet Cury Nature Preserve, a small but peaceful escape from the city’s noise. The main loop is 2.2 miles, winding through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and around the quiet surface of Lake Flynn. The trail is well-maintained and easy to walk, with occasional benches where you can stop and rest. You may see an egret stalking the shallows or hear the chatter of songbirds from the trees. On a breezy day, the sound of wind moving through the pines can be almost meditative. You don’t have to walk the full loop—turning back halfway is fine. This is a place to be alone with your thoughts without feeling cut off from the world.

Lettuce Lake Park

Lettuce Lake Park offers a mix of boardwalks, paved trails, and open grassy areas along the Hillsborough River. The boardwalk takes you through a cypress swamp, where the knees of the trees rise up from the water like weathered sculptures. Turtles bask on logs, anhingas spread their wings to dry, and hawks circle overhead. The observation tower gives a sweeping view of the river’s slow curves, but if you don’t feel like climbing, the benches along the way offer peaceful spots to sit. The park is spacious but rarely feels overwhelming—you can take a short loop, find a shaded picnic table, or simply stand at the railing and watch the river drift by. It’s a reminder that the world outside the hospital moves at its own, much slower pace.

Longer Mental Break (15–20 Minutes)

Sometimes you need a bit more time away, especially if you’re family member is at Moffitt for several weeks or if you have children or teens with you. The following spots offer a longer respite and a return to normalcy for an afternoon.

MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry)

Sometimes you need your brain to latch onto something completely different. MOSI offers that shift. Inside, the air is cool and still, and you can move at your own pace between exhibits on space, physics, or biology. There are hands-on activities if you feel like engaging, or quiet corners if you just want to look without interacting. The planetarium shows, in particular, can be a welcome reset—dark, calm, and focused on the vastness of the sky instead of the details of the day. It’s a space where your mind can wander without pressure.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park

ZooTampa is more than animal exhibits—it’s a walk through shaded, garden-like paths that wind past ponds, aviaries, and tree-lined boardwalks. There’s something grounding about watching animals go about their lives completely unaware of human schedules and stresses. The manatee habitat is especially peaceful, with the slow, graceful movements of these gentle giants creating a kind of quiet rhythm. You don’t have to make it a full day—an hour here can be enough to shift your perspective.

A Final Thought

If you’re spending time at Moffitt, you’re carrying more than anyone should have to. Stepping outside for a few minutes doesn’t change what’s happening inside, but it can give you just enough strength to face the next conversation, the next treatment, the next hour.

Whether it’s a slow walk around a pond or ten quiet minutes in a garden, these moments aren’t luxuries—they’re lifelines. Take them when you can. You matter in this cancer journey, too.

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