Do I need to rent a car in Tampa?

Usually not, and often you're better off without one. Tampa's good nights move between Water Street, Hyde Park, and Ybor, with the beaches across the bay. It's drivable, but a night out or a beach day is smoother with a car on call.

Between Tampa International Airport (TPA) and neighborhoods like Water Street, Downtown, Hyde Park, Ybor City, a private captain on call covers everything a rental would, minus the counter, the parking, and the return. You ride, someone else drives.