New Port Richey, FL

New Port Richey is a small city on Florida’s Gulf coast north of Tampa, built around the winding Pithlachascotee River, known locally as the Cotee. In the 1920s it hoped to become a winter retreat for Hollywood stars, and its historic downtown, riverfront park and community events give it more character than the busy US 19 corridor suggests.

Where is New Port Richey?

New Port Richey is in west Pasco County in the Tampa Bay region, about 40 minutes north of downtown Tampa. US 19 is the main north-south road, State Road 54 heads east toward the Suncoast Parkway and I-75, and Main Street leads into downtown. Tampa International (TPA) is about 40 to 45 minutes south. The coast here is mostly mangroves and salt marsh rather than sandy beach, so for beach days, Honeymoon Island and Clearwater are about 35 to 45 minutes south.

Things to do in New Port Richey

Sims Park, on the river in the heart of downtown, is the city’s gathering place for concerts, markets and festivals, and it hosts the Chasco Fiesta each spring, a celebration that dates to 1922. The Richey Suncoast Theatre, a 1926 movie house, now stages community theater. Paddlers can follow the Cotee River toward the Gulf, and just north in Port Richey, Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park protects coastal marsh, mangroves and salt springs with short trails and kayak routes. Fall through spring is the most comfortable time to explore.