The 67th Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show runs Saturday Nov. 7, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. Hwy. 301 N, Tampa. The Tampa Bay Mineral and Science Club organises it, with over 60 vendors selling slabs, cabochons, beads, gemstones and jewelry.
Book the Saturday Night
Saturday Nov. 7 is the night that bridges the two days. A Saturday check-in holds the room through the 6 p.m. close and puts you back on the grounds before the 10 a.m. Sunday opening. Sunday checkout works either after the show ends at 5 p.m. or in the morning if you would rather carry the bag.
Friday Nov. 6 buys one thing: a Saturday arrival at 9 a.m. without asking for an early check-in. Sunday Nov. 8 buys nothing for a two-day visitor, because the show closes at 5 p.m. and the RV show on the Midway closes at 4 p.m. A one-day buyer coming for Sunday alone still needs the Saturday night to be on site for a 10 a.m. start.
Prepay the $10 Parking Ticket
The venue sells Gem & Mineral - Parking Only for Nov. 7-8 at $10.00 general parking, one time entry, enter through MLK. The event page lists parking at $10 online and $12 onsite, so the prepaid ticket is the cheaper of the two. Present the emailed ticket to scan at the gate.
The terms are final. Parking does not include event entry, each ticket is good for one entry only, and tickets are not refundable, not transferable, with no rainchecks and all sales final. The catalogue states that convenience fees sit inside the listed price under the FTC junk-fee rule, so $10.00 is the whole charge.
One entry shapes the day. A trip back to the car for a jacket or a load of purchases re-buys the lot.
Gate 3 on MLK Blvd
The event page names MLK Jr. Blvd as the entrance, and the venue’s own roster assigns the Special Events Center to the MLK Blvd Entrance, Gate 3. From Tampa or St. Pete via I-275 to I-4 eastbound, take Exit #5 for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd./SR 574 West, turn right off the ramp, pass the Orient Road light and turn left into the entrance. From I-75 northbound or southbound, take Exit #260 and turn right after the light at U.S. 301.
Four Shows Share the Grounds That Saturday
The venue’s event feed for Nov. 7 lists the gem show 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Special Events Center, Repticon 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Expo Hall, the Tampa Bay Fall RV Show 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Midway, and the SFRHA Green Spectacular 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Equestrian Rings. Repticon’s page sends its visitors to MLK Jr. Blvd as well, so the gate the gem show uses carries a second show’s traffic. The RV show enters through U.S. Hwy. 301, charges $5 for adults and admits children 16 and under free across its Nov. 5 to 8 run.
Sunday adds Spirit Clash Cheerleading in the Entertainment Hall from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Arrive at the opening and keep the car parked.
Admission at the Door
Adults pay $8, seniors and military with ID pay $7, and kids 12 and under enter free. The venue page offers parking for advance purchase and no admission link, so plan on paying at the door. Inside, the club lists a kids’ area with a sluice, a touch table for rock identification, a scavenger hunt, a mineral ID booth and a bean bag toss, plus a concession stand with lunch and refreshments and an ATM. The hall is indoor and air-conditioned, with 40,000 square feet under 25-foot ceilings that can divide into 15,000 and 24,000 square-foot sections.
Where to Stay
The venue lists seven hotel partners with its own distances: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa Fairgrounds Casino at 0.2 miles, directly across the street; Wyndham Garden Tampa Fairgrounds/Casino at 1.5 miles with free parking; Staybridge Suites Tampa-Brandon at 2.7; Hilton Garden Inn Tampa East/Brandon at 2.8; Courtyard Tampa-Brandon at 4.4; Cambria Hotel Tampa-Brandon at 5; Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa East at 5.0. None carries a rate, so every number comes from the property.
Two of them change the arithmetic. The Holiday Inn Express is walkable, which retires the second entry, and the Wyndham’s free parking covers a car across both days. Event camping on the grounds is the third option: pet-friendly sites with electric service, paid online 48 hours in advance, open to all Fairgrounds and area events except the annual Florida State Fair.
What to Put in the Request
Four items: the rate for Nov. 7, the earliest confirmed Saturday check-in, the Sunday checkout time, and the cancellation deadline in writing. Add the hotel’s own parking charge, because $20 across two gate entries is the figure a free-parking room is beating.
A dealer or a club travelling as a group sends the request to the property’s own sales desk. The hotelhuddle seller-of-travel page, last updated 21 October 2026, lists Florida among the four states where the platform cannot process a booking request.