Review of
THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM
Tampa, FL
The Florida Aquarium is an amazing Tampa location to spend a day learning about sea creatures, interacting with stingrays, searching for shark teeth, and even playing in the water.
During summer I like to find activities that are (1) fun (2) educational (3) indoors so we can escape the heat and (4) active. The Florida Aquarium offers all that and so much more!
Visitor Details
Website: https://www.flaquarium.org/
Address: 701 Channelside Drive Tampa, Florida 33602
Hours: Open daily 9:30AM to 5:00PM
Pricing: Varies, adults range $31 – $25 https://www.flaquarium.org/tickets for more information. Tampa City Pass may be a good option if you’re interested in multiple Tampa attractions. Tampa City Pass
Children two and under are free.
There’s general parking located just to the north of the building.
Insider Tips
According to their website, the Aquarium will hold luggage for cruise passengers scheduled to leave for a cruise or returning from a cruise at no charge as they visit the Aquarium.
Plan to spend at least two hours at the Aquarium.
Bring bathing suits! There’s a great water play area outdoors. Aquarium Splash Pad
Use hashtag #FloridaAquarium on social media to interact with the staff during your visit.
Ask for the daily schedule upon arrival so you can plan to get the most from your visit. There are often penguin shows and discussions at the String Ray Tank throughout the day.
Our Day at the Florida Aquarium
Chasing the otters
We love to visit the Aquarium on weekdays in the late afternoon. We find there are few people to bump into that time of day.
My kids especially love chasing the otters! They’re usually quite active and playful.
On this particular day there were staff with displays showing the feathers from birds. They were wonderful to chat with the kids and let them ask questions. They held up a wing on show the kids the size of the wing of a flamingo.
The kids favorite area is the String Ray Touch tank. The staff explain that you should use two fingers to gently touch the string rays on their backs. We never have trouble getting the string rays to come near us. They’re usually very interactive and the kids all get a chance to touch them. Sometimes we even get splashed by them!
The kids also love the touch tank where you can explore the textures of anemones, sea cucumbers, sea stars and sea urchins! The water is very cold so they can only tolerate it for a minute or two but it’s really exciting to get an up close examination of the amazing creatures!
Craft Idea
We created these fish extendable drawings in preparation for our visit to the Florida Aquarium. Just fold your page in half and then half again in the opposite directions.
Book Suggestions
We try to get a few books from the library or off Amazon to learn more before or after a big outing. These are our favorite books about ocean life!
Toy Ideas
If you’re wanting the kids to have a souvenir but don’t want to be limited by the options or prices at the aquarium then consider purchasing one ahead of time. These are a few of our favorites!
