Welcome to The Florida Aquarium, a 250,000-square-foot water wonderland located in Tampa’s Channelside District. It is chock full of aquatic plants and animals, fun exhibits, and even has a 2 acre splash-pad just for kids. So don’t forget the swimming suits!
Photo by Matthew Paulson
The Florida Aquarium ranks in TripAdvisor.com’s top 10 US aquariums and is also noted in Parent’s Magazine as one of the top 5 “Kid Friendly Aquariums.” The aquarium’s architecture has even earned a spot in AIA’s (American Institute of Architects) list Florida Architecture: 100 Places. 100 Years.
There are four main exhibits: Wetlands Trail, Bays and Beaches, Coral Reef, and Ocean Commotion. Each of them are fun and unique in their own way.
My favorite by far is the Wetlands Trail because of its outdoorsy setup and active animals: sometimes it felt like I really was taking an outdoor hike. My son loved the otters which raced him (and other children) back and forth along the see-through glass exhibit in an endless game of chase. And it was great fun watching the exotic birds hopping around the indoor trees.
The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, helping in whichever way they could. They pointed out interesting tidbits to me and my family as we walked our way through the aquarium. There is way too much for me to describe concerning The Florida Aquarium in a single post. So that’s why I’ve included a thumbnail/slideshow below documenting my adventures there.
Location: 701 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602
Hours: Open Daily 9:30am – 5:00pm
Admission: Flex Pricing – Weekends are around $30 per adult and child is around $26. Weekdays are around $26 per adult and $21 per child. (online prices, which will be cheaper than at the gate.
Doing it on the cheap…
There are a number of ways to do the aquarium on the cheap. Don’t pay full price for admission. That is only for suckers.
- The Florida Aquarium often runs deals on Groupon.
- The Florida Aquarium is often included in reciprocal benefits for annual passes (either free or 50% off). If you have an annual pass for somewhere, be sure to check its reciprocal benefits. Even if you are out of state. If you have an annual pass to a zoo or aquarium chances are you can get 50% off on tickets.
- Swaptember – annual passholders of Zoo Tampa (formerly Lowry Park Zoo) and MOSI get free admission during September.
- Bank of America’s Museums On Us program: Get free admission to the aquarium if you are a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch cardholder on the first full weekend of every month.
- Tampa Bay City Pass: Buy the pass and get deeply discounted admission to the Florida Aquarium and other popular Tampa attractions.
