The Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium was the winner of "Best Tampa Tourist Spot" in Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards in August 2009. This is the fourth such honor the aquarium has received in as many years. Coastal Living ranked Tampa's aquarium in its "Top 10 Aquariums in North America" and Parents Magazine ranked it in their top five "family-friendly aquariums in the country."

The Florida Aquarium is a nonprofit institution whose mission is to entertain, educate and inspire stewardship about our natural environment. The Aquarium facility is home to over 20,000 aquatic plants and animals representing 1,500 species from Florida and all over the world.

Diving with the Sharks

Certified SCUBA divers 15 years old and older can come face-to-face with five different species of shark from around the world as part of the Diving with the Sharks program. The 90-minute guest dive program is offered daily at The Florida Aquarium.

The Coral Reef

Guests 6 years and older can Swim with the Fishes in the aquarium’s largest exhibit, The Coral Reef. This 500,000-gallon tank features more than 2,300 fish including grouper, tarpon, Angel fish and the star of the exhibit, a mature green sea turtle named Flip.

Explore a Shore

Another fun activity for kids is the Florida Aquarium's 2-acre outdoor water adventure zone, called Explore a Shore. While you enjoy the shade at the Cantina bar and grill, your little ones can splash in the waves, slippery slides, gushing geysers and various animal scupltures nearby. Toddlers will enjoy sand castles, litttle slides and giant sea creature figures as they play in Shipwreck Shore. The children's play areas and Cantina are within visual contact.

Other extreme options at the Aquarium include including Shark Feeding: Behind the Scenes. Another popular experience is the Penguin: Backstage Pass. Here guests can have a close-up encounter with several of the African Black-footed penguins in the Penguin Suite.

Dolphin Cruise

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa Bay is offering cruises aboard a 72-foot, 130-passenger catamaran, officially named Bay Spirit II. The Aquarium has partnered with the Tampa Port Authority in order to bring this important project to life.

Your visit to Tampa Bay isn't complete without exploring the one Bay Area attraction that opens a window to the side of Florida that few ever get to see. The Florida Aquarium offers a dramatic and unique look at all that swims, floats, preys,and crawls in and around Florida waters and beyond.

Book now at The Florida Aquarium