The Florida Aquarium in Tampa General Admission
Description
Rated among the best aquariums in the US, The Florida Aquarium invites guests to explore more with 11 vibrant habitats that house dwarf seahorses, a giant Pacific octopus, and many wonderful creatures in between. Three interactive habitats, including The Tide Pool, bring guests closer than ever to moon jellies, stingrays, sea stars, and more. While premium add-on experiences like the Wild Dolphin Cruise, Penguin Encounter, and SeaTREK underwater walking tour create unforgettable moments. A must-see attraction in downtown Tampa, the Aquarium is dedicated to its shared purpose of saving marine wildlife. The Aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for maintaining high standards in animal welfare, veterinary care, conservation, and education, among other requirements.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Nationally recognized for immersive experiences, vibrant habitats, and unforgettable animal encounters, The Florida Aquarium is where discovery goes deeper. Explore 11 diverse habitats with over 670 species. Experience The Tide Pool — an award-winning experience that lets guests get closer to marine life like sea stars, anemones, and more. Interact with moon jellies and stingrays at two other interactive habitats. Or elevate your visit with premium add-on experiences like the Wild Dolphin Cruise, Penguin Encounter, and SeaTREK underwater walking tour, and make memories that stay with you, all while supporting the Aquarium’s shared purpose to save marine wildlife. The Aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for maintaining high standards in animal welfare, veterinary care, conservation, and education, among other requirements.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Strollers and wheelchairs are available at the Guest Services counter for an additional fee; quantities are limited.
- Infants 0-2 are free
- Parking options include a City of Tampa lot located 1 block north of The Florida Aquarium on Channelside Drive. Additional parking lots and garages are within walking distance of the Aquarium.
- Please note: your ticket is active for up to 48 hours after your originally purchased date and time of visit as long as your original ticket is valid (has not been used and Aquarium barcode has not been scanned).
Reviews(811)
The Tampa aquarium is a very nice but not very large place. It said average length of visit is 2-3 so that's what we paid for. Took us approximately an hour and a half to see everything on display. They do have more exhibits coming next year however. Luckily there was an outdoor food court within walking distance so our parking time was not wasted.
We took our adult son and daughter-in-law to the aquarium and had a great time! Not only is the aquarium well done, the staff was fantastic, knowledgeable and friendly. We are “that” family, always there early trying to see everything before the crowds arrive. We were welcomed at each exhibit and invited to ask questions. Every exhibit had signage and information, I loved the touch screens with extra information available, it seems like a great way to keep it up to date. My son loves sharks, I love otters. The otter exhibit was super cute and he got enough shark exposure to be happy. And the birds, just hanging out in different spaces was a nice touch to bring the outdoors in. We have been to many, many aquariums. Chattanooga, Georgia, New Orleans, Denver, Tokyo… and the kids have a membership at the Georgia Aquarium and go often but said the Florida Aquarium is their new favorite! We do travel with a service dog. The staff met us outside and did a tiny interview to make sure staff, animals and our pup would all be safe. I loved that. It indicated to me that the staff was truly concerned for everyone’s experience at the aquarium.
Very nice aquarium! Liked that we could do it in a couple hours (no kids with us). Great variety of sea life and very interesting to watch them as well as pet some of them. Very clean. Would have loved to have more fact boards for some of the exhibits- but overall great place to visit!
Best trip ever for a family vacation
We enjoy zoos and aquariums when visiting a new city. Tampa aquarium was nice (7/10) offering good education and nice exhibits. Good size tide pool for littles to touch star fish. Worth a visit if in Tampa.
The Florida Aquarium was very nice. It is slso a trolley stop which is a bonus since the trolley is free. Very educational. Workers explained experience to you. It was more hands on than I thought it would be. Get very close to animals and can touch them. Very clean. Sanitizer everywhere. Do the VR experience for extra. It's worth it.
The facility is Well kept, clean, and offers a variety of activities for curious youngsters. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable.
Nice assortment of animals and exhibits. Petting the jellyfish was super cool and being able to get so close to spoonbills was neat. The tide pool exhibit with the starfish was awesome. Staff was friendly and informative.
We enjoyed our trip to the aquarium. All of the displays are on the second floor. It takes 2.5 hours to go through it all. It was crowded but the traffic flow was good. The displays were interesting.
Do not buy tickets at or through the aquarium website. They are both expensive for the 2hrs it takes to go through. Do some research prior and save yourself a large amount of cash. Parking for 3 hrs costs $15...we found plenty of open spots. The aquarium is fun, friendly staff, plenty to see. It seems more like a "lunch experience" because even going very slow through it only took 2hrs. There was no line to get in. All the exhibits were clean and the animals seemed happy. I just couldn't see paying $47 per person at the door for only 2 hrs worth of a self guided tour. So glad I booked through Expedia. All in all we were glad we went but it's kind of a one and done type setting. It wouldn't make a good membership because it's fairly small, not very time consuming and would just be repetitive. Fun experience for a brief moment.
