The Florida Aquarium - Tampa, Florida - large aquarium in Western Florida

Located in Tampa, Florida, the Florida Aquarium has over 20,000 sea plants and animals found around the world. This 200,000-square-foot aquarium focuses not just on the exhibits, but also on education, providing visitors with a number of shows, interactive displays, close-up encounters with the animals, and more. There are also fun water activities for kids to enjoy, so the whole family can enjoy this aquarium. This facility was first opened in 1995 and continues to update constantly to bring guests new exhibits and information about sea animals and their habitats.

One of the main attractions of the Florida Aquarium is the shark exhibit. Called Shark Bay, this exhibit features a number of species, including the sand tiger shark, the zebra shark, the reef shark, and the nurse shark. This area also has sea turtles and a shark teeth & jaws exhibit to help visitors learn more. They have daily shows with the sharks, and visitors can even suit up and dive with the sharks along with the aquarium's trainers.

The Florida Aquarium also has a unique exhibit called Aquariumania. In this part of the aquarium, guests can see both fresh and salt water fish that can be kept in tanks at home. They're also information about fish farming, keeping fish as pets, and the history of aquariums. Most facilities do not include these smaller species, but in Aquariumania's 37 tanks, guests can learn about the fish that they might want to keep at home someday. This area overlooks the alligator area, where guests can see American alligators sunning themselves, being fed, and living together.

The touch tanks at the Florida Aquarium are popular, especially for children. The touch tank has a number of string rays, and if that doesn't provide a close enough experience, guests can also participate in animal encounters to see and sometimes touch species such as black footed South African penguins, snakes, baby alligators, great horned owls, hawks, and more. At the large coral reef tank, guests can also watch a coral reef dive show, and special dive shows are available around certain holidays.

Children who visit the Florida Aquarium usually enjoy the Explore a Shore area, which is specifically set up to be a play area with a beach and ocean theme. There, kids can play on the eel slide, run through the shallow pools, explore the pirate ship, meet new friends in the turtle toy box, go through the water tunnel, and shoot water canons. Afterwards, the whole family can see the bay area on the aquarium's eco-tour. Guests board a large boat that takes people through the bay to see killer whales, sperm whales, and dolphin species in the wild.

Other species found at the Florida Aquarium include river otters, mangroves, sea dragons, giant Pacific octopuses, cuttlefish, and more. The aquarium is open daily from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM and is closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Children under the age of two are free, and admission prices for other age groups range from $14.95 to $19.95. There are special discounts available for groups, and membership is available for those who want to support the aquarium and visit on a regular basis. To learn more, the zoo can be reached at 813-273-4000.