We had been to the Clearwater Beach, Florida area several times, but decided to head into Tampa this trip to see what there was to offer!
We hit a shopping complex, decommissioned military ship, and The Florida Aquarium. However, by far, The Florida Aquarium was our favorite!
The Florida Aquarium is AMAZING
Our journey begins!!
Due to admission restrictions, we had to wait outside until our exact entry time. To kill time, we took some pictures and looked at the various displays outside of the aquarium.
The inside was beautifully decorated…the guest services areas, as well as the actual aquariums.
Social Distancing Reminders
Due to COVID-19, there were social distancing guidelines in place.
The employees did a great job of making friendly reminders like those shown below!
Sealife
My family and I have been traveling since the children were babies. We have seen all kinds of museums, zoos, and aquariums, so The Florida Aquarium had some stiff competition before we ever even entered the door!
I have to say that The Florida Aquarium passed our expectations!
Our favorite aquarium is still The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, but The Florida Aquarium is tied for second place with the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky!
Touchy Feely
I’m a touchy-feely kind of girl and LOVE being able to touch critters at aquariums!
There were three different areas to touch sea life at The Florida Aquarium!
Sea anemones and starfish
Jelly Fish (again, my husband’s favorite)
There were also stingrays you could touch. However, I was too excited to touch them to get any pictures!!!
More than just aquatic animals
Education
Part of what I love about traveling is learning something new!
Lionfish
Information about lionfish was not new to me, but such an important example of being cautious with our decisions.
Lionfish are an invasive species that were put in the area by humans. They are not indigenous to the area and cause a great deal of damage to the environment because of this.
They are beautiful, but harmful to the environment.
You can learn more about lionfish here.
Caring for our planet and our oceans
I had never heard of washedashore.org before, but they had amazing displays both inside and outside of The Florida Aquarium.
They educate people by making beautiful displays and artwork from the trash in oceans, seas, and other bodies of water.
If you look closely, you can see the artworks are made from broken flip-flops, sand toys, soda can tops, and so much more trash.
For me, it was both amazing and heartbreaking. The artwork was great, but the knowledge that this is such as a small piece of all the trash in the oceans is very sad.
I truly loved the educational aspect of this aquarium. It was great information presented in an artistic, creative, and family-friendly way.
Family Fun!
The whole reason I travel is to have fun with my family! We have had the opportunity to visit so many places and do so many things with our children through the years and I’m so glad that we have had these opportunities. I love being able to share my love for travel and love for education with them in so many different ways! What’s even better is that we get to have so much fun and make so many memories together!
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Check out more fun things to do in the Tampa/Clearwater Beach, Florida area!
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What a great place to spend the day! Looks so fun.
Thanks for this post. We had a trip planned to Tampa in March when the COVID shut-down changed all that. We are planning to eventually reschedule with our friends, and this time I will add to e Aquarium to our list of things to do there.
Looks like a great aquarium with some intriguing exhibits! Very cool!
That looks like a great aquarium!
Another trip that I need to plan when life returns to normal and I retire! Sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing your adventure!!
We love aquariums! I didn’t know they were open again! My favorite are the stingrays! Anytime I can get a pet I’m so excited!!! Great pictures!
Definitely not your typical aquarium. Gorgeous glass pottery in that tank.
I thought so too! I’ve never seen any tank like that!
That’s awesome! My husband and I love aquariums! 🙂
Looks awesome! We still haven’t made it to Tampa yet, but will add this to our list for when we do.
Neat place to visit!
You can touch jelly fish there! That is so cool! We have one small area in the aquarium that allows touching at Point Defiance which is cool but would love to have more.
It was super neat to get to touch the sea life!
We loved the aquariums when my kids were younger too! The Florida aquarium was great. Thanks for brining up memories for me!
looks like a great aquarium to visit – my granddaughters would love to go there! Great article with lots of good information!
Who knew? Not I! My niece lives in the Tampa area; I may need to check this out next time I’m there.
I’m surprised that the aquarium is open. Here in New Mexico, museums are nowhere near to opening.
Beautiful pics; I really enjoyed looking at everything.
It is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area!
Whenever I think of an aquarium in Florida, SeaWorld comes to mind first. I will have to check this one out the next time we go south. Thanks!
This looks very cool! I would love to visit it next time I go to Florida!
I need to see this! Beautiful pictures, I love aquariums
I always go to aquariums when I travel and this one I’d amazing… I recommend it too!
Yes! I love visiting zoos and aquariums!
We love visiting aquariums when we travel. This looks like a great one to visit.
We do too and it was!
I haven’t been to a good aquarium in a while. Cleveland got a new one a few years ago, but it’s not as nice as the one at the Zoo. The art made from trash is a good reminder why it’s important to properly dispose of your waste.
This looks like an amazing place to visit.
It definitely is!
I lived outside of Tampa for a few years for college but I don’t think I ever went to the Florida Aquarium. I remember visiting the Clearwater Aquarium once after those Dolphin Tale movies came out though.
I would like to hit the Clearwater Aquarium next trip!
I like the lion fish! Although having been to Tampa many times we have never been to the aquarium. We will have to check it out next time we are there. The aquarium in Newport, Kentucky is nice if you ever get there. The best part is walking across the rope bridge above the shark tank! It is a blast. I also have to do a shout out for Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto too which is nice also.
We like Newport too! However, The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is my favorite! It has two separate buildings: one for saltwater and one for freshwater!
Looks like a really neat place. Thanks for sharing so many pictures.
I love that you named your top three aquariums. The only one I’ve been to in a long time is the one in Oregon. I don’t have anything to compare it to. Maybe it’s time for a trip!
It definitely sounds like it’s time for a trip!
This looks like a great attraction for families in Florida. Tampa is our favourite area of Florida to visit.
A good aquarium always makes the kids happy. I have not been to this one yet. Perfect for my grandkids for when we head across the state!
Absolutely!
I can’t wait to travel and visit there again!