Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:701 Channelside Drive
Tampa, Florida
Tel:
(813) 273-4000
Our Zoo and Aquarium Expert Says:
The Florida Aquarium offers many exciting hands-on adventures for those who visit. You can swim with the fishes through the reefs without being a certified scuba diver, or - in another adventure - you can also dive with the sharks. Enter the Aquarium's Wetlands Gallery and you'll see birds soaring overhead, turtles basking in the sun, and fishes darting through the water. The Aquarium also offers Ecotours aboard a 64-foot, 49-passenger catamaran. There's much, much more for young and old alike - some that get you wet and some that don't, but all are fun, interesting, and educational.
Especially for kids: Playground.
Extras: Educational Presentations.
Open 9:30 am to 5 pm. $$$ (Expensive)
From The Florida Aquarium - Tampa Bay, FL:
Swim with the Fishes is an in-water reef adventure that gives you the opportunity to encounter one of the Florida Keys' most beautiful coral reef dive sites without being a certified SCUBA diver. You will wear a small SCUBA tank, regulator and floatation device that keeps you on the surface. Birds soar overhead, turtles bask in the sun, and fish dart through the water as you enter the Aquarium's Wetlands Gallery. Follow the path to discover the beauty of Florida streams, sawgrass marshes, rivers, cypress swamps and mangrove forests. See North American River Otters, American Alligators, Spoonbills, Stingrays, Snook, Nurse Sharks and more! Dive with the Sharks will put you up close and personal with the ocean's top predator on every dive.