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.
We were fortunate to have a reciprocal membership with Marie Selby for November so we got in for free. The Aquarium is well laid out. Head up the escalator and then just work your way through the exhibits. We spent about 1.5 hours there.
There's a lot to see and learn at the Florida Aquarium. It's a great day trip for any adults and kids.
Took us about 2.5 hours to go through it all. Probably better for younger kids, but my teenager didn’t get too bored…lol…felt it was a good value for the money. Very clean and well kept
Great experience! Would recommend everyone to see.
This is a truly beautiful aquarium! We enjoyed learning about each exhibit through the informational plaques as well as hands-on experiences. The main floor was so fun as there was aquatic features as well as aviary - what a treat to see the birds and other animals up so close! The second story is awe-inspiring as well, seeing and even for some areas being able to touch the sealife! There were plenty of very well-trained staff able to assist, answer questions and expound on information beyond the plaques. Was a wonderful afternoon for my son and I on our trip to FL and highly recommend!
I got a great deal on tickets here. The facility was clean and had so many exhibits. Definitely a fun day.
The best aquarium we have ever visited. There was so much to do and see. Everything was well maintained. The variety of fish was outstanding - some we had never seen or heard of before. Something for everyone in the family.
Very good place to visit and see marine wildlife. Educational. Would definitely recommend.
Decided to visit the Tampa aquarium before the summer break ended . Many attractions to view other than just fish they had a variety of animals such as flamingos, ducks, and otters.. The most engaged attraction was interaction with the stingrays , jellyfish or either with the starfish and sea urchins. You could probably spend the whole day there. There was so many different exhibits to watch. They even have some interactive games for the children to learn about the animals. There was a snack bar if you decide you wanna stop and get a quick bite to eat. Also the option to visit the cafeteria. We decide to order the chicken , cheeseburgers and fries, which was more than enough to fill our tummy’s for the day. There was in doors and outside dining options. I love the fact you could go to the very top of the aquarium and get a view of the cruise terminal nearby. There was plenty of room on the day that we attended to not feel so clustered in one spot. Everyone seem to flow easily through each exhibit. Staff was very helpful and answer questions. I decided to purchase directly from the Tampa Florida aquarium website. The price came out to be a few dollars cheaper. They also still has some tickets available for the day. I love Tampa, Florida and I would definitely come back again for another visit at the aquarium.
Aquarium has a huge amount of fish with some birds and mammals (otters and lemurs). There was staff at many exhibits ready to answer questions. We saw feeding but there are no shows or very large fish like dolphin.
Great. was amazing experience. My grandbaby enjoyed it
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.
Extremely over priced! One adult and two children $127.00. Then add parking, 3 hours $15.00. Disappointing because it could be fantastic with a great variety of Florida fish and wildlife. Dolphins would be a great addition.
It’s a bit of a walk from parking, paid parking lot. Cashless- great experience! Take the kids. Recommendation.
Absolute beautiful aquarium.I brought my mother from Virginia, and it was my first time going as well.We had such a good time, especially the touch tank.The black lights and the giant starfish and the annals were just absolutely amazing
The Florida aquarium is amazing! We went after a cruise to pass the time until we had to be at the airport. They had a place to store our luggage. It was outdoors and covered from the sun but I'm not sure how it would be on a rainy day. I was worried the aquarium wouldn't be great for our 18 year old but all of us enjoyed looking at everything. We probably spent 2 1/2-3 hours there seeing all of it. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to see an aquarium or if you have extra time at the cruise port. There was a LOT to see!
Arrived later in the morning which was the best idea as the families started arriving more after we entered. Building was nice and the temperature was refreshing. 2 floors of different exhibits and animals. We had the opportunity to touch sea creatures which was wild! The jellyfish petting was my favorite. Lots of aquariums and more than enough fish and other aquatic life to see. The otters are always a cute bonus. Coffee, beverages and snacks available including churros! The layout of the building kept the flow of traffic controlled more. Nice large gift shop with lots of choices. Overall for a best friend’s weekend excursion, this was great!
Excellent aquarium with lots of sea life and knowledgeable staff. We especially loved Flip the giant sea turtle
It's overpriced for everything. On top of that you have to pay for parking. We were visiting from out of state & would never do it again. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. Place is very crowded with no flow for the visitors
Beautiful aquarium! So clean ! Tickets a little bit pricy but you can by online for the almost half price a couple days before your trip or visit
So beautiful aquarium! So clean. Tickets for adults pricey but you can buy online a couple days before your visit for the almost half price
The Florida Aquarium was easily the best aquarium experience I’ve had so far! I haven’t been to a ton of aquariums (my main comparison being Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada), but this one really impressed me. The exhibits were incredible, and there was so much to see and explore. I loved that it wasn’t just about looking at animals behind glass — they had so many cool interactive experiences too. Being able to touch things like jellyfish, stingrays, and anemones made the experience even more memorable. They’ve also added the Lemur Lookout, which was such a cool addition. Getting to see these animals up close was a highlight and added something different compared to a typical aquarium visit. The staff were great, the wildlife was amazing, and the whole experience felt very well done. There was a great mix of education, conservation, and just getting to enjoy some incredible animals. If you’re visiting the Tampa area, this is definitely a must-visit attraction. I’d happily come back again!
This exceeded my expectations!!! We had a great time at this aquarium. The add on dolphin boat ride is a great value, although we didn't end up going. Joey by the big tank explained a lot and was enthusiastic, you could tell he enjoys his job! Thank you for a fun afternoon!
Hands-down the best aquarium I have ever seen in my 60+ years. Was on a cruise had a late flight and decided to go to the aquarium to kill some time……. ended up being one of the highlights of my weeklong vacation …best experience ever
Great place to kill time before boarding a plane after cruise. It is right next to the Royal Caribbean Terminal. They will hold on to your luggage while going through the aquarium or sightseeing seeing.
Lots to see. Our little ones loved the hands on experiences. I did feel it was a bit expensive for only 1 1/2 hours, but we also didn’t take advantage of the outdoor splash area.
The proximity and baggage drop off option was a HUGE reason we ended up going to the aquarium. We needed to burn some time before we headed to the airport after our cruise. We love aquariums so that was also a factor.
I love taking my grandkids to the Aquarium, we have such an amazing time. I could sit and watch the fish and turtles swim around for hours; it’s so mesmerizing. My grandkids love the stingray encounter. They closed it briefly for feeding time, and once they were done, they wanted to go right back. The touch exhibit is another one of their favorites; they get to stick their hands in the water and touch anything within reach. They have fun watching the water bubble up in the splash zone as well. There are so many wonderful exhibits; you lose track of time admiring all of the majestic creatures of the underwater world. I bought the annual membership, so the Aquarium has become a part of our weekend plans when they come to visit from Orlando!
The only issue is the layout is a little confusing.
There are nicer aquariums nearby. It was crowded - wouldn't go again. Identification plaques are few and far between.
Very clean, well laid out aquarium. Animals appear to be very well taken care of. They offer special encounters for an additional cost. We had just got off our cruise ship and LOVED that they had baggage check included in the cost of the aquarium ticket.
Had an excellent experience at this relatively small but impressive aquarium. The exhibits are very well done and quite interactive. Went late in the day and basically had the place to ourselves. Highly recommend!
Many interesting exhibits but the enclosures seem small for the number of fish/animals in each enclosures/tanks.
It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about different species of fishes, turtles, lobsters, snakes that I didnt knew about
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the aquarium. The variety of sea life was impressive. The facilities were clean and well designed. We were able to touch star fish, anemones, and rays. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable.
We really enjoyed ourselves here. They have a park and pay parking area that's walking distance from the aquarium and everyone was so welcoming. They have a variety of things to see on both level one and two and a digital map you can scan with a QR code. The prices were a little steep when you buy directly from the aquarium but TripAdvisor offered a better deal.
5.I would recommend. My niece enjoyed herself
This was a nice event. We went around 9:30 which was perfect because at the time we were leaving most of the families with lots of kids were coming in so go in earlier is better. I got to touch lots of different animals, which was really cool I'm not expected.
Excellent Aquarium with natural habitat in the tanks and surrounding areas with birds. Many different species of sea life in well-designed displays. Fun, informative and educational for all. Many volunteer assistants to answer questions and provide information. Price is too high and buying tickets online direct from the Aquarium is restrictive on times. We bought tickets on Tripster and got discount. Restaurant / cafe has good food but limited choices and too expensive for what you get.
I've been to several aquariums and this was one of the nicest ones. Good variety. Healthy animals. Friendly staff. Splash pad for younger children is a nice plus
Lovely aquarium. We were a little hesitant to go there because it located near the cruise ship port. Thinking parking would be difficult. It was very easy to find good parking at a very low cost. The aquarium is small enough to get through it in 2 hours and not feel rushed, which was perfect.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
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