Recently, Marco and I headed across to the state to the Florida Aquarium, located in Tampa. The Florida Aquarium is the largest aquarium in Tampa and has won numerous awards for being one of the top aquariums in the country. Along with numerous animal exhibits, the aquarium also hosts daily shows, has a 4-D theater, splash pad, indoor reading area, encounter add-ons and a fun café.
The aquarium is set up to take you through the multiple ecosystems found in Florida and beyond. As we walked, we learned about the different animal and plant species touring the springs, Suwanee River, everglades, coral reefs and oceans.
The newest exhibit is Moon Bay, a moon jelly fish touch tank illuminated in color-changing lights! I haven’t seen anything quite like this. I’ve seen jelly fish displayed with lights before, but never one you could reach right into. Don’t worry, they don’t sting! Just make sure you touch them on their round side to avoid injuring these amazing creatures.
Marco, who is autistic, isn’t one for being tactile and exploring wet or unusual textures, but the staff were so friendly and really took the time to engage with him and make him feel comfortable sticking his hand into a tank of jellyfish. I was really proud of him and thankful for the patient persuasive staff.
I would highly recommend the Florida Aquarium for adults and children of all ages. I had taken Marco previously when he was a year old, so it was nice to go back now that he is six to experience different activities for his current age.
If you’ve had a chance to visit the Florida Aquarium, I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. If not, what exhibit would you be most excited to see?
Here are some additional photo highlights of our visit:
*These tickets were provided to us for the purpose of this review and media content. All opinions are my own. Thank you for having us out!