The Florida Aquarium — The Perfect Family Day Out in Tampa for All Ages

The Florida Aquarium celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025 and has gone through significant renewal in the past few years.

The aquarium is wonderful for children of all ages! With alligators, birds, fish, jellyfish, sting rays, lemurs and sea turtles there is something that will delight and engage everyone. There are multiple levels to the aquarium so you can start or end where best suits you and your children. Though there is only one elevator it is otherwise easy to navigate the different levels with a stroller, just be prepared to be patient.

We always start with the Wetlands of Florida habitat as it’s bright and fun and the otters are known to put on the best show by quickly streaking through the water and it is always a pull to leave them and move on. It’s also got several alligators, which is as close as I ever want to be to one! There are various types of native birds and fish to view too and a schedule of daily informative talks from aquarium staff if you want to know more. If you can, head upstairs from here to see the lemurs!

The new Tide Pool is brand new and brilliant and it's fascinating to see the sea stars and colorful anemones up close, even if you don’t want to touch them! The same goes for the stingrays at the aquarium’s Stingray Beach habitat. A long walkway takes you through various viewing platforms to see an amazing and varied array of ocean-life. There is enough to see you can make it a whole-day trip or keep coming back to see different areas if you have limited time. As the exhibits are inside it’s a great option for a very rainy, or very hot, Florida day.

Whilst unfortunately the aquarium’s splash pad was damaged by Hurricane Helene floodwaters and will not be reopened, there is now a large, unshaded, area for children to run and play in next to the recently refurbished on-site cafe. If you like cruise ship spotting, there is a raised and covered seating area at the back of the playground for a great viewing vantage point.

There is a large car park next to the aquarium but it does get busy on weekends so get there early. I can highly recommend heading to Sparkman Wharf after your visit for an ice-cream, meal, and/or drink, and to enjoy live music and some sunshine. An adult day ticket is around $40 so it’s worth investing in a yearly pass as it’s a great place to come at the last minute if a sudden thunderstorm changes your plans or it’s just too hot for anything outside.