City: Tampa Bay, FL

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (813) 273-4000

Address: 701 Channelside Dr.

Description: The multi-level Florida Aquarium explores the watery environments found in Florida. See how water bubbles up from the Florida aquifer into springs that form ponds and lakes where bluegill and bass live. Explore streams, rivers, and salt marshes where alligators swim r-e-a-l-l-y close to the thick acrylic wall separating them from visitors. Stand in front of a 42-foot-wide, 14-foot-high acrylic wall and see into a coral reef. Or bring a swimsuit and swim in the 500,000-gallon Coral Reef ($85, ages six and up). Kids can play in an outdoor water park with a two-story pirate ship complete with water cannons. See Tampa Bay from a 49-foot powered catamaran on an Eco-Tour. The Florida Aquarium is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is $19.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors ages sixty and above, $14.95 for children ages three to eleven. Children two and under are free. Eco-Tours are extra. A café and restaurant are on-site.