Tampa is located on the west coast of central Florida and is the state’s largest city.  It is a popular tourist destination for all ages as it is known for its beautiful weather, thriving economy, and plethora of entertainment options.  In addition to the great vacation it offers, locally Tampa is known for its agriculture, health-care system, leading technology, sound government, and healthy financial and marketing systems.  Because of its year-long mild temperatures, beach lovers particularly enjoy this destination.  For those who are not die-hard beach fans, the winter and spring seasons are recommended as the summer months can be excruciatingly hot and humid with temperature in the upper 90 degrees combined with the occasional thunderstorm.  Tampa Bay was cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most number of days of sunshine, which is appropriate considering it is in the “Sunshine State”.  Tampa Bay is also Florida’s largest open-water estuary and the 7th largest port in the United States.  Besides the beaches, vacationers often also visit Busch Gardens, a theme park that some prefer over Disney World only a few hours away.  But people often wonder, is there anything for those who don’t like more than a day or two at the beach and don’t enjoy the crowds of Disney or Busch Gardens?

The Florida Aquarium
This is the perfect alternative for a tourist activity looking for air-conditioning on a rainy, muggy, day or an especially hot day.  The Florida Aquarium offers 200,000 square feet of galleries and exhibits that both kids and adults will be interested by.  Opening at 9:30am and not closing until 5pm, visitors should have no problem getting their money’s worth out of their ticket purchases.  Adult tickets are $19.95 a piece, senior citizens 60 years and older $16.95, children are $14.95, and babies two years old and under enter for free.  The aquarium experience offers the chance for fun and education.  One of the most popular exhibits is the Wetlands Gallery which offers a glimpse of what Florida’s wetland ecosystem should look like, the original way nature intended it to be.  Another popular exhibit is The Bays and Beaches Gallery.  This one is a big hit with children as it is an interactive exploration of Florida bays, beaches, and native Florida animals.  There are also quite a few other in-door gallery options.  But if the weather is nice, a popular destination for children is Explore A Shore.  This is a 2-acre outdoor water adventure arena built with children in mind.  There are waves, slides, gushing geysers, models of animals, and sand castles all designed around a “Shipwreck Shore”.  The adults tend to like this option because surrounding this fun zone is a shaded “Cantina” offering cool drinks and a comfortable seat within viewing distance of the kids.

Of course, there are many more popular attractions in Tampa, Florida, but the places mentioned are a great starting point!  They have all gained popularity over the years for a reason and are all enjoyed by both tourists and the locals.