Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
352
3000 E. Busch Blvd. (at McKinley Dr./N. 40th St.).
&
888/800-5447
or 813/987-5283. www.buschgardens.
com.
Note:
Admission prices and hours vary, so call ahead, check website, or get brochure at visitor
centers. Admission single-day ticket $70 adults, $60 children 3-9, plus tax; free for children 2 and under.
Daily 10am-6pm (to 7 and 8pm in summer and on holidays). Parking $11 for cars; $13 for trucks and
campers. Take I-275 north of downtown to Busch Blvd. (exit 50) and go east 2 miles. From I-75, take
Fowler Ave. (exit 54) and follow the signs west.
Florida Aquarium
Kids
See the more than 5,000 aquatic animals and plants
that call Florida home at this entertaining attraction. The exhibits follow a drop of water
from the springs of the Florida Wetlands Gallery, through a mangrove forest in the Bays
and Beaches Gallery, and out onto the Coral Reefs, where an impressive 43-foot-wide,
14-foot-tall panoramic window lets you look out at schools of fish and lots of sharks and
stingrays. Also worth visiting are the educational Explore a Shore playground, a deep-
water exhibit, and a tank housing moray eels. You can look for birds and sea life on
90-minute Eco Tour cruises in the
Bay Spirit,
a 64-foot catamaran. The aquarium also
offers a
Dive with the Sharks
program (
&
813/367-4005
) that gives certified divers the
chance to swim with black-tip, sand tiger, and nurse sharks for 30 minutes. The $150
price tag includes a souvenir photo and T-shirt. Expect to spend 3 to 4 hours here.
701 Channelside Dr.
&
813/273-4000.
www.flaquarium.org. Admission $20 adults, $17 seniors, $15
children 3-11, free for children 2 and under. Eco Tour $22 adults, $20 seniors, $18 children 3-11, free for
children 2 and under. Combination aquarium admission and Eco Tour $33 adults, $30 seniors, $23 chil-
dren 3-11, free for children 2 and under. Website sometimes offers discounts. Parking $5. Daily 9:30am-
5pm. Dolphin Quest Mon-Fri 2pm; Sat-Sun 1 and 3pm. Eco Tour Sun-Fri 2 and 4pm; Sat noon, 2, and
4pm. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Take Jefferson St. to Twiggs, make a left onto Channelside Dr.,
then a right onto Washington St., and a left into the aquarium's parking lot.
Lowry Park Zoo
Kids
The opportunity to watch 3,000-pound manatees, Komodo
dragons, Persian leopards, and rare red pandas makes this a worthwhile excursion after
the kids have seen the plains of Africa at Busch Gardens. With lots of greenery, bubbling
brooks, and waterfalls, this 24-acre zoo displays animals in settings similar to their natu-
ral habitats. Exhibits include the Florida wildlife display, Asian Domain, Primate World,
Aquatic Center, free-flight aviary with a birds-of-prey show, hands-on Discovery Center,
and endangered-species carousel ride. The Wallaroo Station has kids' rides, a small water
park, a kangaroo walk-about, and a petting zoo. Lowry Park has one of Florida's three
manatee hospitals and rehabilitation centers. The Eco Tour is very popular, featuring a
cruise on the Hillsborough River, where you'll see turtles, herons, and manatees. The cost
is $14 for adults, $13 for seniors, and $10 for children 3 to 11 (zoo and Eco Tour Pack-
age costs $29 for adults, $27 for seniors, and $21 for children 3-11). The zoo is also a
sanctuary for Florida panthers and red wolves. There's also a rare African shoebill stork;
an African safari tram-style tour; and a restaurant, the Garden Grille, inside the zoo's
front gate.
1101 W. Sligh Ave.
&
813/935-8552
or 932-0245 for recorded information. www.lowryparkzoo.com.
Admission $19 adults, $18 seniors, $15 children 3-11, free for children 2 and under. Daily 9:30am-5pm.
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Take I-275 to Sligh Ave. (exit 48) and follow the signs.
VISITING THE MUSEUMS
Henry B. Plant Museum
Originally built in 1891 by railroad tycoon Henry B.
Plant as the super-chichi 511-room Tampa Bay Hotel, this ornate building is worth a
short trip across the river from downtown to the University of Tampa campus. Its 13
silver minarets and distinctive Moorish architecture, modeled after the Alhambra in
Spain, make this National Historic Landmark a focal point of the Tampa skyline.
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