Day Trips

Recognized as the #1 zoo in the United States by Parents magazine (2009) and Child magazine (2004), Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo features more than 1,000 animals on nearly 60 acres of natural habitats, splash ground water play areas, wild rides, educational shows and interactive opportunities to get closer to wildlife. The Zoo’s Manatee and Aquatic Center, home to the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Hospital, expands the traditional boundaries of a… Continue Reading Lowry Park Zoo

Right next to Busch Gardens is a full 30-acre Florida Keys themed water park located conveniently in Tampa. Jump into a tide wave of rides full of slides, tubes, rapids, and corkscrews. Or you can chill out and relax in your own private cabana, or grab a tube and float lazily down a slow moving stream. Catch a wave in the Endless Surf 17,000 square foot wave pool that every… Continue Reading Adventure Island

Experience underwater viewing windows, dolphin pools, hands-on stingray tank, and other one-of-a-kind marine animal homes. Meet Winter, the star of the Hollywood blockbuster movie, “Dolphin Tale”! See turtles, sharks, otters and fish all swimming and playing in their homes throughout the aquarium. Included in the admission to Clearwater Marine Aquarium is the behind-the-scenes exhibit, Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure. See rebuilt scenes and actual props from the movie. The kids will… Continue Reading Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Tampa Bay’s Africa Theme Park! Bring out your roller coaster enthusiasts and challenge yourself to the six major roller coasters found at Busch Gardens: Kumba, Cheetah Hunt, Montu, Gwazi, SheiKra, and Scorpion. Get soaked on three different water rides, Congo River Rapids, Stanley Falls, and Tanganyika Tidal Wave. Get close up with the Serengeti and see lions, rhinos, zebras, meerkats, elephants, giraffes, alligators and more! Wander into Jungala and get… Continue Reading Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Get closer to all your favorite sea creatures at The Florida Aquarium. See cownose rays, sand tiger sharks, sea dragons, green sea turtles, moray eels, giant pacific octopus, and thousands of other unforgettable creatures. Touch real stingrays and bamboo sharks in the 5,000 gallon Touch Tank. You can also touch sea stars, crustaceans, urchins and mollusks in the No Bone Zone touch tank. Enter the wetlands and get within inches… Continue Reading The Florida Aquarium

Experience the world of painter Salvador Dali, and explore his complexity and learn why he is known for popularizing the movement known as Surrealism. The building itself is a work of art, designed to complement the pieces it holds within. Explore the three galleries that hold 96 of Dali’s paintings on display all at once, as well as some of this other works including surrealist objects, prints, and drawings. The… Continue Reading The Dali Museum

Since 1917, the non-profit Morean Arts Center has created engaging art experiences for Tampa Bay residents and visitors. Located in downtown St. Petersburg, the Morean consists of the Morean Arts Center, Glass Studio & Hot Shop, Morean Arts Center for Clay and the Chihuly Collection. Combination tickets allow visitors to have a complete arts experience through art classes, jewelry making, photography and much more. At the Glass Studio & Hot Shop, watch working artists… Continue Reading Morean Arts Center

MOSI is a scientific playground with more than 450 hands-on activities in over 400,000 square feet of permanent interactive exhibits! Come have fun and learn at the same time! Let your child’s knowledge expand in the largest children’s science center in the nation. Brave extreme weather conditions in Disaterville, featuring WeatherQuest. Live through tornadoes  hurricanes, wildfires, and more! Harness yourself to the longest High Wire Bike in a U.S. museum and ride along… Continue Reading Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI)

The Ringling, also known as The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, is located on 66 acres of spectacular bay front property in Sarasota, Florida, and preserves the legacy of John Ringling, one of the founders of the Ringling Bros. Circus (now known as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus), and his wife, Mable. It is home to an art museum, a circus museum, a five-story mansion, a… Continue Reading The Ringling

To experience the true flavor of island life, you might enjoy a break from the beach and take a day trip to one of our many local attractions. A short drive from Anna Maria Island is St Armand’s Circle. Centrally located on the lushly landscaped island of Lido Key, St. Armand’s Circle boasts superb exclusive shops, galleries, exotic boutiques, sophisticated restaurants, and nightlife. While there, remember to visit the center… Continue Reading St Armand’s Circle