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During your Tampa vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
The Florida Aquarium
See more than 5,000 aquatic animals and plants that call Florida home at this entertaining and informative attraction. The exhibits follow a drop of water from the pristine 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 deepwater 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 (tel. 813/367-4005) that gives certified scuba divers the chance to swim with blacktip reef, sand tiger, and nurse sharks for 30 minutes. The $150 price tag includes a souvenir photo and T-shirt.
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. Although the building is the highlight of a visit, don't skip its contents: art and furnishings from Europe and Asia, plus exhibits that explain the history of the original railroad resort, Florida's early tourist industry, and the hotel's role as a staging point for Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.
The Florida Aquarium
See more than 5,000 aquatic animals and plants that call Florida home at this entertaining and informative attraction. The exhibits follow a drop of water from the pristine 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 deepwater 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 (tel. 813/367-4005) that gives certified scuba divers the chance to swim with blacktip reef, sand tiger, and nurse sharks for 30 minutes. The $150 price tag includes a souvenir photo and T-shirt.
Suburban Extended Stay Tampa Airport
The Suburban Extended Stay is conveniently located minutes from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island. This Tampa hotel is minutes from the Florida Aquarium and Honeymoon Island, where visitors will enjoy beautiful scenery, fishing, bird watching, relaxing and more. Guests of this Tampa hotel will enjoy amenities like fully equipped kitchens in all rooms. Front Desk hours: Monday - Friday 8:00AM to 7:00PM and Saturday - Sunday 9:00AM to 2:00AM. Great weekly (extended stay) rates ...
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