Taken over the city and with a new CEO at the helm, the Aquarium reinvented itself. While it still primarily exhibits native Florida species, it has expanded its scope to include the aquatic life of other parts of the world. The new exhibits and animals have been complemented by new education programs, new interaction opportunities, such as diving with sharks, a sea turtle rescue and rehab facility, and the addition of event space, an avenue which is becoming an important source of revenue for many zoos and aquariums. Today, the Florida Aquarium is thriving and its future looks bright.
The Aquarium originally started out as a facility totally devoted to Florida's native wildlife, and the wetlands and coastlines of the Sunshine State are still the primary focus. The Wetlands Trail takes visitors through a meandering stroll through Florida's swamps. Starting off underwater, where alligator gars and other fish swim overhead, the trail then empties into a large free flight aviary, where ducks and spoonbills swoop overhead or splash in the pools on either side of the path. Hosts of turtles and fish are also encountered here, as are the stars of any Florida wetlands exhibit - alligators. Also located along the heavily planted, sunlit trail are North American river otters and an exhibit of invasive Burmese pythons, with graphics telling the story of how invasive species threaten Florida's wildlife heritage.
From the sunny expanses of the Everglades, the scenery darkens as visitors descend into the Bays and Beaches gallery, home to creatures of the deeper waters off the coast of Florida. Lobsters, crabs, seahorses, octopi, and eels are encountered in tanks that depict a variety of coastal habitats (most interesting among them a recreation of the pilings of a bridge). The star attraction here is the 300-pound Atlantic goliath grouper (which, considering Tampa's fixation with grouper sandwiches, might be a safest grouper in the state). A window into a water lab shows how Aquarium staff maintain the water quality needed to keep residents healthy and happy. Just past the grouper is a stingray touch pool, with a second touch tank nearby featuring sea cucumbers and other marine invertebrates.
Larger ocean dwellers are found in the Coral Reefs area, where tunnels lead visitors into a watery world populated by moray eels, sea turtles, tarpon, and sand tiger sharks. The occupants of the 500,000 gallon tank can be watched as the cruise overhead, or viewed from a theater-like gallery with lots of seating, the perfect place to watch the animals. This tank also provides dive opportunities for interested visitors. Tucked off to the side is the Dragons Down Under gallery, home to sea dragons, sea horses, and their kin. Another gallery, Ocean Commotion, serves as a catch-all display of popular aquarium animals, such as jellyfish and octopus.
Many aquariums feature an Amazon area. Florida Aquarium differs slightly in having a small Madagascar area instead. Chameleon, geckos, and radiated tortoises can be found here, along with a colony of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and a tank of Indian Ocean fish. Honestly, it didn't seem to fit in too much with the rest of the aquarium (being tucked in the middle of the Wetlands Trail, and it almost seemed like it was there just because someone really wanted to add an exhibit of ring-tailed lemurs somehow. I feel like there was probably a better way that they could have integrated an additional non-Florida exhibit into the collection that would have made a little more sense, rather than a complete non-sequitur.
With that comment aside (and it is just an aside - at the very least it was nice to see an aquarium exhibit that was a little less formulaic than most) I really enjoyed the Florida Aquarium. It was a very nice complement to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which I had visited earlier that week. With several years of financial stability under its belt after a rocky start, the Florida Aquarium is looking to the future and considering expansion options. It has truly taken its place among the great animal attractions of Tampa Bay and should not be overlooked by tourists or residents.
No comments:
Post a Comment