hey everyone krista here and the florida
aquarium is packed with numerous unique
and beautiful exhibits so if you're
thinking about heading over to the
florida aquarium i'm going to go over
all of the details to help you decide if
it will be a good fit for you and your
family so let's get into it
the florida aquarium is a 250 000 square
foot space that is home to more than 7
000 aquatic plants and animals from
florida and all over the world and when
you first step into the aquarium you'll
enter into the grand lobby and if you
come here right at opening you'll get
greeted by this fun turtle character
that will wave you into the aquarium and
is really fun
the first exhibit that you'll come
across in the grand lobby is the moon
bay here you'll get a chance to learn
and touch alien-like creatures like
these at the moon jellies touch
experience the moon jelly is named for
their translucent moon-like circular
bells and have lived in our oceans for
more than 500 million years and in case
you were wondering they really do feel
like jelly after getting a chance to pet
the jellies you'll head up the stairs to
see the rest of the animal exhibits and
this is where you'll come across the
wetlands of florida and in this exhibit
you'll get a chance to experience what
it's like to walk down a florida
wetlands trail except for the fact that
you're inside and in the ac and the
highlight of this entire area is this 80
foot tall glass atrium that encompasses
the entire area and while you're here
you'll get to see a number of flying
birds like ducks and white ibises as
they roam around and both the freshwater
and the brackish florida environments
you'll also come across some playful
river otters who were quite characters
and definitely enjoyed putting on a show
for everyone and of course it wouldn't
be a florida exhibit without some
alligators but they also had this huge
python who is known to be an invasive
species and has made their home in
florida but my favorite area of the
florida wetlands exhibit is definitely
this beautiful mangrove tunnel brimming
with tons of fish
birds
turtles reptiles and and vertebrae and i
loved being able to walk up to the
exhibit and be able to see it from above
and below water
at the end of the mangrove tunnel is the
ranger station where they do trail talks
at various times throughout the day this
is an informal educator-led experience
and will dive into topics like poison
versus venom and the most extreme
predators as well as a scolopalooza
if you head up the stairs right next to
the ranger station you'll venture into
the journey to madagascar exhibit this
area is home to many more turtles geckos
and some gorgeous colorful indian ocean
coral reef
the main attraction here is definitely
the ring-tailed lemurs we were able to
see them while they were enjoying their
morning breakfast and they're just so
cute to watch
and while you're here take a moment to
enjoy the incredible views from this
elevated platform you'll get a
bird's-eye view of the entire florida
wetlands exhibit as well as the massive
glass dome as you exit the journey to
madagascar exhibit you'll enter back
into the wetlands trails and you'll walk
through the mangrove tunnel again to
arrive to our next exhibit the bays and
beaches at bays and beaches you'll get
acquainted with animals that will make
their home under rock pilings and
bridges all along coastal florida here
you'll see these spiny lobsters who at
the time of filming were apparently
playing follow the leader across this
rock
as well as garden eels poking their
little heads out of their sandy burrows
you can also discover some other crabs
seahorses and some spiny puffer fish but
while you're walking through there's
also a water lab in here where you can
ease drop on some employees as they
meticulously work one of my favorite
areas of bays and beaches is the
stingray beach here you'll have to roll
up your sleeves and dip your hands into
this tank to touch a slippery and a
velvety wing-tipped cow nose ray the
best way to do it is to hold out two
fingers and remain still to minimize the
vibrations of the water and the rays
will swim right up and allow you to
touch their wings as they gracefully
glide by
but don't get too crazy with the hand
sanitizer yet because just outside the
exit to bays and beaches is another
hands-on experience the no bone zone and
at this exhibit you'll get a chance to
touch creatures that have no backbones
like anemones
sea cucumbers and sea stars these
pacific creatures thrive in icy waters
so brace yourself for this bone chilling
touch exhibit
if you're looking for a little bit of
peace and quiet while you're here then
you'll have to head over to the aquatic
lounge where you can visit the
tranquility of the cibc aquatic lounge
in the mosaic center this chic gallery
always features stunning work from local
artists as well as state-of-the-art
imaginative exhibits showcasing a
variety of small aquatic species
just around the corner from the aquatic
lounge is the coral reef exhibit and
with over 500 000 gallons of water the
coral reef is the aquarium's largest
habitat and as you wander your way
through the habitat you'll catch sights
of many different sharks sea turtles
and a giant atlantic stingrays and
hundreds of reef jeweling fish
the coral reef was my favorite exhibit
in the entire aquarium and it is an area
that you won't want to miss from the
minute that you step into the coral reef
area you'll step right up to giant
aquarium windows that will get you up
close to many different sea creatures
then you'll make your way around the
corner and step into the coral reef
tunnel where you'll have sharks and
turtles on either side of you i also
loved walking through the dark coral
caves where you can peek into many
different windows into different
habitats but the highlight of the entire
coral reef area is hands down the coral
reef room where you can walk up to this
giant panorama aquarium windows or just
sit down in one of these benches and
enjoy a beautiful window into another
world
right behind the coral reef room is a
wreath reef secrets where you can
discover a variety of seahorses and pipe
species from pot-bellied sea horses to
the dwarfs and you'll want to get up
close to check out these amazing
habitats
after passing through the coral reef
room and reef secrets you'll walk into
the waves of wonder this is where you
can experience a diverse variety of
colorful species in this area you'll see
everything from oscillating jellies
clown fish and anemones
but after all of those exhibits that's
not all that you can experience at the
florida aquarium if you step outside at
the back of the aquarium there's even a
fun splash pad and playground made
specifically for kids
also out here is the four ducks theater
where you can enjoy a 4d experience that
combines the visual excitement of a 3d
film with a variety of built-in sensory
effects and while you're out here don't
miss your chance to check out the
african penguins who are kind of hidden
behind this wall next to the splash pad
and if you're looking for even more
adventure the florida aquarium also
offers a wild dolphin cruise which at
the time of filming was currently
unavailable so if you had the
opportunity to do this in the past let
me know in the comments below if you do
spend most of your day at the aquarium
which you can easily do they
conveniently have a cafe located on site
called the cafe ray that offers some
family friendly offerings like burgers
wraps and more and of course no
attraction in florida is complete
without having a fun gift shop and a
florida aquarium has a great one that is
filled with a bunch of fun clothing toys
and accessories so that you can bring
home a momento from your trip if you are
looking for another fun aquarium to
check out in the area then you'll have
to check out my overview of the
clearwater marine aquarium that just
popped up on the screen until next time
everyone i hope you have an amazing day
and go out and enjoy some florida
sunshine
you