We were reaching the middle of our trip and I could not believe it. I was getting so used to waking up at the condo and going out to see the bay in the morning from the balcony. The weather was a little hit or miss this day with higher chances of rain so we decided to hit the Florida Aquarium today and then go from there.
It was a less than 20 minute drive from the condo and it wasn’t really busy when we got there either! As soon as I stepped in I was amazed at the size! If you plan a trip here I would definitely set aside about 3 hours to make sure you can really see everything without being rushed.
The aquarium had such a natural flow to it which I love because it was easy to just walk through the whole building without having to think about which way we should go. There were so many different types of fish to see and I really enjoyed reading all the different facts! I am going to share a few pictures from our time but there were so many more!
If you have kids there is an awesome outside splash pad area and it is huge! When we went it was a little dreary and rainy at times but there were still kids out enjoying all the fun activities with the water.
When we were leaving the Aquarium, I had to snap a picture of the enormous Sting Ray that was in front of the building. Now it was time think about what was next with our day because after the aquarium was just a go with the flow type day!
I was definitely hungry so the next step was for us to find a place to eat. I was so amazed by the abundance of places to eat within walking distance of the Aquarium. Since we paid for the parking lot we decided to leave the car and walk to a BBQ place that had great reviews. It was only about a 6 minute walk, and when we got there it was a so cool! It was a cute outdoor area that had a lot of food truck like places to eat. They also had shops and a brewery there, and an amazing outdoor sitting area. They called the area a wharf, and there was a stage where there could be concerts and a DJ. The weather was a little misty with rain at the time but we were able to get a picnic table with an umbrella. We decided to get the trio tray that way we could try all the meats they had and all the sauces. It was plenty of food for the two of us and it came with 3 sides. We chose to have the Mac n Cheese, Cole Slaw, and the baked beans.
After having dinner we walked closer to the water area and were able to see a bunch of huge ships. We even got to see this ship leaving port and turning around thanks to the guidance of two smaller boats. It was so awesome to see and never thought that would happen! Then, it was time for ice cream we chose to get some right there in the Wharf area. There was a place called Jeni’s Ice Creams where I got the Honey Vanilla Bean and Joe got a trio but I am forgetting which flavors. It was absolutely delicious.
After getting ice cream it was time to go have watch Joe have some fun on the tracks! I am talk about go kart riding, we went to Tampa Bay Grand Prix. I personally do not trust myself to drive one of these things so I was more than happy to watch and cheer Joe on! The area was so cool, there were racing cars inside around the tracks and they were very official about tracking your time as you made your laps around.
After this, it was time to head back to the condo to shower and relax before bed. The next day was Busch Gardens, so stay tuned for my post about another fun filled vacation day!