Imagine being able to stay dry while still viewing a variety of sea life that only skin divers normally view. That's the Florida Aquarium. It starts you upstairs where you are basically viewing things from a shoreline view, meaning that exotic birds are thrown into the mix in addition to alligators. It's terrific! Roseate spoonbills and a variety of egrets and ibises are among the really beautiful tropical birds we saw. But the museum moves you in a downward spiral, so that you see sealife from the deeper depths of the ocean the further you proceed through the ocean. Highlights: great shows and opportunities to see the staff feed fish. Also a shark petting area. The staff are incredibly accessible and quite eager to provide information. This is a terrific sea life zoo!

Check out their website www.flaquarium.org and buy your tickets online so you can save $3 or use their $2/off coupon.

This is a fairly new spot, a gorgeous facility built in the formerly seedy Banana Docks section. It is a little pricy, especially the parking. But inside is a very cool representation of the ecology of Florida - including a coral reef. The plant life, birds, reptiles, and fish sections are all fascinating. You can spend about three good hours here.

One of the highlights of our vacation to Tarpon Springs was taking a trip to the Florida Aquarium, about an hour away. It is a little pricey, $12.00 for adults along with the $4.00 for parking. The exhibits are arranged along a gradual spiral, so you can start at the top and work your way down to the bottom without missing anything. When you first walk in there is a small pool where you can actually touch small nurse, and tiger sharks as they swim by. There is a large wetlands display adjacent to this area incorporating natural sunlight from the glass walls and roof of the building, allowing trees and other vegetation to flourish. All the animals contained in the habitats are uncovered, and could be touched, although this is not encouraged. There are birds flying around, turtles, fish, otters, even alligators, which are in fact enclosed. The saltwater displays that I found impressive were the anenome tanks, containing all sorts of unbelieveable sea creatures, and especially the sea horses. I was blown away by these yellow sea horses which resembled delicate, flowing, underwater plant life. If you ever get there do not miss them, they alone are worth the trip!