Tampa’s ZooQuarium Ticket
While the best way to experience two of Tampa’s best attractions is in person, that option is not always possible. The current global COVID-19 crisis has limited travel so ZooTampa at Lowry Park and The Florida Aquarium are offering other ways to connect with their audience–from past guests who are already fans to new individuals and families who intend to visit in the future. So read on for some virtual Zooquarium offerings.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park
2021 Remote Connection Sneak Peeks
The first of the virtual Zooquarium offerings are from ZooTampa. They understand you may not be able to make it to the Zoo as often as you would like, which is why they are offering several remote connection options for you to Get Wild Safely from the comfort of your own home!
Even though ZooTampa and all of their employees are now providing you with ways to Get Wild Safely in-person to get the best and most personal animal connections, sometimes it’s not possible. But with hand sanitizing stations located across the park, constant cleaning and sanitizing procedures in place, social distancing, and so much more, you can visit ZooTampa with your safety as the top priority.
However, if you can’t come to ZooTampa or want to share the wild fun with family and friends, they have a few remote connection options you can participate in!
Kids Room!
Your little ones don’t have to miss out on Zoo fun just because they’re at home or back in school. Our remote, online Kids Room offers so many options for animal-themed fun!
The Kids Room also provides activities for all ages. From coloring sheets to computer games, kids will have a blast getting in touch with their wild side from the safety of their computer!
Available 24/7, whether you live in Florida or across the country, there’s Zoo fun available online for everyone to enjoy. Share a coloring page with a friend, challenge your siblings to a game of Animal Mahjong, or complete an online puzzle together as a family!
Virtual Meeting Backgrounds
Even if you may be new to the world of Skype, Zoom, or Teams calls, our animals aren’t! They’re posed and ready to be the star of your next video call!
If you’re working from home or find yourself on more video calls than usual, these virtual meeting backgrounds will give you a little piece of ZooTampa on whichever virtual meeting platform you frequent.
Download over a dozen animal backgrounds or choose your favorite to add to your next weekly video call. Whether you’re in online classes, work meetings, or just catching up with family and friends, add a friendly Zoo face to the call too!
Symbolic Animal Adoptions
Connecting with ZooTampa has never been more personal than when you symbolically adopt one of their animals through the Share the Care Adoption Program! If you or your child has a favorite animal, why not connect by symbolically adopting that animal to help ZooTampa provide them with the best care.
The ZooTampa animal care teams work hard every day to ensure your favorite animals live their best and healthiest lives, but sometimes that can get expensive! Did you know that it costs about $30K to feed the manatees every month? With specialized diets to give the animals the best care, sometimes it means providing them with the best foods too!
Even if you don’t see your favorite animal on the adoption page, you can contact 813-935-8552 ext. 3214 to choose any Zoo resident to adopt! With over 1,300 animal residents to choose from, you can become a supporter through one of our several symbolic adoption options.
And as always, you can make direct donations through the online adoption portal too. Whether it’s for a business, organization, or yourself, donating to ZooTampa has never been easier or more rewarding! Your gift can have a BIG impact on the animals ZooTampa cares for each and every day.
Get Social with ZooTampa!
There’s no better way to stay informed on Zoo happenings and updates than through their social media, website, and blog! Updated almost daily, our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn provide Zoo-goers and fans with fun animal and event updates!
Their social media aims to show you behind the scenes and up-close animal encounters and updates as they happen so that you can stay informed as everything happens! Remote connection has never been easier when you follow @zootampa!
Whether it’s a special animal holiday or you simply want to see how your favorite animals are doing, check them out online! You’ll find everything from adorable animal pictures to conservation and rescue information.
Let’s Stay Connected—Remotely!
They truly miss you when you’re not there! Through all the remote connection options this year, you’ll be able to experience personal animal connections and family-friendly fun, even when you can’t visit.
Until they can see you again, don’t forget to stay connected!
The Florida Aquarium
Welcome to SEA SPAN
Next up on the virtual Zooquarium offerings, is The Florida Aquarium. The Aquarium accelerated the creation of virtual experiences in 2020. Many are complimentary while others require a fee. One of the most popular complementary programs is SEA SPAN, which started in early summer when it became evident that the Aquarium would be closed for an extended period due to the uncertainties of COVID-19. These informative and sometimes quirky SEA SPAN videos are a fun way to engage with The Florida Aquarium–from meeting the animal residents and the people who care for them to learning how to draw wildlife, as well as singing along with our in-house musician, Thom.
Aquarium Distance Learning
In addition to entertaining and inspiring stewardship of the natural environment, one of the Aquarium’s three pillars is education. Therefore, the Aquarium normally hosts school field trips and seasonal camps as well as provides the content to educators in a traditional classroom or homeschool environment. There are classes on Sea Turtles, Sharks, Coral, and other fascinating subjects. There are also special programs for scout groups to help them earn their badges with topics that include Oceanography, Bird Study, Environmental Science, and more. AquaTots is another unique program that is designed specifically for the youngest learners, ages 3 – 5; virtual AquaTot sessions are available once a week and include subjects such as Count & Identify Numbers as well as Practice Fine Motor Skills.
Virtual Meetings & Events
Because education is not just for formal learning groups such as schools and can be geared to include groups of any type, The Florida Aquarium has also launched a series of opportunities to bring the fun to meetings and events. Options include surprise visits by small animal ambassadors, in-depth presentations in the learning lounges, plus tours in various galleries as well as behind the scenes! These are suitable for any organization (corporations, faith-based, community, etc.) as long as there is an internet connection.
Video Assets
The Florida Aquarium has a broad catalog of complimentary videos available on-demand, and some of the most popular is part of the Tide Talks lecture series, a long-running program that is open to the community. There is a wide variety of marine science and conservation topics including the Feeding Biology of Sharks, Wonders of the Galapagos, Aquaculture, and Lionfish Invasion in the Western Atlantic among others.
New and coming soon are AquaGrams, a fun way to share celebration messages with someone special. Surprises include a song with one of our costumed characters as well as an under the sea message from one of our divers.
Any of these virtual options are a brilliant supplement to The Florida Aquarium visit. For anyone not currently able to see us in person, we are delighted to bring the wonder to your place!
Regardless of how you experience The Florida Aquarium and ZooTampa at Lowry Park, walking through our gates as part of Tampa’s ZooQuarium Ticket, or clicking onto one of our online programs, your admission, and virtual participation help support the great educational work of these award-winning attractions! So check them out in person or through these amazing virtual ZooQuarium offerings.