Florida Aquarium Celebrates 25th Anniversary With Expansion

TAMPA, FL — The Florida Aquarium is celebrating its 25th anniversary with 14 months of infrastructure expansion, enhanced exhibits and community events.

The aquarium opened its doors on March 31, 1995, in what was then a mostly undeveloped Channel District. Since then, The Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, has grown into a major Tampa Bay attraction and a world conservation leader.

The nonprofit Florida Aquarium featuring more than 8,000 aquatic and terrestrial animals was ranked the No. 2 aquarium in North America in USA Today's 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

In August, The Florida Aquarium made international news when, in partnership with Project Coral, it became the first research facility to successfully spawn critically endangered pillar coral in a laboratory.

See related story: Florida Aquarium Makes Historic Breakthrough To Save Coral Reefs

In recognition of its achievements and with an eye on the future, Florida Aquarium President and CEO Roger Germann announced a series of projects and initiatives to grow the animal collection, create new guest experiences, expand conservation efforts, provide learning opportunities to more school children and further integrate into the community.

To achieve these goals, The Florida Aquarium announced $5.6 million worth of capital investment this year – part of a larger $14 million capital campaign.

Jim Ferman, president of Ferman Motor Co., helped shepherd The Florida Aquarium from site selection through construction. He talks about the efforts to build Tampa's aquarium in a blog by former Tampa Tribune deputy editorial page editor Joe Guidry.

25th anniversaryProjects include:

• The CIBC Aquatic Lounge opening Feb. 27

The CIBC Aquatic Lounge Gallery, made possible through a new, multi-year partnership with CIBC Bank USA, will feature several state-of-the-art exhibits to showcase new animals at the aquarium. Located adjacent to the aquarium’s popular event space, the CIBC Aquatic Lounge will also be available as a reception area for corporate and private events.

The CIBC Aquatic Lounge Gallery

• Washed Ashore – Art to Save the Sea opening this spring

A world-renowned traveling art exhibition featuring sculptures made entirely of plastic debris collected from beaches, "Washed Ashore – Art to Save the Sea" unmasks the impacts of plastic pollution on oceans, waterways and wildlife. Working closely with the artist, this exhibit has been curated specifically for The Florida Aquarium. This is the first time this exhibit will be displayed in the state of Florida.

Shoreline Exhibit

Wetlands Canopy Walk

Wetlands Path

• Bays & Beaches Gallery improvements opening this fall

• TECO Rooftop Pavilion and Solar Exhibit opening this fall

The TECO Rooftop Pavilion is made possible through a collaboration with longtime premier partner TECO, along with support from Hillsborough County and ARAMARK. TECO and The Florida Aquarium are focusing on promoting energy alternatives in the Sunshine State. More than 1,100 panels will cover the two largest habitats providing an upgrade to the existing canopies, as well as provide an opportunity to educate guests about the importance of solar power.

TECO Rooftop Pavilion

• Coral Complex additions opening in November

Through support from the State of Florida and partners at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, the aquarium will expand it coral conservation facilities. Located on the Florida Conservation & Technology Center campus in Apollo Beach, the Center for Conservation will receive five new greenhouses. The completion of Coral Ark #3 in November 2020 will increase The Florida Aquarium’s capacity to hold, breed and rear corals by 50 percent, including the first-ever induced-spawning of an Atlantic coral. The remaining Coral Arks will be brought online in 2021. These new facilities will expand the ground-breaking scientific advancements the aquarium made this past summer and will allow thousands more endangered coral colonies to be returned to the Florida Reef Tract.

Coral Arks

• Community Butterfly Garden opening in March 2021

The aquarium will open a temporary, community butterfly garden located in the front of the building for the public to enjoy for free.

Community Butterfly Garden

Throughout the 25th celebration, The Florida Aquarium will also offer specially priced days for Florida residents, impromptu giveaways and surprises, never-before-offered nighttime festivities for adults and a commemorative 25th anniversary beer.

Florida Aquarium

The aquarium has planned a number of events for its 25th anniversary, including $19.95 days starting Jan. 25 and 26, and on selected weekends throughout the year. Admission for Florida residents will be $19.95 to celebrate the year we were founded.

The aquarium will also host its first adult slumber party, a 21 and up spring break celebration with a '90s twist; Corona Summer Nights with extended hours on Thursdays in June and July; and a 25th anniversary "reimagining" of favorite events like SeaGrapes and Brews By the Bay.

“The last 25 years have given us plenty of reasons to celebrate," said Germann. “Today we ask, ‘What’s Next?’ The investment we are making in our aquarium is an investment in Tampa Bay as a cultural attraction, an economic driver, a conservation leader, a pillar of the community and a fun place to visit. We are focused on the triple bottom line as we grow into the next 25 years. We invite the entire Tampa Bay community – from St Petersburg to Clearwater and from Plant City to Tampa – to join us on this thrilling journey and enjoy and support our world-class aquarium."