Recently we spent a sunny Sunday afternoon at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. Visiting the zoo has been our to do list since we arrived in Florida.
What the Lowry Park Zoo has to Offer:
Aside from the regular animals that can be seen at most zoo’s, the Tampa zoo also includes,
– Small roller coaster – for no additional charge {our kids loved this ride!}
– Carousel – no additional charge
– Train ride – it’s teeny tiny, though, I mean teeny tiny!
– Two separate splash pad areas – one upon entering the zoo and the other in the children’s area – needed for those hot summer days!
– Water ride – no additional charge {the ride was not running the day we were there}
– Guided tour ride – the zoo was busy and we didn’t get a chance to do this
– Horse Riding – we were surprised to see this at the zoo. A horse was the only animal one of our daughters wanted to see! For an extra $5 children could get a short ride on a horse. If we didn’t have such a horse lover on our hands we probably would have opted to skip, but she loved the ride.
Our favorite attraction at the zoo were the sting-ray. The zoo has a great spot for people to touch the rays. It is possible to feed the sting-rays, but that is an additional fee and only happens at certain times of the day. The kids had never been splashed by a sting-ray before!
We purchased a family membership. It’s usually always cheaper for us to purchase a membership rather than just pay for all eight of us to enter. So, here is my large family alert, and this always bugs me!, but the membership is not just family as in two adults and the children living in your home, but it has a limit. The regular family is two adults and up to 4 children. The family “plus” is two adults. four children, and two guest passes, all for an extra $50. I just think that stinks. Anyway, it’s just a pet peeve of mine.
As I mentioned we went to the zoo on a Sunday. Right now it’s spring break time in Florida so the zoo was crowded. We will hit the zoo again when the crowds are down and everyone is back in school 
That will give us more time to explore and the few attractions that we missed.
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo was named the top 10 Zoo for families by Parent’s Magazine in 2013. Honestly, I wasn’t as fired up about it as Parent’s Magazine. I think I prefer the Toledo Zoo which was named number 13. Perhaps it’s because my kids are getting older and our needs and interests are different. To each his own!
What’s your favorite thing to do at the zoo?
Thanks for the info on the zoo. We may be traveling to Florida from Illinois this May to scout out a new hometown! My husband who works in IT was told by his boss he could work from home anywhere, even the moon if he wanted as long as there is Internet access. So due to some health concerns, we are considering a seaside location. We have four boys whom we have homeschooled since forever. Question for you: Are there any Catholic support groups there?
Kelly
There are quite a few in our area. We have joined one but haven’t done much yet, but we are involved with a smaller group at our parish. It’s great to be a homeschooling family in Florida!!
That’s good to know, about the Catholic groups. Thanks, Jen!
You are making me homesick for my old stomping ground. We lived in Brandon for 10 years before we had kids. Loving these posts.
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Sounds like a lot to do compared to other zoos. The freebies are great! That family pass thing, I’d be kind of miffed, too. Maybe you could call management if just to give your thoughts.
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