KidsPort
What Kids Love
Children can splash and play at a giant, kid-height water table modeled after the Port of Tampa Bay, complete with real flowing water, boats, balls, and marine animal toys. Kids race balls across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, glide boats through busy shipping channels, and tuck a manatee safely into waving seagrass. When it’s time for big drama, kids work together to press a series of buttons and unleash a full-on Tampa Bay thunderstorm; real rain pours down over the table, wind whips across the water, lights flash, and thunder rumbles overhead.
What Kids Learn
Through hands-on, sensory-rich play, children explore how water moves, changes, and connects land, sea, and city. Kids experiment with cause and effect, weather patterns, and engineering concepts while building early science skills and environmental awareness. KidsPort invites children to see themselves as caretakers of Tampa Bay, learning how water shapes their community and why protecting it matters.
What to Expect
This exhibit is lively, active, and sensory-rich, with real water, moving objects, flashing lights, and occasional thunder sounds during the storm sequence. Children can choose how they engage, watching from the edges, playing gently, or diving into hands-on exploration. Caregivers are encouraged to play alongside kids, especially younger visitors. Smocks are available to help kids keep dry. The large, open layout allows space for wheelchairs and mobility devices, and multiple play zones let families move at their own pace.
