What a fun Museum type of place to go. We got in with our NARM membership so there wasn't any…read moreadditional fee. I loved how interactive the place is. There are so many videos and hands on activities. They have a rope tying station, They have stations where you lift the flaps and you can learn more. When they talk about the orange groves you walk into a little building front. Inside they have more information. When you learn about the shipping industry you walk into a shipping crate and there is a little interactive video. When you learn about the ships that carried cargo they have a room you go into and they have a video. You choose what route you take on the monitor and then it tells you a story with live action about where you go into a room and they have a video presentation. Spoiler alert, there are pirate ships involved. It has multiple screens and you feel like you're in a Hollywood live action movie. This place is a must see for those history buffs and those that like to be entertained and enjoy interactive exhibits.

We've visited the museum a few times now. It's so much fun bringing guests here to get a first hand…read morelook into the rich and diverse history of the Tampa Bay. Great spot to bring kids to.

This was such an awesome experience. Have done the one in Belfast a couple times now as that's…read morewhere the boat was built. This one was good to. Very well detailed experience. Loved the virtual DR at the end as well. Great limited time experience.

What a sham. We thought this might be an exhibit in a Tampa museum but it was instead staged in…read moresome nondescript building near the Buccaneers' stadium. Most of the parking lot was off limits and people arriving had to work through a maze of turns in the hopes of getting close to the entrance--not clearly marked either. The usher seemed to have been trained just days earlier and separated people into "VIP" and "Normal" ticketholders. It turns out the difference is if you pay an addition $10 you can experience some room with a VR headset. We declined. The exhibit was lame and not worth the time getting there. Most of the exhibit consisted of large photographs depicting various rooms and such. You're basically told you an wander around on a self-guided tour, but when we got to what we thought was the last room, we exited into what looked like a storage area. Figuring that was wrong, we doubled back to the front desk to ask similarly poorly-trained gift shop personnel if we missed something. Turns out there was a white cloth draped over another exit--unmarked--and that is where you could up the passenger's name on a card you were handed when you walked in (and after dodging the obligatory green screen photography hustle). You could at that time pay $10 to do the VR, but we were so disappointed we just left. This is a highly-hyped cash grab and definitely not worth the 25 minutes it takes to see the exhibits. Avoid at all costs and go to Ybor City 15 minutes away and grab lunch or dinner.

I'd never been to this museum so looked forward to chance to visit. Have to say, I was a little…read moredisappointed. I thought there'd be more art! Was excited to see Egyptian exhibit. I guess artifacts are considered "art". The carving in some of the chests were interesting. And the exhibit of big heads and the graffiti style artwork was very cool.

It was an average museum. I thought admission price was a bit steep for what it was.read more

Totally worth it! I mean seriously it is free! Can't beat free fun! We did not have tickets. We…read morecame right before 7. They let us know to sit on the side while the 7pm people came. Once they did, she accumulated extra tickets for us to go in. Once inside the wait seemed forever. They would let a certain number of people in a group each time. We finally got in around 7:20pm! For sure jumping in is hard when you are bare footed. You can easily get stuck under. It's like drowning, but a bunch of balls instead of water! The most fun or most difficult is trying to get out! Phew! I felt so happy and free after playing around for a bit! What a great fun concept. Those were the days of Chuckie cheese ball pits! Here it is again!

What an awesome event! And it was completely free! Huge thanks to the Vinik Foundation for bringing…read morethis amazing experience to Tampa! I didn't expect to have so much fun in a ball pit... nor did I expect it to be so physically challenging! The first time I fell, I needed help to get back up, and just walking through the balls was hard! The *shore* with lounge chairs & umbrellas was a nice way to catch my breath. Due to my kids' work & college schedules, Sunday was really the best day for us to go together. I ordered our free tickets online several weeks before the multi-week event began, and 5pm 8/21 was the only slot still available for a group of 6... That's how popular this event was, sight unseen! Once I realized The Beach Tampa would be closing at 6pm on Sundays, I was concerned our time would be limited. However, worrying was not necessary. At the entrance outside, we queued up to enter precisely at our ticketed time. Then inside, we waited again as staff monitored the number of people inside the actual *beach* area for safety and enjoyment, allowing people to enter as others left. The line moved quickly at this point, but we still weren't able to go in until after 5:30. Luckily, staff had already announced to everyone that even the very last person to enter would get a minimum of 45 minutes to enjoy The Beach. I really hope The Beach returns to Tampa!

I love this Halloween activity! A great value compared with many of the haunted attractions in the…read morearea. They do a great job with pacing attendees so you get the jump scares and aren't on top of the party in front of you. There is a lot of stairs and narrow passageways to navigate the ship so wouldn't be a good option if you have mobility challenges. Staff is always posted at the exit to snap photos which I really appreciate also.

This was the scariest house I've ever been in!!! Everyone is so talented and dedicated to their…read moreroles!! It was affordable too!! I almost peed my pants from how scared I was!! If you are looking for something to do for Halloween, this is it!!

Before I purchased a Groupon for this place, I called to ask if I could use the Groupon on the same…read moreday, as I was out with my two kids and we wanted something fun to do. The person who answered told me that there was no problem. To come in as a walk-in. We drove over 30 mins to place. Went in to check-in and were told they could not accommodate us, despite the fact that there was no one currently using the games. They were unwilling to do anything for us except offering to schedule a return date. We were so disappointed that after exiting the place, I sat in the food court to get a hold of Groupon and get my money back. I have no intention of ever setting foot here gain.

I mean, wow, color me impressed!…read more The VR experiences here are expensive but 100% worth it! The 5 of us did the Space Marine/Warhammer 40k experience and it was incredible! It was, indeed, very low-latency! The freedom of movement in the worlds was liberating. This felt more like the best version of paintball or capture the flag or hide-and-seek more than it felt like a video game. There were definitely some kinks the staff were working out since this place is so new (the beer taps weren't working initially, we got stuck/glitched at a certain section of the experience) but the friendly staff worked them all out. To top it all off you get a fun video that shows what badasses you look like in VR and also what dumbasses you look like outside of VR. I can't wait to go back! (I tried to go a second time but it was like herding cats and then I had to fly back to Alaska)

We visited this cool little museum on Kids Day, so it was free! Normally, it's $15 per person,…read morewhich might be a bit steep unless you're a huge airplane enthusiast. The family annual pass is $100, but it's 50% off on Kids Day. The museum has lots of WWII planes and even a simulation of a plane flying from Lakeland airport. Super cool! The simulation is a $5 donation for a 5-minute experience. My little ones absolutely loved the cute playground, and the staff were super friendly too!

They are having a fun balloon event here with kid friendly activities. The planes are really cool…read moreand there are lots to see. The event is nice and there are lots of food drinks and stuff to do. Definitely worth a Saturday to relax have some fun and see sone cool

3.5 Stars This used…read moreto be a great show, but maybe it's just run its course. Or perhaps, when you compare it to the other amazing art shows in the Tampa Bay area, like Gasparilla Festival of the Arts and Mainsail Art Festival, that's why it falls short. Taking place in Hyde Park Village, all the booths are crammed one right next to the other, with a few located down odd little roads and entrances. This year's offerings seemed to be mostly paintings and framed photographs. And of course, lots of jewelry. There was also pottery, glass knickknacks, and leather aplenty. There were a few unique stalls I liked; one lady was selling handmade table runners made of gorgeous fabrics combined with leather and river rocks. Another had life-sized metal statues-if you have ever driven by Whatever Pops on Florida, you have seen their yellow one. Other than that, same old same old. If I'm in the area I might go next year, but I'll probably wait another week and head to St. Petersburg for Mainsail.

This is part of the Howard Alan Art yearly event. My second year attending and it's still just as…read moregreat. You can find every type of craft art here, paintings, jewelry, glass, metal, pictures a very good and extensive selection on display. If you like arts and crafts this event will not disappoint and as always easy access to parking and restaurants. There were not a lot of food kiosks, if you decide to eat in one of the restaurants there will be some waiting time.