Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center

Fantastic experience: I started out by taking the Tampa Bay day time bird cruise myself on Monday, just to kind of go out on the boat. To find a little bit about it as I have a high-functioning child that's very interested in zoology. I wanted to see exactly what what happened before we decided to go snorkeling not only was Grace very informative on the tour, but Capt. Bob was absolutely amazing. Explaining things to everybody and just making everybody feel safe. I forget the young lady's name that was working with Grace that day. She was an intern as she was also learning. But we were trying to stay away from a storm that day, and Capt. Bob made sure everybody was informed of what was going on, because the storm rolled in out of nowhere. And he kept everybody 100% safe. Safe. Enough to where I felt very comfortable coming back Saturday and doing the snorkeling tour with my son and my daughter-in-law. Let me tell you what again Grace. Was there hands down amazing!!! She knows her stuff, very interesting facts finding out from her and she made my son even more interested now working in water. So living in Missouri and traveling to Tampa every 3 months, I have a feeling. This will be on our list every time we come, because he had an absolute blast. So did I honestly, my daughter in law has now also found her new fun time.Release she loved the snorkeling. I can't wait to do it again and can't wait to see you guys again. I wish I could say I got some snorkeling tour photos, but I didn't, but I did get some regular boat tours. We didn't bring an underwater camera this time.I'm kind of glad we didn't because it was kind of fun but it was a little scary too not knowing where your feet were gonna step. You can see the crazy storm that rolled in. Once we got out into the bay and captain Bob did amazing, keeping us away from that storm.

Fantastic experience: We went on the Snorkeling tour, and had a great time. The staff did a wonderful job interacting with us and sharing their knowledge of all things critters. I will note, this isn't your typical snorkel experience. It's more of a seek and find small critters with your net, than snorkel and see very much underwater, but for what it was, the experience could not have been better.

Positive experience: This is a cute, small interactive discovery center in the Pier area, in fact you can take the tram for a quick ride w/ the kiddos. It’s worth a visit as each child gets a scavenger hunt sheet which it took my 2 and 4 yr old about 30 mins to find everything. Adults are $8 and children $3, free though w/ some reciprocal memberships(Great Explorations is one). Paid parking in lot w/ park mobile app, easy and affordable.

Fantastic experience: Definitely recommend for families with kids. We did the wildlife boat tour and the sandbar snorkeling on different days. The staff was great - friendly and knowledgeable!

Fantastic experience: We are so glad we stopped in here on our visit to the pier! They have a really awesome variety of animals that our toddler loved looking at. We arrived just as they were feeding the seahorses which was a cool surprise. They have a variety of stuffed animals, books and other items in their gift shop. Very friendly staff and volunteers! This was definitely a highlight of our day and highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: We were a group of 6 mostly seniors that had a wonderful time on the hour and a half Wildlife Boat Tour of Tampa Bay operated by the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center. Our crew of Captain Mel, Darrin and Natalie were all excellent at explaining various things about Tampa Bay and the creatures that resided there. Over a grass bed they did a 3 minute trawl with a net to see a sample of the sea life living there. The fish were the same as the fish netted on an earlier tour so they were returned to the grass bed. They did find a sand dollar , a bivalve and the smallest Tulip shell I had ever seen. It was no more than a quarter of an inch long. After that we headed north in the bay looking for manatees or dolphins. Our captain found a pair of dolphins that that we watched for awhile. Then we proceeded to bird island in Coffee Pot Bayou and learned a lot about the birds living and nesting there. Then it was time to head back to the dock. Had a delightful time and learned a lot. The Discovery Center located on the St. Petersburg Pier is a worthwhile exhibit with several options for different experiences.

Negative experience: Not worth the time. Supports Chuck, who is pro trump and helping ICE. Be careful, this is not very St Pete to support or do.

Fantastic experience: Definitely recommend the Bay Babies class. Miss. Izzy was amazing. She made sure the kids had a great time learning how to be ocean heroes!

Positive experience: Small but fairly priced. You’ll see everything in about 20 minutes. It’s cute and a fun stop on the pier.

Fantastic experience: Very interesting and interactive boat tour (90 min) as well as great explanations around the wild life of the Bay in the Discovery Center where we spent one hour +.

Fantastic experience: We came here with our kids as part of our vacation to the area. It was an excellent experience! We loved the exhibits and the touch tank. The employees and interns were all super nice and knowledgeable. One of the employees in a blue shirt (I wish I had gotten her name!) was absolutely wonderful. She talked with us for quite awhile and shared with us a wealth of information about the animals of the area. I was very impressed with our visit here!

Positive experience: Small, but well done marine life center. Only need 20-30 minutes to see it all - fish, frogs, turtles, seahorses and a wonderfully educational touch tank. Tours are offered here as well, but we didn’t have time this trip.

Fantastic experience: Excellent morning snorkeling in Tampa Bay, nice boat ride out to sandbar with dolphins circling around. Beautiful wildlife in the water and the air. Highly recommend this trip! Staff allowed us to gently remove wildlife out of the water, put them into a clear container with salt water to teach us about them. Saw a lot of new creatures!

Fantastic experience: This is the second tour I've done with TBW. Though this history/eco tour was (obviously) different from a snorkeling one attended last year, it was equally wonderful. Top-notch Captain and crew, educational, interesting speakers—with skyline, stories, and sea life to boot!

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience for our students both on the Eco-Vessel and in the Discovery Center. This is a well run, educational program for all ages!

Fantastic experience: A beautiful and informative sunset cruise along the NorthShore downtown to what we affectionately called Bird Island growing up. We saw baby pelicans covered in white feathers looking adorable. And a beautiful sunset as we headed home!

Fantastic experience: Neat non profit, great preservation work and cool hands on exhibits for kids.

Fantastic experience: Had an absolutely incredible time! Our tour guides, Lexi and Jacey We’re beyond fantastic. The view was gorgeous, and I learned a lot about birds. Cannot recommend enough, especially for smaller groups and visiting the pier from out of state.

Fantastic experience: The highlight of our trip! Our elementary aged kids LOVED the tour and the adults did too. Cannot recommend enough.

Negative experience: My family made plans to come visit the discovery center while vacationing in the area. We looked up the hours, made our plans, drove 30 minutes to get to the discovery center, ran down the pier in the rain, and then when we arrived there was a sign on the door that said "closing early today, sorry for any inconvenience." If you plan on coming here I highly recommend calling first. My kids were extremely disappointed.

Fantastic experience: So fun, a must do in downtown St. Pete for kids! Dani was our tour guide and she was incredible, one of the kids favorite activities from the trip.

Fantastic experience: What a delightful learning center! Spent at least an hour exploring, learning and viewing in this beautiful center full of living creatures from our wonderful area. Frogs, snakes, fish (babies, too!), seahorses, eels and much much more! Plus a lovely history on the pier and our area of St. Petersburg. I'm a 70 year old Native and found this learning center fascinating and fun. I learned something new and found the volunteers and marine biologists helpful and full of information. What a terrific adventure! Highly recommend!

Positive experience: Great place to learn about local marine life and the efforts to ensure that it will be there for generations to come. Staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. I even was able to watch as they did a feeding of the sea horses they have. I learned a lot and worth the stop while out on the pier.

Fantastic experience: The girls were so sweet and so helpful!

Fantastic experience: Wonderful time saw lots of birds, crew was knowledgeable and made the trip enjoyable. Would do it again

Fantastic experience: We did the squid dissection and the otter trawl, as we have in years past. We've also done the plankton encounter and seining the bay. It is always a fun and engaging educational experience for the students. Couldn't say enough good things about Tampa Bay Watch!

Fantastic experience: What a fun and amazing time dissecting a shark! Once in a lifetime educational experience and prices so that it doesn’t break the bank. Very informative.

Fantastic experience: Had a birthday here for my child and found it excellent. The kids enjoyed an educational and fun experience.

Fantastic experience: The people here were super friendly. The discovery center is not very large, but was packed with interesting exhibits and lots of fun fish. Most of all though, we thoroughly enjoyed the boat trip out into the bay. Very fun and educational. It was a small group and we could ask lots of questions. Definitely a highlight of our visit to the Tampa area.

Fantastic experience: Maddi & Izzy were wonderful guides and teachers! This was an excellent & unforgettable experience for our kids. Thank you so much!

Fantastic experience: This is an extremely tiny museum/visitors center/aquarium hybrid. There are tons of interactive exhibits and information boards. The staff were among the best I've ever seen, being very helpful. There's even some touch tanks where you get to touch exotic se creatures.

Fantastic experience: Super awesome lion fish dissection class for our homeschool group! Very impressed

Fantastic experience: Super cute fun place! Staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable. We watched them feed seahorses and learned a bit about them. Loved the fish tanks in there! It felt like the fish were just as interested in us as we were them. You could touch and hold a few sea critters and the lady who was stationed at that tank was fun to talk to about the animals. Would recommend taking children as we were entertained as adults. We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was not busy which made it very nice!

Fantastic experience: Small, but the kids had fun. Every price I looked at online showed $3. It was to my surprise when I got there that children are $3 and adults are $8. I ended up paying for it anyway. The petting part was pretty cool. The guy is very knowledgeable and the other staff were pretty nice. One of the ladies even asked if we wanted to watch them feed the frogs. It's a cool place, just extremely small and beware of the adult price.

Positive experience: Pricey and small. Money goes toward a good cause . 5 minutes and you have seen and touched everything.

Fantastic experience: i watched someone fall in the water and did nothing to help

Fantastic experience: A really neat educational experience for the kids! Well worth your time to learn about ocean biology.

Fantastic experience: Such a great experience at the lionfish dissection! Very educational for our homeschool group.

Fantastic experience: What an amazing time, leaned so much! Beautiful sites, loved the touch tanks. The crew was so personable, friendly and professional. I can’t wait to go snorkeling with the in May!

Fantastic experience: Wonderful eco tour around St Pete Pier. Our crew Capt. Sean, Abby, Morgan and Zoe pointed out numerous sting rays and dolphins. Viewed many birds in the mangroves at bird island. Crew very courteous and informative. Great organization and appreciate all that we learned during the Tour.

Fantastic experience: My husband & I went on an Eco-Boat Tour and had such a fun time! Easily one of the highlights of our trip. The staff on board were wonderful, and overall it was a great fun learning experience! It felt well worth our money. We are in our mid-late 20’s and considered going a 2nd time during our trip because it was such a pleasant experience!

Negative experience: Today went to what was called Snake exhibit, well $5 to get in and was able to see 3 snakes, but at least I was able to see a just wonderful plastic propaganda exhibit showing plastic and how it litters our oceans, Well maybe if Local governments would stop selling it to China because there they just dump it into the ocean. There is almost no use for reclaimed plastic and they cant just bury it because they made you all feel good about recycling it. You want to fix the issue stop buying things in plastic, not to mention what micro plastics are doing to us.

Fantastic experience: I went on a Walking With Wildlife guided walk around the Pier. It was a great experience and I learned a lot! Our guide created the tour, researched everything, and shared an incredible amount of information. This was her inaugural tour, and I highly recommend doing it if you have the opportunity.

Fantastic experience: It is so nice to see someone, young, so knowledgeable and excited to share what she knows. We attended the nature walk Saturday on the Pier. Abbey did a great job!

Fantastic experience: Miss Bri is very passionate and enthusiastic when sharing her knowledge with children. Her patience and demeanor are second to none. Can’t wait to bring our kids back next month for the Bay Babies program!

Fantastic experience: We did a squid dissection with Bri and Claire with 4 adults, a 5 year old, 3 year old, 2 year old, and 9 month old, and they made the experience fun and fascinating for everyone. They were absolutely amazing with the kids, and everyone learned a ton. Hands on learning at its best!

Positive experience: Pretty fun learning about all the local wildlife! But it is a small center. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. But while I'm on the pier, I wouldn't mind stopping in.

Positive experience: Very small exhibition, no food but the nearest restaurant is ford dock which is great. Not too much space inside for a large class and parents. Opens at 10. Dont go to early unless you want to walk around which is great!

Fantastic experience: This is our third class that we have taken at the discovery center. Staff is extremely knowledgeable, professional and goes above and beyond. We participated in the lionfish dissection class on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. Staff was able to present to both adults and children without watering down any of the presentation, but instead made sure that the children understood what was happening throughout the presentation, and dissection. My son and I are looking forward to attending future classes.

Fantastic experience: I took my 3 year old to Bay Babies when his preschool was closed on a Friday.The teacher was super nice and engaging.We had fun!

Fantastic experience: What a fantastic new find that we explored! Visited the Center first then took eco-tour of Tampa Bay. Everyone at the Center was ready and willing to answer my gazillion questions. Henry at the touch tank was such a pleasure! Cpt. Sean, Dakoeta, and Logan on the eco-tour were fantastic! I learned so much about the Bay and the work to restore it. I couldn't believe all the different birds on Bird Island. Loved seeing and learning about them all. The crew answered all my questions and made the trip so much fun! Thank you staff and crew of Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center and Eco-tour!!! Hope to return some day.

Fantastic experience: My family had such a great time. The squid dissection hosted by Bri was very educational and fun.

Fantastic experience: We had an amazing time on the snorkeling outing and the lionfish dissection. Definitely recommend.

Fantastic experience: We did the lion fish dissection with Bri - she was great! Lots of interesting facts to keep our kids engaged - very hands on - she’s great with kids and made science fun!

Fantastic experience: Excellent amphibian class. Highly recommend. Very engaging and fun for little ones. Teachers were patient and great with all the kids.

Fantastic experience: Bri is a wonderfully kind teacher. Our experience was lovely and I hope to be back as our daughter enjoyed the class from beginning to end.

Fantastic experience: We had a great family visit to the discovery center. Glen did an amazing job educating our kids at the touch tank. Then we had the opportunity to watch him feed the sea horses which was pretty cool to see in person. The scavenger hunt helped keep the kids engaged in checking out everything for each item. I highly recommend stopping by on the way to the end of the pier.

Fantastic experience: Great little discovery center on the pier. I’m going to keep my love of the old pier design and my distaste for the remodel out of this review. This is a gem, they cram so many cool and educational exhibits about our beautiful bay in such a small and well organized space. Came here for a tour with a group from USF and all of the staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. All of the fish and animals were well kept and seemed very healthy and happy. My favorite were the two diamond back terrapins! I will be visiting again next time I’m in the area.

Fantastic experience: Cute little nature center. If you're at the St. Pete pier, it's worth a look.

Fantastic experience: Our family signed up for the lionfish disection and we had such a great time. I would highly recommend doing this. We are avid scuba divers and pretty knowledgeable about lionfish, but still learned a lot we did not know. Our kids were engaged the whole time and encouraged to ask questions and do the cutting and exploring during the disection. Before and after the disection we were able to explore the aquarium. It is small but mighty. Lots to see and learn and touch. All of the staff and volunteers were nice, welcoming, and knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: Loved the shark dissection class! Learned so much! Staff were knowledgeable, attentive and friendly! Great experience! Will definitely go back!

Fantastic experience: Exhibits well done! Fun to see and do. Very interesting and educational for all ages. Definitely worth a visit if you have an hour. Touch-tank very cool. Friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: Tampa Bay Watch @ St. Petersburg Pier with our kids was a great experience and big shout out to Nicole for leading an engaging tour where our kids ranged from 4-10 yrs old.

Fantastic experience: Cool little place for kids to explore. It's a quick in and out experience. My girls enjoyed the scavenger hunt.

Fantastic experience: Small, but fun and informative! A great way to beat the heat while getting some discovery in. They were pet-friendly, and child-friendly. The price point was good for admission, too. We enjoyed it. Thank you!

Fantastic experience: Can’t recommend bay babies enough if you have curious critter loving kiddos! I took my step daughter and she loved being able to see, hold, and learn all about the animals! Brianna was an excellent teacher and keeps all the kids so well engaged and excited about the class and animals they’re learning about. She perfectly handles a room full of excited toddlers and makes sure even kids on the shy side are included and having fun! We will be going back for sure!

Fantastic experience: Had a great time on the Bubbles on the Bay tour which is a sunset tour including beer and light refreshments. This was a one hour tour on St Paddy's Day and I'm now looking forward to the 90 minute eco tour

Fantastic experience: Great volunteers! Very informative and able to answer all questions. Can tell they have a passion for sea life!

Fantastic experience: We booked the squid dissection lab for my 7 year old granddaughter and us, not knowing what to really expect. Well, we got to actually dissect a bait squid! It was highly informative and educational and fun. Brianna was an excellent and fun instructor. Next will be the Lion Fish dissection! The display area was small but had some very interesting exhibits.

Fantastic experience: Very small. Only $5. Totally worth it

Fantastic experience: Great looking specimens gathered sustainably. Our findings in the dissection were given to an organization doing research so every bit of the process has provided some sort of scientific insight for multiple usages. Small and intimate groups made it comfortable to ask questions and interact with other people.

Fantastic experience: What a really educational and fun place to visit and for only $5! The volunteer at the touch tank was AMAZING and so very knowledgeable, too. The displays are beautiful and lots of great information about the environment and the creatures in the bay.

Fantastic experience: Brianna did an awesome job. I took my autistic granddaughter and her cousin. No one wanted to hold the squid and staff there was very helpful. We will definitely be going again.

Fantastic experience: We booked for the Gasparilla Event and it was nothing short of fantastic. The staff were super friendly and made the day extra special for the guests aboard! I cannot recommend them enough! Thanks, Joe, Mo and Dakota for a great day!!!

Fantastic experience: Had the most unbelievable day with Tampa Bay Watch today. Captain Joe and Captain Mo were incredible and Dakota was so informative. Had a blast at Gasparilla and they provided the best spread! We circled the bay, found some dolphins, and were extra considerate of others as we tried to ensure no beads/debris hit the water. Thank you!

Negative experience: It was absolutely unacceptable that your boat blocked the children from getting beads. We begged them to move and were met with indifference and lude gestures. It quite literally ruined my kids Gasparilla. No one, in almost two decades...has ever blocked the boat path so the children couldn't get any beads.

Fantastic experience: Had a wonderful time at the Bay Babies session with my 2 kids. The class was very interactive, hands on, and educational. Both my young kids walked away talking about things they learned. Will definitely attend again!

Fantastic experience: a visit to the pier, discovery centre and echo tour are worth of three hours time. the non-profit organization is working for educaiton and environmental protection in the bay area. I had a nice conversation with several young marinebiologists and was moved by their enthusiasm.

Fantastic experience: 5 stars for 6 year olds Bday party at Tampa Bay Watch!! Zoe helped us navigate and hosted an awesome experience for the kiddos. Several other people there on the day of to help and the kids were totally entertained (and educated!!) and the adults were super impressed. Can’t say enough good things.

Fantastic experience: Great place for younger kids and the water splash was also amazing

Fantastic experience: Visited today and had the best time on the Eco tour and at the discovery center. Aubrey and Dakota were the best tour guides!! I learned so much on the boat tour. I love how marine biology focused the experience was, they really care about ocean preservation and education. Boat tour and entry to the discovery center was cheap too!

Fantastic experience: Our family of 4 with kids ages 11 and 14 Dissecting a lion fish with the Discovery Team and had a fantastic experience! They did a phenomenal job and we learned a ton. We look forward to going back!

Fantastic experience: Attened the shark dissection. Very educational and I learned a lot. The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable. I can't wait to take my kid to the squid or lionfish dissection.

Fantastic experience: Attended a shark dissection! It was an amazing experience! Super educational and thorough, I actually learned something new. Staff were extremely friendly and walked through each step of the dissection in an easy follow way. Great time, totally recommend!

Fantastic experience: On Saturday, 9-24-22 our children and Transition Programs participated in a group activity to Tampa Bay Watch. All of our students are either blind or visually impaired. Our day began on an Eco Tour with Zoe and her team. Students explored various components of the Estuaries nearby. They explored sounds, touched various sea creatures, and the staff went above and beyond to provide tactile representations of things that were not able to be held! Following the boat tour students explored the interactive exhibits; observing the turtles being fed, the touch tank, learning about pollution in our waters, fun with sand, and more! Our experience ended with an invertebrate investigation in the classroom. Zoe and her team allowed us to hold and touch various critters from snails, to crabs, starfish, and more. We are so thankful for the thought and preparations that went in to making this trip meaningful. Thank you Tampa Bay Watch and all the Staff!!!

Fantastic experience: Amazing staff! They honestly care so much for the environment and our area! Zoe lead our class which was so great for the kids to learn about squids. She was very patient and wonderful with our three kids! Will be back again!

Fantastic experience: We are from NYC visiting for a few days. We spent a Sunday here with two dissection classes, and the eco boat tour. We learned so much! Instructors were great! Friendly, super easy to understand, and the activities were not boring at all! We super recommend it!

Fantastic experience: Very small aquarium but chock full of neat interactive experiences, and tickets are only around $5 a piece!

Fantastic experience: My mother and I took the Eco Boat Tour and then visited the discovery center. We had an amazing day!! Savannah was fabulous, she explained so many things about nature in Tampa Bay. We highly recommend taking the boat tour and visiting the discovery center afterwards!! Thank you Captain Ryan and Savanah!!!

Fantastic experience: Very nice little place dedicated to educating families about marine life safety. They have marine animals on display, as well as some interactive elements.

Fantastic experience: Two of us went on the Eco tour on May 3rd. What a memorable time we had. The crew of three, two young women and a young man, (whose names I wrote down and have regrettably lost) were wonderful. Very authentic. In love with their work which was very enthusiastically shared with us! For ninety minutes they and the gorgeous surroundings held our attention, including the young children on board. I felt like a kid myself! We learned! And that was great! I couldn’t have enjoyed it more! Thank you.

Fantastic experience: Great little place on the St. Pete Pier with knowledgeable staff. Tip: get a membership to Tampa Bay Watch so you can visit asany times as you like.

Fantastic experience: The cub scouts had a great time

Fantastic experience: Went on the boat tour and visited the center. Small center, but lots of neat stuff inside. Boat tour was excellent. Guides and captain were very friendly and knowledgeable.

Positive experience: Very nicely situated. Informative staff. Hands on experience. Would love to have it a little bigger.

Positive experience: The upside down pyramid had more class. This took a lot of taxpayer tax payer money to build and it doesn't seem to have the nostalgic value that the pyramid had.

Fantastic experience: The eco tour through thr discovery center was my favorite part about my visit to St Petersburg. We booked it as a last minute outing and it was the best. Fun, kind, and knowledgeable captain and biologist make it a must to do when at the St Pete Pier!

Fantastic experience: A great place to learn about the marine diversity and environment in the Tampa Bay area. They have exhibits as well as live fish in an aquarium that visitors can observe.

Fantastic experience: Very educational and great for children. We went as a family with a 2 year old and 3 year old. They loved being on the boat and learning about the ecosystem and animals in the bay. The staff was very professional and knowledgable. I would really recommend them for anyone wanting to learn and have fun boat trip.

Fantastic experience: We took the Eco Boat Tour and it was fun and very informative for all ages. The naturalists were very knowledgeable. I highly recommend going!