Family Fun in Downtown Tampa Bay
Our beautiful guest rooms and suites, heated outdoor pool, excellent on-site dining, and other amenities here at the Westshore Grand would recommend us as a family vacation destination to begin with, but when you put these Tribute Portfolio accommodations in their geographic context, the deal just gets sweeter.
Our hotel just blocks from the Old Tampa Bay waterfront puts Tampa’s world-class array of all-ages attractions at your fingertips. Here are a few of the absolute standouts!
The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI)
Tampa plays happy host to the Southeast’s biggest science center in MOSI, which tantalizes young and old with better than 100 hands-on activities and some extraordinary exhibits covering a vast spectrum of scientific knowledge and endeavor. Kids’ll love delving into physics, math, and more in the I Wonder… setup, inventing and tinkering and building in the Idea Zone, exploring the far reaches of outer space in the Saunders Planetarium, and getting well off the ground in the Sky Trail® Ropes Course, to name a few of the MOSI hallmarks.
The Florida Aquarium
Your family days at the beach as Westshore Grand guests will hopefully inspire some curiosity about what lies beneath the waves along our estuaries and coastline. Well, the outstanding Florida Aquarium sheds light on the Sunshine State’s submarine world through thrilling displays. You’ll be just as astounded as your young charges by the green sea turtles, sand tiger sharks, stingrays, alligators, roseate spoonbills, coral gardens, and other marvels at the aquarium, which also maintains the Splash Pad waterpark.
Big Cat Rescue
From native hunters—the Florida panther and bobcat—to lions, tigers, caracals, and other exotics from faraway prowling grounds, marvel at the exquisite beauty, grace, and power of the feline crew at Big Cat Rescue, which cares for animals rescued from the pet trade and other dire straits. The facility offers a variety of guided tours for up-close looks at these stunning carnivores, enjoying a second chance amid sunny Tampa digs.
Croc Encounters
Like Big Cat Rescue, Croc Encounters cares for abandoned or abused beasts—only in this case, the beasts are of the scaly and reptilian persuasion. A wide variety of snakes, lizards, and turtles (as well as a few amphibian representatives) reside here, but the stars of the show are the crocodilians: among them Florida’s two spectacular native species, the American alligator and American crocodile (including Buc, at 12-plus feet the facility’s largest inhabitant), as well as Nile and Cuban crocs and a variety of caimans from the Neotropics. Croc Encounters offers guided and self-guided tours as well as alligator wrestling shows.
Amusement Parks
From Busch Gardens to Adventure Island, Tampa hosts its own world-class collection of amusement parks: classic destinations for family vacations, and easily reached from the Westshore Grand!
Other Family-Friendly Attractions in Tampa
We’ve only scratched the surface of the Tampa area’s kid-friendly destinations: There’s also the Glazer Children’s Museum, Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park, and much more. All things considered, you’ll have no end of choices for a full day of local family fun as guests of ours here at the Westshore Grand!