Apollo Beach Manatee Viewing Center Opens Its 2026-27 Season: 40th Anniversary Adds Cownose Ray Touch Tank, Nearly 400,000 Visitors a Year
The Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, Hillsborough County, Florida, officially opened its 2026-27 season on November 1, marking the free attraction's 40th anniversary. Located by the warm-water canal near the Big Bend Power Station, the center draws nearly 400,000 visitors a year to watch manatees gathering for warmth and has hosted more than 8.7 million visitors since it opened.
This season's new highlight is a permanent cownose ray habitat in the touch tank, where visitors can learn about the animals up close under staff guidance. The center is also the centerpiece of Tampa Electric's Florida Conservation and Technology Center, a 500-acre campus bringing together Tampa Electric, the Florida Aquarium, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the University of Florida for research and education.
The season runs from November 1 to April 15, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, and closing at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
(Source: FOX 13)
Source: FOX 13
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：阿波罗海滩海牛观赏中心栈道与大弯电站。MatthewHoobin 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: the boardwalk and Big Bend Power Station at the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach. By MatthewHoobin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
