Something is buzzing in Tampa!
Giant larger-than-life BUGS are coming to ZooTampa, with a family-friendly event that will feature 13 species of animatronic bugs that will amaze and educate guests in fun and unique ways.
Bugtopia is taking place from February 25 - April 30, 2023, and is included with the price of admission to Zoo Tampa.
You will shrink down and be immersed in BUGTOPIA, the fantastic world of animals that skitter, crawl, and fly. Join professor Mo Alexander and his research assistants as they explore the important and fascinating role these tiny creatures have on the preservation of the world we share.
Learn about the amazing insects we share our world with and how they benefit our ecosystem, from tiny ladybugs to dazzling dragonflies. See these larger-than-life creatures in a new and unique way.
Giant Bugs Featured:
Black Ant
Blue-Eyed Darner
Bombardier Beetle
Devil's Flower Mantis
Emperor Scorpion
Grasshopper
Madagascar Sunset Moth
Mexican Redknee Tarantula
Orb Web Spider - Cross Orb Weaver
Red-Tailed Bumblebee
Say's Firefly
Seven Spotted Ladybug
Stag Beetle
ZooTampa at Lowry Park is one of the most popular zoos in the southeastern US, with close to 1 million visitors annually.
The Zoo originated in the 1930’s as a municipal department with a small number of Florida native species. It grew gradually throughout the next four decades, but struggled to meet the developing professional standards of modern zoos.
In 1982, community leaders created the Lowry Park Zoo Association to take over management of the Zoo for the City of Tampa with the goal of creating a world-class zoo through a public-private partnership.
The Association then became the Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa, Inc., as it remains today. Working with a national zoo designer, the Society was able to create a modern, 24-acre facility that opened to the public in 1988 and shortly after earned Accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
ZooTampa has now grown to what now encompasses 56 acres of naturalistic animal exhibits in a lush, tropical garden setting. The Zoo offers popular educational programming, fun recreational amenities, up-close animal encounters and engaging seasonal events for which it has won accolades as one of the country’s most family-friendly zoos.
The Zoo emphasizes endangered, threatened and vulnerable species from climates similar to that of the Tampa Bay region, with park areas devoted to Asia, Africa, Australia and Florida.
