TAMPA, Fla. (NEXSTAR) — The Florida Aquarium and ZooTampa at Lowry Park will reopen this week after closing for Hurricane Milton.
Both spots closed on Tuesday ahead of Milton. ZooTampa originally planned to reopen on Thursday while the Florida Aquarium was preparing for a Friday reopening.
They both, however, opted to remain closed through the weekend.
On Friday, the Florida Aquarium said it was continuing to “manage and assess the situation” following Milton and that all of its animals were “safe and sound,” but did not provide any additional details.
Sunday afternoon, the Florida Aquarium said it will reopen Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. “thanks to the tireless efforts of our dedicated staff.”
If you had tickets that could not be used at the aquarium due to the closure, you can reschedule or cancel your reservation by emailing moreinfo@flaquarium.org.
ZooTampa said in a statement Sunday that it will reopen on Tuesday. Officials reported last week that the zoo lost power and suffered “some damage due to the high winds” but that all its animals were safe.
For the next 48 hours, ZooTampa said it will perform a second phase of “thorough assessments and quality checks, alongside continued clean-up.”
“A heartfelt appreciation goes out to the dedicated ZooTampa team, contractors, TECO, and City of Tampa employees whose efforts will allow us to once again provide a place where our community can connect with wildlife and each other,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts are with our fellow Floridians as together we recover from the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.”
Because the zoo remained closed on Friday, its Creatures of the Night event was also canceled. If you had tickets and reservations, you will be able to use them on any other event night in October, according to ZooTampa.
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld were able to reopen on Friday.