What Is Included In The Tampa Pass: 8 Key Details

What Is in the Tampa Bay CityPASS?

The Tampa Bay CityPASS is a fixed bundle: three required attractions plus your choice of two from a list of four. It is valid for nine consecutive days from first use. You have up to one year after purchase to take that first scan, so buying in advance is fine.

Required (all three are included — no choice)

• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay — All rides, shows, and animal exhibits. Online advance gate price: ~$109.99–$145 depending on date. The CityPASS includes general admission; no upcharge required for standard coasters. Timed-entry reservations are required during peak periods (spring break, summer weekends) — book as soon as you purchase your pass.
• The Florida Aquarium — All indoor exhibits including the Wetlands Trail and Ocean Commotion gallery. Gate price: $39.95 adult / $34.95 child (2026). Timed-entry reservations required; book on their site after you receive your pass.
• ZooTampa at Lowry Park — Full zoo access including the manatee critical care exhibit and Florida wildlife trail. Gate price: $44.95 adult / $39.95 child (2026).

Choice attractions (pick any 2 of these 4)

• Clearwater Marine Aquarium — Home of the dolphins from Dolphin Tale. Gate price: $28.95 adult / $24.95 child. Located ~30 miles west of downtown; requires a car or rideshare.
• Tropics Boat Tour — 75-minute narrated cruise around Tampa Bay. Gate price: ~$30 adult.
• Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) — Hands-on science exhibits plus a butterfly garden. Gate price: $25 adult / $21 child.
• Glazer Children’s Museum — Best for kids under 10. Gate price: $20 adult / $20 child.

Best value combination: Clearwater Marine Aquarium + Tropics Boat Tour adds $58.95 in à-la-carte value, vs. $45–$50 for the two museum options. If you have a car and aren’t visiting with very young kids, take Clearwater + Tropics. If you’re keeping it downtown or have kids under 8, the Glazer Children’s Museum makes more logistical sense.

CityPASS Worth-It Math: Best-Case vs. Worst-Case

We used verified 2026 gate prices — not the pass’s claimed retail values, which are sometimes inflated. Here is the actual arithmetic.

Scenario A: Best-case (Clearwater + Tropics Boat Tour as choices)

Verdict: strong value. At $114 saved per adult, the CityPASS is one of the better-performing fixed city-pass bundles in Florida.

Scenario B: Minimal-use (required 3 only + museum choices)

Verdict: still strong. Even the lower-value choice combination saves $100 per adult. The CityPASS only loses money if you visit fewer than three attractions total — at that point, individual tickets win.

When the CityPASS loses money

If you skip Busch Gardens and visit only the Florida Aquarium ($39.95) + ZooTampa ($44.95), your à-la-carte total is $84.90 — less than the $139 pass. Never buy the CityPASS unless Busch Gardens is definitively on your itinerary.

For children (ages 3–9): the CityPASS is $124 per child. The same five-attraction à-la-carte runs roughly $218–$223 per child — saving around $94–$99 (43%). Full family pricing comparison at Tampa CityPASS for families.

What Is in the Tampa Riverwalk Attraction Pass?

The Riverwalk Pass is a downtown-only bundle — no theme parks, no Clearwater. All seven attractions are within walking distance of each other or a short Pirate Water Taxi hop. It does not include Busch Gardens, ZooTampa, or anything outside the downtown/Channelside corridor.

What’s included (all 7)

• Pirate Water Taxi — Hop-on/hop-off service along the Hillsborough River; functions as both an attraction and transit between sites. À-la-carte: ~$30/day.
• Tampa Bay History Center — Florida history from pre-Columbian to modern era. À-la-carte: $19.95 adult.
• Tampa Museum of Art — Contemporary and classical art in a waterfront building. À-la-carte: $20 adult.
• Glazer Children’s Museum — Hands-on exhibits for kids under 10. À-la-carte: $20 adult / $20 child.
• Henry B. Plant Museum — Gilded Age interior inside the original Tampa Bay Hotel. À-la-carte: $15 adult / $7 child.
• American Victory Ship & Museum — WWII cargo ship open for self-guided tours. À-la-carte: $18 adult.
• Straz Center for the Performing Arts — Self-guided lobby tour only; ticketed performance seats are separate and not included.

Riverwalk Pass worth-it math (1-day pass, adult)

À-la-carte for all six paid attractions: $30 (Water Taxi) + $19.95 + $20 + $20 + $15 + $18 = $122.95. One-day pass: ~$60. Savings: ~$63 (51%) if you do all six. Break-even: Water Taxi + any two museums. The 3-day pass at $75 saves $47.95 vs. the 1-day — worth it only if you want to revisit or split the day across two visits.

One caveat worth stating plainly: the Riverwalk Pass is not well-marketed and availability varies by season. Check the Visit Tampa Bay website directly before purchasing — it is sometimes only sold in person at the Visitor Center on Channelside Drive.

What Is in the Tampa Family Fun Pass?

The Tampa Family Fun Pass bundles three kid-focused attractions: The Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, and the Glazer Children’s Museum. It is sold through Tiqets and typically priced per person, not as a flat family rate — confirm the structure at checkout before assuming it’s a bundle deal.

Family Fun Pass worth-it math (family of 4: 2 adults + 2 children)

À-la-carte: Florida Aquarium ($39.95 × 2 + $34.95 × 2 = $149.80) + ZooTampa ($44.95 × 2 + $39.95 × 2 = $169.80) + Glazer ($20 × 4 = $80) = $399.60 total. If the Tiqets bundle comes in at around $25–$30 per person, the savings can be significant — but verify the per-person vs. per-family pricing before buying, as this varies.

This pass is most useful for families whose kids are under 8 and have no interest in Busch Gardens coasters. If your kids are old enough for theme parks, the Tampa CityPASS for families covers more ground at a comparable per-adult cost.

Buy It If / Skip It If

Buy the Tampa Bay CityPASS if:

• Busch Gardens is on your itinerary — on busy days, the pass costs less than a single gate ticket, so the aquarium and zoo are effectively free.
• You have a car (or are renting one) and can reach Clearwater Marine Aquarium for the highest-value choice combo.
• You have 2+ days in Tampa and want variety: theme park, aquarium, zoo in one pass.
• You are traveling with children aged 3–9 — the $124 child price makes the five-attraction bundle hard to beat. Full breakdown at Tampa CityPASS for families.

Skip the CityPASS and buy individual tickets if:

• You already hold an annual pass to Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, or any pass that covers it — the CityPASS’s value collapses without that anchor attraction.
• You are staying downtown with no transport to Busch Gardens (30 min by car) or Clearwater (40 min). Rideshare costs round-trip will eat into the savings.
• You plan to visit fewer than three attractions total. At two or fewer stops, individual tickets are cheaper.
• You are visiting Tampa primarily for beaches, restaurants, or nightlife. Skip all passes.

Buy the Riverwalk Pass if:

• You are spending one to two days in Tampa, staying downtown, and want a car-free cultural day.
• You have already done Busch Gardens (on a previous trip or this one) and want a lower-key second day.
• You are traveling without a car and want to use the Pirate Water Taxi as both transit and attraction.

How to Activate and Use Your Pass

The Tampa Bay CityPASS is purchased digitally at citypass.com. You receive a mobile QR code within minutes of purchase. The 9-day window does not start until you scan at your first attraction — after that, the countdown begins. You have up to one year from purchase to take that first scan.

Two attractions require advance reservations, regardless of how you paid:

• Busch Gardens: Timed-entry reservations are required during spring break and summer weekends. Book via the Busch Gardens website as soon as you have your pass — walk-up entry is frequently unavailable on sold-out days even with a CityPASS in hand.
• Florida Aquarium: Timed-entry slots fill quickly on weekends. Reserve a window online before your visit.

ZooTampa and the four choice attractions generally do not require reservations outside of major holidays. Screenshot your QR code before you leave the hotel in case of poor cell signal at the parks. For day-by-day logistics, see Tampa in 3 days with a city pass — the optimal order is Day 1 = Busch Gardens, Day 2 = Florida Aquarium + ZooTampa, Day 3 = Clearwater or downtown Riverwalk.