What’s Open, Closed After Milton: Airports, Theme Parks, Attractions

TAMPA BAY, FL — As the greater Tampa Bay area recovers from Hurricane Milton, which slammed into Florida’s west coast as a powerful Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night, residents and visitors might be wondering about the status of local airports, attractions and theme parks after the storm.

Some have already reopened to the public, while others anticipate a longer recovery period before opening their doors:

• Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th Street W., Bradenton, the museum remains closed.
• Busch Gardens Tampa, the theme park will be closed Friday and Saturday. Howl-O-Scream is also canceled these days.
• Dali Museum, 1 Dali Blvd., St. Petersburg. The museum sustained minor damage - none to the art collection - and will reopen Saturday for regular hours.
• Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa. All animals are safe after the hurricane. The aquarium will remain closed through the weekend.
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, both the downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point locations are closed until further notice. Lights at Spooky Point at the Historic Spanish Point has been canceled.
• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, the aquarium and the science and education outreach center on Anna Maria City Pier are closed until further notice.
• Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NW, St. Petersburg, remains temporarily closed.
• The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, the museum remains closed and all public programs are canceled.
• Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, because of extensive damage to the terminal, the airport will be closed to flights and passengers until Wednesday at 9 a.m. Check with airlines for specific flight information.
• St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, flights will resume and all businesses will reopen at the terminal on Saturday. Check with airlines for specific flight information.
• Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. Macinnes Place, Tampa. Closed through Sunday. All performances of “The Boy Who Loved Batman” scheduled through then are canceled. All classes and activities at the Patel Conservatory have also been canceled. The facility is expected to reopen Monday.
• Tampa International Airport, flights resumed Friday at 8 a.m. Check with airlines for specific flight information.
• Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, reopening Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. All shows canceled through December after damage caused by 4 feet of storm surge. A Jan. 1 reopening is anticipated.