Move over, cats and coffee. St. Petersburg is about to welcome a new kind of café experience — and it involves the internet’s favorite oversized rodents.
The Capybara Café, a wildlife-centered experience originally launched in St. Augustine, has announced plans to open a second location in the Tampa Bay area. Known for its up-close animal encounters, the café allows visitors to interact with friendly capybaras — the world’s largest rodents — and their diverse group of animal companions in a setting designed to entertain, educate, and support conservation.
Unlike a typical café, The Capybara Café delivers a fully immersive wildlife experience. Guests can book encounters with an array of fascinating animals — including lemurs, wallabies, coati mundi, armadillos, skunks, ringtail cats, fennec foxes, and of course, capybaras. Each visit offers a chance to learn from knowledgeable staff and directly support Noah’s Ark Sanctuary, the nonprofit organization behind the café. Proceeds help fund ongoing wildlife care, education, and conservation programs.
The café’s founders say the concept combines conservation with community engagement, offering expert-led programs, sustainable practices, and an emphasis on animal welfare. While the St. Petersburg site hasn’t officially opened its doors yet, bookings are already available through the location’s dedicated website: CapybaraCafeStPete.com.
The original St. Augustine location will remain open for visitors in Northeast Florida, but fans in the Tampa Bay region can soon enjoy the playful charm of capybaras much closer to home.
For more updates on unique Florida attractions, stay tuned to Uncovering Florida.
So excited to visit this capybara cafe