SimCenter Tampa Bay

483 Mandalay Ave #200, Clearwater, FL 33767, USA

Address:	483 Mandalay Ave #200, Clearwater, FL 33767, USA
Phone:	+1 727-643-1781
Site:	simcentertampabay.com
Rating:	4.7
Working:	Closed 12–9PM 12–9PM 12–9PM 12–9PM 12–9PM 12–9PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Elliott Smith

Wow … ever wanted to drive a race car, fly a plane or travel into outer-space? This may be a long review but well worth the read. Well now you can and its so real its freaky. This may sound like an ad but this was my actual experience. My Wife bought me these experiences at the SimCenter Tampa Bay because she really wanted to get me something completely different and memorable … and this was it. This is not "arcade" style rides, this is as close to the real thing as you can get. I did 20 minutes of the Formula 1 race car and I was sweating. It was as if I was in a real car, your feel the acceleration, the curves, the roughness of the pavement and the skidding on the grass when you go off the track (I did that a few times). You steer and shift using paddles (not a clutch if you cant drive standard). The Space simulator was amazing! It was a narrated 3D adventure (you are wearing special goggles) into space visiting the moon, sun, mars, saturn and other planets. You can actually see the spacecraft you are in, the cockpit, the nose, the thrusters … and even your breath when it was cold!!! Wherever you turn your head and look in that direction you see everything as if you were really there. I am going back again to fly a Boeing 737. The simulator duplicates all the switches, dials and gauges in a real plane, its the exact cockpit of a plane and everything works and is active. You actually take off and land this plane. I can hardly wait! There is also two different jet fighter simulators if you like speed. If you ever thought of doing something like this, DO NOT hesitate, try it out, you will not be disappointed. The owners, Peter and Edit are amazingly friendly and helpful people. Your experience and fulfillment are of paramount concern to them and will ensure you have a great time. Amazing customer service. Will without hesitation recommend the SimCenter Tampa Bay to everyone I know.

Ronit Malekan

A M A Z I N G ! I tried the Space 3D Journey with my boo and it was awesome! You wear a virtual reality contraption on your head and sit comfortably in an office chair and you let your handler take care of the rest. You look and feel like youre in outer space. The entire galaxy is mapped out and there are few fictional areas, but they do exist in real life, just not where they are specifically on the map. The man behind it all is an astrophysicist and is very knowledgeable about well, anything to do with flying, falling, and floating! for $75.00 its a 30 minute experience and its well worth it. If you love science, or math, or outer space you should definitely check out this center. They also have some other cool items like an indoor racecar track for toddlers, a racecar attraction for the guys/gals who think they can handle it, and a 737 flight simulator (really feels like youre in an airplane!). My uncle did the 737 simulation and acted as pilot. I fell asleep after a bit-----now I know I could never handle flying an aircraft! With the 30 minute time limit/frame its tough to fly anywhere far, so you might get a journey from Tampa to Orlando, or possibly someplace(s) else within similar proximity to each other. The inventor behind all of the aforementioned creations is working on something new as well! Definitely keep an eye out for when its revealed! Happy travels!

Blue Lizard

OVER THE TOP! This, by far, was one of the top 5 things I have ever experienced in my whole life! I chose to fly a Boeing 737 from Miami to Tampa. I have no prior flight experience, other than the many miles sitting in the cabin as a passenger. I have always admired the cockpit crew who seem to effortlessly get us safely from one city to the next. My curiosity stemmed from the constant communications, radar & routing and how the pilots put all the info together to create a safe flight. Woweee Wow Wow!! The radar is real time, the weather is real time, the tower chatter is real time, the cockpit is identical to a real plane. My hour session seemed like about 12 minutes. My instructor, Peter, had me flipping switches, adjusting flaps, resetting coordinates to account for altitude changes and everything in between. He had me take off and even after the horrible job I did, he had me land the plane. And that was just the Boeing 737 experience. SimCenter had many different experiences available. Formula One, Intergalactic travel and fighter jets are available. And if you have alot of friends in the area you can rent the whole facility, have it catered and enjoy an entertainment experience like none other. Simply put, this is a "must do" in Clearwater Beach!

Steve B

They sent the staff home at before we arrived at 6:30pm because they didnt have any customers even they are open until 9pm. Therefore, the high fidelity simulators were not available. What a lousy way to treat your customers. If you are open you should be open, not half open. So we decided to do the duel racing. Not that you can see the other car in your VR world, you just do time laps and the woman writes the times down on a piece of paper. Pretty lame. Oh and no VR goggles for the racer, just a protector and a 2 degree of freedom racing seat. Better than your home but at $200 an hour you should expect more. Also, the 737 flight sim is bolted to the floor and is using MS Flight Sim 2004. Dont expect X-plane 11 or Prepar3D. The woman running the whole store with multiple customers (yes they do show up unannounced) was very friendly but running around like mad.

michael tice

After more than one hour on the F16 flight simulator setup I remained very impressed. Bring your A-game. Multiple settings make game very challenging and realistic. Enthusiastic and very knowledgeable staff member showed me how to operate controls and did a great job training me on F16. All other Sims I walked by were extremely elaborate with functioning controls, indication panels, MFDs and other displays in high detail. F1 , f35, and airline, simulators looked impressive with the gigantic displays and overall hardware rig setups. I only had time for the F16. I see this store as an ultra high tech arcade for sober adults looking for a challenge or real world training. If I am in town, I will be back. To all, good luck finding another place like this in the state or country! Truly a gem. Worth the coin. Show up ready to learn.

Karen Makuch

After looking for something different to do in Clearwater, Florida, I saw SimCenter on Google. You have to look carefully to find the facility but it was worth it. It was difficult to decide which simulator to try but I took on flying a F-16. With Joe by my side explaining all the controls, we began the simulation. Between the sound effects and looking at the realistic screen, to the closeness of being in the cockpit, I began my flight. It was only for 1/2 hour but felt like much more. It was an intense experience and one I will not forget! It was as if I was in the ultimate video game! I highly recommend this adventure. On my vacation I plan on returning to the SimCenter for my next adventure! I give SimCenter 5 stars!