TAMPA, Fla. — Connor Farrell had never met a capybara until he sat inside a portable enclosure at the Kahwa Coffee off Gandy Boulevard in Tampa.
What You Need To Know
CapyCove, tropical oasis with lagoon and grotto, projected June opening in St. Pete
Capybaras are South American semi-aquatic rodents with a calm demeanor
CapyCove capybaras doing outreach at Kahwa Coffee in Tampa
It’s $40/person and that gets you a capybara hangout and a latte
Open 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday, until approximately June of 2026 when their new location is expected to be completed
Location: 4530 W. Gandy Blvd, Tampa, FL
MAP: View more Florida on a Tankful locations
“If you ever wanted to be crawled on by a miniature horse-dog, and have them eat lettuce, it’s awesome,” said Farrell.
It may already be called a capybara, cousin to the guinea pig, but to Connor Farrell, it’s a horse dog. The fact they have webbed toes just adds to their mystique.
Capybaras are actually semi-aquatic mammals that can hold their breath for five minutes.
Brianna Holzerland has her own capybras at CapyCove.
“So we are in the middle of developing a lagoon and grotto, which is designed specifically for the capybaras in St. Pete,” said Holzerland.
While they are under construction, the capybaras are doing a little outreach at Kawha Coffee off Gandy Boulevard in Tampa. Holzerland says exotic cats will be part of the new immersive experience, as the capybara plays nice with others, humans included.
The focus of this immersive tropical kingdom is wildlife conservation.