If you are looking for a family day trip or something different to do whilst visiting Florida, there are over 24 aquariums across the county enabling you to experience the sea life of the oceans. From educational experience to learning how to scuba dive, each aquarium has something for you and your family. We’ve picked out the top 5 aquariums to visit on your trip to Florida.
Key West Aquarium
Located in the heart of Key West, this is the islands most popular attraction with marine life including sharks, jellyfish and alligators. The aquarium offers education on the marine life and also on conservation. Activities you can get involved in include the ‘Touch Tank’ where you can place your hand in the waters and get up close and personal with star fish and giant hermit crabs. If you are feeling more daring, take part in shark and stingray feeding sessions and get to pet them at the end of the session.
Gulf World Marine Park
Gulf world Marine Park located in Panama City beach is an experience not to forget. The aquarium homes sharks, dolphins, turtles and many more sea life animals. The new penguin encounter allows you to get up close and personal with African black-footed penguins. For a unique experience, a range of dolphin packages are available where you can pet the dolphins and even swim with them. Californian seas lions are part of the sea lion meet and greet program where you are able to interact with sea lions during a training session.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is not your average aquarium. The aquarium work to rescue marine animals who have been injured and they currently home dolphins, sea turtles and river otters. Once they have successfully rehabilitated these animals, they are then released back into their natural habitats. There are many experiences and activities to do on your visit, these include turtle cove where you can meet the turtles, shark pass lets you get up close and personal with the resident nurse sharks or you can take a trip on the seas life safari boat and explore the Clearwater bays.
Discovery Cove
An all day experience for families to enjoy in Florida, Discover Cove Orlando is a paradise of tropical reefs, pools and waterfalls with the opportunity to get up close and personal with marine wildlife. Get the ultimate experience and swim with the dolphins or head to sting ray bay and swim and feed the resident rays. You can soak up some sun in the tropical swim area on the man made beach or find yourself swimming in the grand reef with hundreds of tropical fish. Discovery Cove offers very hands on experience with marine wildlife and will be one you and your families would never forget.
Imaginarium hand on museum and Aquarium
This hands on aquarium located in Fort Myers has endless activities for you and your family to get involved in, you can even touch live seas life and run through a rainstorm! The hall of history gives you an insight into the history of marine life in Southwest Florida. Take part in the Virtual Reality exhibit where you will be transported to the original for of Fort Myers. Visit the living lab which homes a range of native and non native animals. The 3,200 gallon tanks look after bamboo sharks, yellow tailed snapper, zebra moray eel and more.
If you are visiting Florida in the new year or looking to book a holiday for you and your family to enjoy, if and have a spare day, visit one of Florida’s top aquariums to be left with a memory you won’t forget. If you want more of an adventure and to dive deeper into sea life, try scuba diving in Florida!