Clearwater Marine Aquarium Reviews

I give 4 stars because my 4 year old son liked it and the staff did a special mad scientist session for my son and his two friends. Other than its just blah.

This is a decent little aquarium but it is expensive for what you get. The highlight for my kids was the sting ray petting area. The dolphin show is not worth the time. They cram you onto the tiny beecher just to listen to the trainers talk for the whole show. Very few glimpses of the dolphin.

It is an example of life !!! We love winter !!! Saluditos from Ecuador

I loved it!!!! It was a little hard to see Winter and Hope, but I did get beautiful pictures of them during the show. Nicholas was so fun to see and I love how the trainers interacted with him!! The turtles and sharks were also fun, and I loved the new exhibit. Although it didn't look like a traditional aquarium it was still amazing considering it was mostly a rehabilitation center. And last but not least, I loved that the animals had so much space.

4 stars only because they are undergoing construction. Staff was excellent and we really enjoyed it.

My boys were dying to see this place so they could see the dolphins from the movie. An amazing place we all had an amazing time!

Very cool, the staff is amazing. If you haven't seen the movie Winter you should watch it then take your family here, extremely cool! They are doing construction on some additions the time my family was here but there is still plenty of animals to see and interact with

Not sure they should call themselves an aquarium. Having a few fish and it revolving mostly around Winter the dolphin doesnt make for a very enjoyable "aquarium" trip.

For the price there really isn't much to see here. They're planning a large expansion but even that just looks like bigger tanks for the existing dolphins. I respect their wildlife work but can't really recommend it as a worthwhile place to visit for the money.

Great for kids! Not many attractions but still nice.

If you ve seen the move dolphin tale you obviously know about this place. It s worth the stop and your money is going to a great cause. The dolphin show was fun. Staff was friendly and informative.

Beautiful place, must see winter you will enjoy more ...

It was overrated.. And you could barely see anything that was worth seeing.. They had a presentation on "Winter's" Prosthetic tale.. They weren't even around her when they did the presentation and it was just not one of the best experiences I've had.. Oh and one more thing.. The gift shop is overpriced

Very fun and the sea life safari was very informative!

Love this place. Took the granddaughter and we took the boat tide. Very educational and interesting.

Its a really nice aquarium! A lot of the reviews are talking about how the place isnt worth the money or its to small but i disagree i dont think they understand its a rescue not a zoo.

Fun to see how the animals are rescued and released if possible, great for kids!

Not a large aquarium but nice place to learn about the animal rescues they do!!

Horrible only about 20 marine animals that's not an aquarium they need to start over or go to the Tampa aquarium and copy what the do, it was not worth the 30$

Saw the dolphin Winter featured in the movie A Dolphins Tale.

Minimal attractions/animals compared to other aquariums at same cost. We have been to Shed In Chicago, PPG Pittsburgh, and other aquariums. Not even comparable, in the same class as other aquariums. You are paying for the name - See Winter & Hope. You are not allowed within 3 feet of the railings of their pool to get a peek to see W & H. Should not be called an aquarium. Better name of the facility would be "Catch a Glimpse of W & H".
Also be cautious of pricing ... it is stated on all/multiple price signs for dolphin watch boat ride, kids 7yrs + are $__. I thought kids 6 yrs and under are free. I spoke with a manager, "they changed the signs, but teenagers took off the tape of the age /price update". I had already told my son we would go on boat ride so I wasn't going to back on my word; I paid for my 3 yr old. We did see wild dolphins swimming.
Very poor, stinky, TINY bathroom facility.

We loved seeing winter, hope and PJ. Great experience with the family, informative and fun presentations. A few minute walk and they took my mom in a golf cart, which was helpful. $10 for parking. Gift shop a bit procey, but going to a good cause.

A great place to visit while in Florida. My family and I had a great time!!

Awesome place! It is small, but the grand kids were fascinated with the dolphins and ray fish.

What a fantastic place for kids and adults. If you get the chance you should definitely go and you get a boat ride for a dolphin watch on top of it, whether you're a big kid or little kid it's a must do while you're there. Say "Hi" to Winter the dolphin and all his fabulous friends from the movie!

Worth the visit even if only to donate to a noble and worthy cause kids will enjoy as its an ingrossing few hours

We were not at all happy with our experience. For the price we paid we expected a lot nicer of a place. The windows of the aquariums were in need of cleaning, the water was cloudy and the girls who conducted the shows talked too fast and we couldn't hear everything they said. In all we were very disappointed.

The facility is small, but you will meet very devoted, dedicated, and caring staff and volunteers. The admission price is well worth it!!!

Wonderful, small aquarium, with rescue work on sea turtles and other water animals. They have Winter the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, some great white pelicans, a touch pool with sting rays and more. Very informative, friendly staff. They have a summer camp for kids, too! Lots of volunteer opportunities.

The work they do in this place is fantastic. If you go with the idea of a sealife type park then better not go.
It's all Spartan, the purpose of the CMA is different, so many people work to improve the conditions of the aquarium guests and to raise awareness about protecting the environment and marine species.
It was very nice for us

Too many people and a dated facility. Can't wait to see it when the new building is completed.

No. It is not your typical aquarium. Yes. You will leave more informed and educated on CMA's mission to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release. We loved every informative presentation. Each staff member was happy to answer any of our questions. We will be back and look forward to seeing the addition being constructed currently.

Good experience. Can't wait to see the aquarium after the expansion is finished. Winter, Hppe and Nicholas were great and so was the staff!

Great experience. Boat tours are a good value if bundled. Plan to eat elsewhere as they always run out of food.

The "aquarium " consists of a few tanks of rescued animals and a gift shop. Your ticket also includes a trolly ride to downtown Clearwater to "see the movie, Winter " as it turns out is only a few clips from the movie scattered around on various small screens. And another gift shop. Not worth the admission price

It's a annual stop for us. Support ur parks and aquariums.

Not s "shiny" corporate cookie-cutter tourist attraction, but rather, a working rescue, research, and educational facility partially funded by charging people to come in and see what they do. Kids will enjoy, animal lovers even more so.

Very disappointed. Sad that animals that have suffered so much had to live inside and couldnt at least have access to outside environment. Nice and informative workers.

It was amazing to see. The staff and dive team were great and friendly

Very educational and interactive. Fun for the whole family! The aquarium is small but delightful with a really nice gift shop

An amazing afternoon! Dolphins come right up to you. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly and the kids learned about conservation, animal rescue and local wildlife.

This is great for young kids. As an adult, was pretty disappointed in the quality. The building seemed really out dated. Not as large building or as many animals as I expected. They really focus on the movie and where the scenes were filmed. Extra things like pictures are very expensive almost a racket. For young children the experience will be wonderful.

Took my grandchildren here and we had a great time. Plus you are seeing their great rescue and rehab work.

Slightly better than the aquarium in Rocky Point Mexico where they kept the ocean life in buckets.

The AUdio system was poor, so our 3.5 yr old did not stay engaged. I would say designed for 5 yrs and older. No strollers. Would have been nice to know before hand.

It was great just wish you didn't have to walk a block to get on after paying because of the new construction

We came here on a Tampa City pass. It's really cool, they are very informative and the Dolphins where very active. It was really cool to be at the place that was in Dolphin Tale. Our kids thought that was cool.

One of the neatest place I've ever been. It's very informative to whoever wants to learn about sea Life.

Fun place if you love sea life. I've been there at least 7 or 8 times, always great experience!

Seriously what's not to love! Awesome place! Educational and fun

Of the best aquariums in the world, very assorted species of the world, very clean and pleasant marine shows!

While not your typical aquarium, what they are doing here is as awesome, supporting and rehabilating the animals while educating the public. Lots of interactive opportunities and chances to converse with the staff.

Was disappointed in our visit. Spent more time waiting to buy tickets than in the aquarium. The only thing that draws people is Winter. Nothing special.

I loved my visit here. One of my favorite parts was the manta Ray touch tank. It's perfect for a family outing.

Great place. Fun seeing the animals and knowing they are a rescue marine. Plus seeing the places from the movie.

A must see! Please support this amazing place that rescues and provides a home to marine life that would not survive in the wild. The staff is very knowledgeable and super attentive. It was hard to refrain from asking even more questions.

A great educational experience. Go on the guided tour!

Nice aquarium, even if small. I would like it more if the nickel-and-diming for photos and trinkets wasn't as intense -- the kids working here shouldn't be high pressure salesmen but focused on marine conservation.

inspired my passion to be an aquatic animal veterinarian

This is a rescue aquarium. It's very educational and not like a typical aquarium. We enjoyed that everything had a story. We watched the dolphin tale movies before and my son loved seeing the stars of the movie. I highly recommend the boat tour. It was very educational and fun. A net is cast out and everything is identified when they bring it back up. My son enjoyed the show and tell portion when they brought everything around. We saw dolphins on our ride back to the aquarium.

Enjoyed all the informative employees. Each one was eager to answer any and all questions.

Big disappoint, great marketing. 25 x 5 disappointment $$_

Wonderful experiences! Boat tour was a great experience for the whole family.

A little pricey for no more than is there. Maybe when you finish the new part it will be better.