Clearwater Marine Aquarium Reviews

Very good the aquarium, clean, well preserved species, a little limited proximity to animals but very well organized everything to see dolphins from many angles

What a wonderful place. The entire staff was very friendly and knowledgeable
Great family fun place

Awesome aquarium, you can have so much fun and the fish are sooo cool and the dolphin shows are so fun and cool to see

The new tanks are simply amazing, you have a chance to get up close and personal with these beautiful creatures without getting wet. CMA has always been a wonderful place to visit but with the new giant windows you can see how these dolphins love their new home and greeting the visitors.

I hope to return when it is fully restored. For now I was not convinced.

The aquarium is very small, water not very vleac, $12 parking,.

Friendly staff, good dophin show. Best for small kids 8 and under.

NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT TO BE AN AQUARIUM
WAITNG TO TAKE A TOUR ON A BOAT TO SEE THE DOLPHINS OUT ON THE SEA!!!

Great family friendly experience that could stand to be a little bigger and looks like it will be within the next year! Kids loved seeing Winter and Hope and Nicholas in person!

I paid an 70$ for two adults and parking just to see 2 dolphins that you could barely see and did nothing, one turtle, 2 otters and a couple of fish. I m so disappointed. Not going back again that s for sure.

Very educational put expensive for a family on a budget.

We loved are experience at the aquarium and were very glad to be able to give back to such a great non-profit. The passion that everyone who worked/volunteered there was great. The work they do is truly inspiring just like Winter the dolphin. When you visit this place you have to remember it isn't like a Seaworld, it is better because they have the best interest of the animals they care for in mind. It isn't about entertainment but education so we all become more aware of the wonderful animals and environments they care for.

Thank you CMA for a wonderful day!

Playday with Jenny went for her birthday and we had a lovely time

Hit or miss. This is not my first time to the Clearwater Aquarium. My previous experience several years ago was great, but when I went on Thursday, March 2nd, there was very little to see. We were guided to a dolphin demonstration. What we got was 15 minutes of lecture and about 5 minutes of Nicholas. Previously I had seen Winter using her tail. When I inquired I told it was "not happening"---no explanation. The otters were sleeping and not playing. I realize this is a "rescue" facility, but the $20/person price didn't reflect the value we were able to obtain. I left feeling my 7 adult admission tickets were going towards the new construction. The New England Aquarium in Boston or the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut deliver a lot more value for only slightly higher price. Sorry Clearwater, you lost me.

The aquarium is nice, but very small. I went through in 15 minutes but had to pay $80 for the family. Ridiculous.

Un lugar maravilloso y el personal excelente lo recomiendo.

My two year old grandson and I just watched the movie about winter and I have to say we loved it. You know it something.when you get the attention of a two yr old and keep it. Awsome story

My daughter has never been so interested in anything more in her life. What an amazing place this was.

It's kind of expensive and we went in knowing that they are all about rescuing, rehabilitation, and release of animals but there wasn't much to see. If your kids love the Dolphin Tale movies then they'll love this place. If you're interested in learning about the animals and how they train, rehab, etc, then this place is for you. They offer some sort of talk every half hour but young kids can only sit through so much of those. The really fun experiences cost money (boat ride, feed the animals, etc). The gift shop is huge and they make sure that you walk through it on the way in and the way out.
Three of us spent about an hour and a half there and it cost $73 with parking. That doesn't even include what we spent at the gift shop. I would recommend going after 4:00 when the entrance fee is reduced.

The whole family enjoyed the experience. Worth the visit.

WOW it was amazing! You will be educated and have more sensitivity to how you treat the ocean and how it affects the sea animals.

Really disappointed. Only saw dolphin heads popping out of the water, 1 otter who kept hiding and a tank of sea turtles. We didn't do any extra tours so we were in and out in about an hour. The staff did know a lot and did a lot of talking but very few animals.

Visited here using a Tampa City Pass, on a rainy day. It's good to be able to see Winter and Hope the dolphins, plus the other rescue animals and the good work they are doing. Had to watch Dolphin Tale that evening too....

A great place to be! Winter brings people in, but Nicholas stole our hearts! So many positive things hapoening here. Staff were very knowledgeable & friendly!

Was very disappointed at this park.I went with my daughter and grandchildren ages 13yrs. And 6yrs.olds.My 6 yrs. Old granddaughter wanted to see Winter the dolphin, it was very hard to see the dolphin through a couple of peep holes between the boards.We also got only a glance of Hope and the pelican.I would not go back.

This is an absolute must see if you come to Florida, in my opinion. Also, if you're so inclined, I recommend the 'dolphin trainer' program. I don't remember exactly what it was called now, but the kids get to feed and play with the dolphins that were in the movie A Dolpin's Tail. They also have excursions and a 'feed the dolphin' thing you can do, that I also recommend. It's all for a great cause too! Warning though: once you've been to this aquarium, every other one will pale in comparison!

Amazing place to work and come visit to. People that work there are amazing. Its fun to work at too but gets the job done right. The bosses and employees have respect for their coworkers and is the best place I've ever worked for. Thank you for letting me be part of the team.

They are using the movies to make money with these animals. Tanks are way to small for the dolphins and other animals. Winter looks depressed just goes to the bottom of the tank and stays there or lays on her platform. Its very sad and disturbing. I'm shocked that people are giving this place such good reviews. My understanding is they have not released any dolphins in years. They should be shut down!

Maybe worth it when new construction is finished.

With a ticket price on par with most other aquariums I've visited, the experience did not meet my expectations. This is more of a marine animal rescue facility that happens to charge admission than your typical aquarium. If you want to see some more authentic conservation work, check it out. But, even with the disclaimer on the website, I was expecting a better presentation.

The entrance is awkwardly located in the far side from the parking garage, darkened by a large canopy, and staffed by extra aggressive photographers. The building is not in fantastic condition and pretty clearly wasn't designed to be an aquarium. There are only a small handful of tanks, all with bare cement walls and a few rocks as the only decorations. I'm sure the animals are happy enough in them, but it doesn't give the impression of being a natural habitat at all.

I'm happy to support their cause, but I left feeling as though we might have been better off donating $30 than actually going inside. We had brought some friends from out of town (with a very young child) and this just wasn't what we were looking for. Would have been much better off taking them to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, only about an hour away.

A very cool little rescue aquarium with great educational demos. Wonderful sea turtle exhibit and stingrays. They even have a small dolphin show. The place is smaller than expected. Great to take kids to though.

Love it! Definitely a must do! We will be going again when we have more time!!

Good ideas great people, not enough to see for the price

There's nothing here, I feel like I got ripped off. Lots of empty tanks, and it isn't that big of a place to begin with. Go to the Tampa aquarium instead.

Great place for kids ( and parents). My 6yr old loved it. Small, but focus rehabilitating marine life and not on entertaining and that was nice to know. Also we took the Dolphin adventure boat tour. We were only able to see 2 pairs of female dolphins and their calf. They do not guarantee any sightings, but for what I heard from two other passengers who have taken the tour before, they always get to see something. Our guide and the Captain were super nice and had a lot of knowledge of the area and about dolphins. The parking deck was right next to the aquarium and at just $6 , to me, It was a great deal.

Best place to purchase quality products at reasonable prices. The employees are accommodating and kind. I adore shopping at this place.

Not funny
Small place
Expensive

Very nice place where you can get up close to the dolphins. It's not a huge place though since they are an animal rescue, so take your time and enjoy the interaction!

We started going before it blew up into what it is now and it's just so crowded it's hard to walk. The kids can't see anything because people just stand there and don't move. There's no clear path so everyone is going in different directions. It's a madhouse.

Eh, not that many attractions. Great for small kids not adults. I went when I was 10 not much has changed. Staff is kind and the establishment is very clean

Had a lovely afternoon here. The focus for them is really on helping wildlife and educating the public.

Our Family of five (kids - 3,5, & 7) had a great time (aside from 3 y/o breakdown :-)). You only need about 2 hours to see everything but the price was fairly reasonable and went to a good cause. Everyone that worked there took time to educate you about the animals and things we could do to help save them.

I love s because winter is my favorite dolphin ever I can't believe they made a movie that is a real story when hope was rescued Hope + Winter tried to accept each other in the first time but they did it again the second time they accept, I seen the first movie and the second one too.

This is a marine hospital and rehabilitation center that has been fortunate to turn itself into an attraction. It is pricey for what there is to see but we hope the money goes back into rescuing and returning sealife to open water. We added on the boat tour which was fun and informative. Overall, everyone had a great day.

Do you want to see some of the most expensive animals on the planet? Come to Clearwater Marine Aquarium where they have more people on staff than animals and you are constantly asked to donate money or buy something. Loved the animals, liked their mission think they could improve.

Not a bad place to visit and very informative. I might have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for every employee there walking around with a prosthetic like the one they gave Hope the dolphin and trying to get you to touch it. I get it, the dolphin lost it's tail and you want people to see how you helped it. But when I've been there an hour and have had it shoved in my face 6 or 7 times it gets kind of old.

Lots to see and close interactions with the marine life

It's good to go with children, they will have fun they have hand sanitizers all over the place

The stories of Nicholas , Hope , and especially Winter are inspirational. The amazing work they are doing at the aquarium is wonderful. The entire staff was so very helpful. I'll go back again.

Loved it. It is amazing to see such great people working to make a difference.

I got on a boat more like a water ride it was SO FUN

Not worth the expense. Hardly anything to see. Definitely trying to get bang for their buck off first time visitors because majority of them will not come back.

This was a wonderful experience! Seeing Hope and Winter was awesome but getting to listen to educational presentations on Dolphins and other marine life they help made it a more personal experience.

Great experience, it was neat seeing all the animals.

Beautiful marina, went out on a charter & had a fabulous day.

As a marine hospital it is actually very interesting but to call it strictly a marine acquarium would be a disservice. On a lighter note, the staff is really friendly and they make you feel welcomed.

Great family time. Love seeing all the sea animals and the hope they give everyone.

Best if you have little kids that are into the movie.

Long walk from parking to aquarium. 90 year old mother was exhausted by the time we got to the aquarium.

Wonderful place, they take very good care of injured animals.

It was so beautiful! It is a small place but they are in the middle of construction to expand. From the entrance everyone was super friendly. I loved this place and would be going again!

hello good evening my name is carol I'm brazilian and I would like to know how is winter going and how old is she? Thank you very much for your attention !

Rly bad. 22$ for a 20 minute trip. How can an aquatium on the coast have so few animals. The biggest attraction was there handicaped dolophin so if that dosent pump your nads then its not woth the trip.

Great place to see. Great staff. Place was fun and staff were very sociable.

Overrated!!! This place was recommended as one of the top places to visit in Clearwater online so we decided to give it a shot. We understand the purpose of the aquarium but, the price was extremely over inflated for the small amount of exhibits and animals onsite. Paid $130+ for 5 people and another $12 for parking for 10 minutes if that of a walkthrough. Took longer to wait in the line to get in than it was to walk through to see all exhibits. Place is not worth over $20 dollars a head. A lot of construction going on as well. Very Disappointed. Feels like we were robbed. Not sure why the high reviews - people need to be honest.

Literally don t go. A waste of money and time. I am aware of the amount of money that a wild animal requires ,but they are not that many animals. Even though the space was little, It is not a real issue for me. The real issue is the poor maintenance of the place. In first place, the windows where you can see the animals were very dirty. In the second place how is possible to let a place where an animal is full of algae ( Nicholas). You expect to have a better facility if you see the success from the movies.

Was an awesome experience. John McKiernan went out if his way along with Marcela to help my daughter.

It's very cool to see all the sealife that is rescued. They are working on a new huge addition to the aquarium. I can't wait to come back and see it! Very friendly staff

I was amazing and the way they help animals.. these people are saints