Clearwater Marine Aquarium Reviews

I was so disappointed for my kids. They got to see Winter and some turtles up top, went downstairs to see the tank and the stingray exhibit, and that was the end of the experience. We drove from North Georgia and was expecting so much more. It should really be listed online that the prices are suggested donations fees. It s definitely not worth paying $25/pp. I should ve taken my girls back to the Florida Aquarium, at least I knew what I was paying for.

I would rate it a billion but i cant. And when i grow up i am going to work there this is my grandma's phone and i am 10 years old so all i wanted to tell y'all is that i want to see a video of Winter and Hope.!!!!!!!!!! My name is Natalie ELizabeth Nix send me a letter and all of y'alls autographs please at 213 Monticello GA!!!!!!!!!!!!

The entrance fee for an adult is about $30. All you get to see are a dolphin, a few stingrays, an otter, and a few pelicans. They say that the fee is mostly for the educational mini-lectures they give about these rescued animals. This is not a place to go to if you want to visit an aquarium.

Unless you really love winter I don't think it's quite worth the price. It's one of the smaller aquariums I've seen. I did go on the sea life Safari and that was definitely worth it! So much fun.

Was a amazing time.. so much to explore great gift shop and wonderful learning experience

It's great if you'd like to make a donation to the aquarium as it's a rehab. However, not a great place to take kids to have fun. All that they've got going for them is the movie Dolphin Tail. I'm not sure I was excited to see an iPhone case in a display case.

Very disorganized not that much to see I would say overpriced but since most of the money is used for research and Rescue I forgive them that. it's definitely a " you seen it once you've seen it all and won't be back" to kinda place

This was one of our favorite things to do while we were on vacation in Clearwater. Having seen the Dolphin Tale movies, we were excited to get to see the aquarium and of course Winter. All of the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. They have an awesome military discount that can be used for a larger group. The whole family is animal lovers so we enjoyed learning about the rescued animal s stories and seeing them being cared for in this environment. We wished they had a larger aquarium to see more water creatures. They are expanding and it is supposed to be done summer 2020 so we will definitely go back!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The facility is small, but you have to think they they are taking in animals that need help. That's expensive and most likely consumes their budget and not allowing a lot of improvement or expanding. Ticket prices and gift shop prices are little expensive, but then again you are paying to support the animals in their care. It was very educational and we loved the boat ride over to the dolphin tale museum. I recommend coming and checking this place out at least once! And thank you to the staff for being so friendly and dedicated to your work!

When the additions are complete. They will get 4 stars

It was fun I liked the dolphins the otter was crazy tho touched a sting ray that was cool

When planning a visit, please keep in mind a few things:
A) The purpose of the facility is education of people, and the recovery and care of animals. If you appreciate the opportunity to schedule a time to be around some very appreciative animals, this is the place.
B) The facilities are not really setup for displaying the animals for your benefit. The animals are in habitats meant for their well-being, care and recovery. Try to enjoy just being around them.
C) The cost of running even the smallest such facility is enormous. Your dollars that you pay are really paying for the care and well-being of the animals. Just enjoy the contributions you are making, enjoy seeing the animals in a healthy environment, try to schedule the additional perks of being in the water with the dolphins. Your children will talk about it for the rest of their lives.
D) The environments are warm because that is the environment of the animals. Again, the facility is for care of animals and education. No Disney production here.

So, go with that in mind, but do go. Anytime we can see creation and be around such things we can always draw good things from the experience.

Lovely place to visit. There's a family boat ride available that allows everyone to learn more facts about the bay nearby together. The aquarium itself is set up so that everyone in the family can enjoy themselves, kids and adults alike, with loads of facts about the animals they care for spread throughout the aquarium.

Fun and educational place to visit with the family.

A good job is supported with the visit. We wanted to see Winter and Hope, that was ok. Otherwise you shouldn't expect a zoo, a circus or a show.

Very nice! Learned a lot! Friendly staff, very knowledgeable. Great gift shop!

Very nice people who answered any questions you had and gave you a lot of information, and really cool animals.

Very expensive and there wasn't a lot of animals to see. I was underwhelmed. There wasn't even a chance to see the "famous" dolphin from the movie (she is segregated and behind a privacy partition). It was very crowded as well. Noble cause but waste of sight seeing/vacationing time.

Oh my god! Pretty small one ... other than sting ray fish there isn t much in here ...but kids may like it!

Not very happy. It said aquarium but their was 1 shark, like 4 turtles and 4 to 6 dolphins in a super small pool. I wouldn't return

Highly dissatisfied. Overpriced for out of state visitors. $96.00 was way too much.

Is it closed temporarily due to COVID-19 I guess? Surprised the kids with a trip here a few years ago after watching Dolphin Tale, a movie they protested watching when I brought it home from the library and then they ended up LOVING. We had so much fun on this trip, seeing Winter in person and this facility.... such great work they do.

Don't expect an aquarium with great acrobatic performances, for which it is probably better to go to Miami. But this is a very interesting aquarium. There are animals that need help because temporarily or permanently they cannot live free, which have become a resource to finance their own maintenance and an opportunity to meet them and get to know them. You can see the Winter dolphin, the protagonist of two famous films and many other animals, between everyday life and some very pleasant and almost familiar entertainment show. The visit was well structured, during which you can see, among other things, the tanks also on the lower level of the aquarium, where through the glass you can observe the animals, previously seen on the surface and now moving underwater here.

Very few exhibits, could be excellent if they had more aquatic animals to see.

This was a waste of money and a complete disappointment. Nothing really interesting to see. It's called an aquarium but it's really not. You're giving a donation rather than having an educational experience. It's more of an animal hospital rather than an aquarium. Really crowded and forced. Hard to see any of the animals.

Had a fantastic time here with my family. We did a dolphin tour, Taylor was our guide and she was great very knowledgeable and you know she cares a lot about the marine life. Not that was pushy about anything. She was professional and knowledgeable about a lot of things. We did see dolphins on our tour my girls had a terrific day. If you get a chance go see Nicholas the dolphin he is very fun to watch. The stingray touch tank was cool, they actually swim up to you and let you touch them. At the end of the day Whitney was the presenter for the stingrays. She is a young woman who despite your young looks is a very knowledgeable person. She didn't pretend to know facts about the stingrays if she new she would tell you and she didn't she had no problem finding the facts so she didn't tell you the wrong thing. Overall had a great experience buy a sweatshirt or a souvinier ALL proceeds go to help running the rescue center. Keep up the good work guys...

I appreciate their cause but not the physical aquarium. I would like to return once the addition is complete but for now I'll stick to the shedd aquarium in Chicago less of a price and more to see.

Wonderful to see what they are doing to rescue and rehab marine life!!! They embrace and showcase this in a great way. Especially awesome experience since we have seen Dolphin Tale 1 & 2. We spent 3 hours there and saw all the exhibits and 3 of the shows that are on the half hour.

Not much to do. We got all the way through in about an hour.

I guess we are spoiled because we live so close to the national aquarium, but it was not worth the money. It is very small, the wait to get inside was way too long, and there was construction everywhere. The one plus side is my kids did get to see Winter the dolphin.

Was expecting more. Only highlight was winter. Only go if that is all you want to see and to support the animals

Always fun to see Winter and Hope. Everyone here is really good with the children and explaining everything to them.

In need of financial help. I was a bit disappointed never got to see Hope and Winter do much.

Very educational. Very knowledge people. Very worth the stop to your. Good story behind it on Winter and Hope. The two dolphins.

You can easily see Winter swimming without its tale. That's his reality, and he is well accompanied by Hope, his dolphin friend. It was nice and revitalizing to see what love can do for all of us.

We loved our visit! We had so much fun taking the tour and learning about how they care for each individual animal. The staff was very friendly and you could tell they really care for all of the animals.

Awesome place to learn about the ocean and our friends of the sea

Everytime my family visits from out of town we bring them here

Great shows and it s amazing to see what they go through to save marine life. Bought a season pass since it was the same price as a day admission. Glad to donate to a great cause.

Good place to visit. Not a ton to see. They are adding on so they can help more animals. Can see everything in a couple hours.

Tourist trap, kids love it though. Big gift shop. Staff seem pretty knowledgeable. As of April 2019 there's lots of construction going on for new aquarium.

I thought the place itself was amazing but the entry fee is a lot for what you actually get to see

Keep in mind that this is not a typical aquarium. Its a marine life center. After 4pm it's only 15$. Also there is a LOT of people so it's hard to get around.

Fantastic family time and money goes for a good cause!

Not bad, small but nice... okay for little ones, but better for older kids

Great place to go when you want to try something different. I got a chance to see Winter (Dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale) doing his therapy with his prostatic fin which was quite interesting. If you get a chance, the Safari is definitely worth trying. Overall, it was a good experience.

CMA is doing an excellent work as a marine rescue center. The staff are very friendly and can provide the full stories of the various rescues, especially the famous Winter and Hope. If you are lucky, you might see an actual surgery as they go about treating some of the sea turtles rescued.

The place was not designed as a tourist facility but they done a good job providing public access for visiting. Must see if you are on your way to Clearwater beach.

We enjoyed our visit and truly enjoyed the seas of lights. Children would enjoy the trivia questions, hot chocolate, cookies, and the Christmas lights. Wish more houses would put up lights. Fun seeing Winter and Hope. It is nice that they rescue and release. It was also educational.

My kids saw the movie so I have to like it. Good experience since it wasn't busy when we were there.

Absolutely beautiful white beaches & nice aquarium!

Amazing place, the staff really know what they re talking about and are ready for any questions. I went on one of the boat tours as well. We got to see dolphins as well as a lot of other sea life, very exciting. We even got to stop and collect some seashells before returning to the aquarium. If you go, I highly recommend going on one of the tours and attending one of the talks led by aquarium staff.

This place is amazing!! They have wonderful presentations to tell you about all the animals that are there. The staff and volunteers are all so nice, helpful and happy. We spent 4 hours there with all presentations. I will definitely be going back and highly recommend anyone going to Clearwater to make this place high on your list to do!

A lot of the reviewers register their disappointment about how small the faciity is, how crowded it is and how expensive it is. They are probably right, but then you have to look at WHY the C.M.A. exists and what it's primary role is. The CMA exists because it is part of a network of oranisations that rescue, rehabilitate and, where possible release marine mammals. Before the release of A Dolphin Tale, they were lucky if they had five visitors a day. The film, and it's sequel put the CMA on the tourist map, They got nothing financially from the film, but since then, have had to cope with a large number of daily visitors as well as doing the valuable environmental work. Most of the the staff that you see in the facility are unpaid volunteers,

Family friendly atmosphere. Rather small... granddaughter loved it!

Very informative with staff that know what they are talking about and a mission that means a lot.

Got to see multiple dolphin and even a few tricks as well.

It was much better than I thought it would be. Strongly recommend doing the dolphin tour. They are also in the middle of expansion to be completed in 2020.

Your aquarium is amazing and I love seeing winter and hope they were so amazing

Great story about the dolphin in the Dolphin Tale Movie

Went with the kids. They had fun on the boat and seeing from a distance the dolphins. It's great pricing for military but expensive for civilians just to see dolphins

Had a great time with 7 and 5 year old. They loved petting sting rays and sea urchins. Had a fun slime lab as well

Fun place to visit and learn about sea life in the area while supporting rescue efforts.

Family day learning about Winter the rescue dolphin

Clearwater Marine Aquarium was smaller than I expected. However, it was cool to see Winter because she's famous. Note, it also was a bit sad because she was not moving at all during my visit. The presentation of the dolphin Nicholas was awesome
He's a charming character, for sure. May be worth a visit if you're in the area and have brought your kids.

The mission of this place is so wonderful. The work they do is amazing. It was awesome to meet Winter and Hope...and see what they do behind the scenes. Definitely worth the money. I am excited to see the new building once it's all done.

Lot's to see here, not just Winter the dolphin. Sea turtles, sting rays, various fish, etc. Kids really enjoyed seeing the animals and listening to the staff talks.

Fun place for the kids. As long as it is not field trip day for the local schools or summer camps.

Lovely little aquarium with plenty to look at. Definitely wear sunscreen and/or bring a hat, because a large part of the aquarium is outdoors with limited shade. I m excited to see what it s like once they finish the renovations they ve been working on!

Due to the fact that it was under construction and a lot a walk, I thought it was a little expensive for what we saw...

After making a 45 minute trek to get there we bought tickets, walked outside for a stroll to the main aquarium area. Upon getting there we were met by an overly enthusiastic photographer that wouldn't let us leave before taking 5 or 6 pictures first. Very awkward start that wasn't exactly overlooked upon seeing the facilities. This place is a good animal sanctuary and not quite an aquarium. I whole heartedly appreciate every bit of work each of the caretakers do there on a daily basis to make sure the animals are well taken care of. Saying that, I believe the appeal of going here is more for younger children. There was little to nothing to do after about half an hour.

The whole 'Dolphin Tale' gimmick might have been exciting at first but it's now been exhausted so much that they need something else to bring in more of the general population and tourists. Great organization to support but wouldn't recommend as an attraction.

Saw tons of dolphins on their boat trip! Would recommend!