Clearwater Marine Aquarium Reviews

A must see they do so much for the marine animals. Hope and winter were amazing

Loved it! So easily accessible and rescue focused with a friendly staff. Definitely coming back to see Winter, Hope and the gang.

We enjoyed seeing all the animals and the live presentations that taught us about these creatures and why they are at the aquarium. Nicholas was our favorite. Walle was so much fun to watch as well. And of course we loved seeing Winter and Hope! I love that you guys are able to give all these amazing animals a chance at life when they otherwise wouldn't have survived.

A great visit to see rehabilitating marine animals as well as where they filmed a good chunk of Dolphin Tale. Kids will love seeing the injured and rehabilitating animals...especially children with their own handicaps. It is very therapeutic and humbling. A great visit for all ages!

CMA is absolutely amazing in regards to true marine life education. The facility boast its operating rooms, holding tanks, & the "patients"; given name, story, charts, statistics, timeline there, and much more. It's NOT a "show 'n' tell" of mammals doing tricks for treats (unnatural actions). This is a front of the line view into a real rescue, rehab, & release facility. The Hollywood glamour is a nice feature for entertainment value, also doubling for some much needed awareness & offering more income stability for CMA. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR ANYONE. Take advantage of the Sea Life Safari Boat Tour & see live critters pulled up, by net, from the ocean!

It was full of great educational opportunities but it was very crowded the day we were there due to the appearance of some of the cast from the movie A Dolphins Tale. Thankful for the work they do rescuing injured sea animals and I learned some important things to do should you encounter an injured animal on the beach. Great place for kids as they have several hands on exhibits as well.

It's amazing how much they hav grown in the last 30 years

Very small, finished the whole place in under an hour. Literally has like 4 attractions. I went to 3 shows. Not worth the entrance price.

Must see place! Money goes to a good cause and saw Winter!

Great place to experience aquatic animals up close and meet the trainers who care for them.

I Want to see winter prospetic tail and Hope please im stuck in California I've already seen both of the movies I want to work at C.M.A please I really want to work with guys by Nicholas moua (age 9).

It isn't the largest aquarium, but that seems to be changing. The highlights of the aquarium are their famous dolphins and right now you can feel the history and experience the exact area filmed in the two movies. The Marine biologists are nice and care for their patients. I want to return there next time I am in Clearwater.

Small but intimate experience! The dolphins are so cute and my 3 year old enjoyed petting the sting ray's.

Fantastic day with family. The Marine Aquarium and team do a spectacular job with the animals and are very knowledgeable and friendly

I love this place because of the the dolphins and turtles and sharks these animals is just like us I really enjoyed everything

Very interesting place. Staff were friendly and approachable.

Dolplin tale bring the kids make sure they see the movie first. Mine loved it fair price for your money its well worth the trip if your in the area and know the story behind Hope and Winter.

Very over priced for the few animals you see. Many exhibits closed or empty. Place needs cleaning and improvements.

WOW, what can I say. Visited last week with an 8yr. old that has cancer. The people were Fantastic!!!

Nice that animals are cared for and they help them to get well.

Don't go with high expectations. We went simply to see Winter and where the movie was filmed. Staff was all very nice. Just a bit overpriced for what was actually there to see. We spent about 1-1/2 hrs on site.

Looking forward to visiting not at the holiday season

Ugh, I wanted to love this place but I did not. It was confusing right from go... Where do we go in?.. What does this door lead to?... Is this it? Start saving your money because the cost for each and every option here is OUTRAGEOUS. We went through the entire place (I think?) in about 35 minutes. It was very difficult to see into the tanks through the viewing windows (once we figured out where to go)..not sure if the glass was too scratched or the water too murky. Any viewing you do above the water is obviously just glare and you can't see anything.(see attached picture) However, I absolutely LOVE what the objective is of the CMA and how much love they have for marine life and the care they provide. With that being said, PLEASE make donations as this is a non profit facility.

First priority stop for visitors ....always a fantastic experience for all!!!!

Daughter loved it. It's not a all day thing but good for 2 to 3 hours.

A little underwhelming if you haven't seen the movie. Pictures are way overpriced but consider it a contribution to Winter and Hope.

Tourist trap!! Beware you have been warned. If your looking for entertainment, rip up a $100 bill and throw it out the window, it will be more exciting. Small human size swimming pools. DEPRESSING
They do great work here and if you want to see and learn about injured sea animals - do go. If you are looing for an aquarium its a total waste of time and money.

Winter and Hope were obsessed with me and my small service dog. I have been here numerous times. It is what I want to do is rehab sea animals. I brought my neighbors kid with me, he said " it was the best day of his life and he's 10. I absolutely love this place

It dosen't have nothing to do with winter movie but at least they really help animals there and i respect that thank you and God bless you all.

Always a fun day at the Aquarium. Don't forget to enjoy the boat ride and the shuttle bus.

Excellent learning experience regarding the rescue and rehabilitation of marine life.

this place is super amazing and these people do awesome work

Awesome place to take the family. There is a lot of construction right now though. The park is not that big. We were able to walk the whole aquarium and see everything in a hour.

This is a fun visit for the kids or any lovers of sea critters. Also the home of Winter and is a rehab facility for injured animals. I very much appreciate the great military discount too.

I love that this is an educational facility. They show pride and care for the animals here. Staff was always available to answer any questions. Truly a wonderful organization.

This is not as large as the one in Tampa, but I was fine with this. The Dolphins of course were very nice to see. We also enjoyed the Rays as well.

The trip over here wasn't even planned, but our other agenda fell through so we made the extra hour drive to visit. We are so glad that we did! We had the most amazing time! My wife got to feed Hope, as well as getting a kiss from her! We absolutely loved seeing her and Winter and all of the rest of the animals that were there! I tip my hat to the wonderful staff here as well! They all do such an amazing job! We can't wait for 2020 when they'll have construction done on a new building which will allow for the care of even more animals!

Extremely over rated, nothing to see ! We spend 84$ for two persons for the boat trip and see the "aquarium" but there is no real aquarium..... don't waste your money and time !

It was beautiful. They had many different marine animals. Great place to spend time with the family.

CMA rescues marine life under multiple stranding situations, and their RESCUE Team responds to injured whales, dolphins, sea turtles, otters and other marine life. CMA has a rehabilitation facility to handle marine life for long term care and release.

Absolute must see! We will certainly be back once construction is done.

I love it because they help kids with disabilities and because of the amazing animals

Disclaimer: There is quite a bit of construction going on so hopefully that means better facilities and more to see.

For the full price, I'd say it's not quite worth it. We did wait til 4 to get the half price, which is about what it's worth right now. At the very least you are supporting a good cause, so that makes it a little more palatable.

The facilities were dated and there really wasn't much to see other than the dolphins. We spent much of the time just watching the dolphins interact with the trainers. For the most part that meant watching them eat. They had so much personality though. Really enjoyed them.

Hoping the upgrades breath new life into the facility.

Nice place...They doing a great job taking care of our Marine life..as far as navigation it is very confusing and the map is not much help..but over all really great place..will be really nice once they get into there new building..

Great place to take your kids. Small and quaint. Much smaller then i expected after watching the two movies about winter and hope. Staff are very knowledgeable and very friendly. There was a mix up with my cc being dbl charged and they fixed it no problems or hassels. Will definitely go again.

This aquarium is a grade A tourist trap. Banners and posters everywhere advertise the aquarium's pride and joy; Winter the dolphin. Unlike other reviews, I am NOT giving the aquarium a poor review because I'm mad I didn't see Winter (in fact I did see her and will address that later). I'm giving this aquarium a poor review because it is the filthiest, most depressing, and most expensive aquarium I've ever been to. Fish tanks were murky and not well kept. The walls, floors, and railings were sticky and dirty.

However worst of all was poor Winter and her companion Hope (the younger dolphin). Winter's holding tank was pitifully small. And I'm not speaking as some radical PETA activist. As an average human that cares about animals, that tank was SMALL. I was able to wiggle past eager tourists to catch a glimpse of her quite a few times. I have honestly never seen an animal with a poorer quality of life. She hid under a platform and would bob to the surface periodically to breathe. Her breaths were strenuous. She would exhale forcefully and take a deep breath before lethargically dipping beneath the surface. I have seen multiple species of dolphin in the wild many times, and have a solid understanding of how they should sound when they breathe. Winter was incredibly distressed. I could go on, but I believe my point is made.

This aquarium is the saddest, most depressing place I've ever been to. Winter's pitiful quality of life is being sold and fed to hungry tourists. Don't be one of them like I was. I should never have gone. Because buying the ticket promotes Winter's suffering. Choose another attraction. The dolphin watching tours are far cheaper, and you get to see wild dolphins playing and interacting with each other! Nothing is more rewarding than seeing wild dolphins and knowing that they are there out of their own curiosity and free will. Not put in a bowl and put on display in a filthy, noisy aquarium.

So please, DON'T buy a ticket to see Winter. Don't go to this aquarium.

Go where the dolphins go. They never steer you wrong!

Unlike other marine species showplaces, the Clearwater Aquarium is a rehabilitation facility for sick and injured sea life.

As an artist, I've always been inspired by nature. As a scientist, I've always been inspired by what's real and by what really counts.

See this place as often as you can!

The nicest staff and volunteers of any location we've ever visited. Make sure to check out the interpretive presentations. The boat rides are worth every penny.

Loud and confusing. Go on a weekday morning, not a Saturday afternoon.

My wife and I had a fantastic time. Staff members and volunteers were great.

It's not so much a place for little ones as it is for older ones and adults. More of a rehab facility.

Love it. Close to everything, very educational, and my kids enjoyed every minute. Great staff and volunteers, too.

Wouldn't refer anyone to visit now , shouldn't be open because of renovation , was a rip off of 100 dollars for 4 people , does not have a lot of attractions worth the admission that was charged and very unorganized

I cannot say enough great things about this aquarium! Highly recommended!

Winter Hospital Marine Dolphin (Dolphin Tale 1 and 2), based on true stories.
It has 2 locations, one on either side of the bay: one is the hospital / aquarium and the other is Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure, where the movie sets and other experiences are featured. There is a free boat and bus between the 2.
Unmissable! Watch the movies first.

A great place to visit with kids. Watch the movie Dolphin Tale to better appreciate the visit and to look out for the movie filming sets.

It was nice there alot of walking to get inside might be better when they finish the construction

Not a whole lot of exhibits for what you pay for, but still neat

Cramped, crowded, and not a lot to see. I'm glad I didn't have to pay full price but you can clearly tell this place is only running on the reputation from those two low-budget Dolphin Tales movies. I feel bad for the animals there, especially the single Otter they have swimming in what amounts to a hotel swimming pool. Somehow, this place is sadder than SeaWorld and I felt just as disgusted in myself for having given them my money.

I am so disappointed in this so called aquarium .. it s more like a fish tank with 1 dolphin 2 sea turtles and 3 sting rays. I mean how can you charge people for an aquarium visit and you don t have any animals. I see why they gave people half off of the entry see, this should have been free. I have been been to the largest and Best aquarium in the world the Ga aquarium and it makes this look like a fish tank in someone home. I could have walked along the beach and seen everything I ve seen in this small animal hospital turned aquarium. I am applaud at this totally I feel like everyone should get a refund for this place and to all thinking of visiting I would suggest maybe going to Tampa aquarium instead ..

Loved the museum! So cool how they are taking care of injured species and then returning them home if they heal or keeping them if they need permanent care! They are expanding so will be interesting to go back some day. The grandkids loved it!

Clearwater Marine Aquarium/ Rehab was very educational and super fun!

I Love dolphins they are really cute and awesome to look at and play with!!!! :-D

If you would like to support animal rescue, and hospital than your visit will support that.

Amazing! Fun for all ages! Really neat to see Winter and Hope from the Dolphin Tale movies. Important to remember that the message of this place is rescue, rehabilitate and release. The permanent resident animals are ones who can no longer live in the wild due to their disabilities. Staff was friendly and enjoyed explaining what was happening and the stories of their animals. Highly recommended.

I have been here once a long time ago and I am happy with the improvements that they have made. I brought my little girl there and she loved it just as i did the first time i went and now. We will be back to visit again i love this aquarium.

Kids loved it, especially after watching Dolphin Tale 20 times!

It was great! The grandkids really liked it. It will be even better after the renovations are completed.