Clearwater Marine Aquarium Reviews

This is my daughters favorite place to visit. Meeting the cast of Dolphin Tale was an amazing experience. She continues telling people everything she learned that day and cant wait to go back. Great job

Cheap, run down, dirty place. Not worth $25/person. And not worth the $6 parking since you basically have to walk a block to get there.

The aquarium was amazing. Seeing Hope and Winter was exciting and learning all the stories behind the movie was exciting. It also felt good to know I was contributing to the rehiblitaion of animals.

This is the worst aquarium I've ever seen! They should have paid our family to come there. The website really sold it good! It is 50 years behind in everything. I know that they are fixing it up but it shouldnt cost anything for how out dated it was. I've seen many aquariums in the last 50 years but this one is so trashy, small and old! Yuk! And everybody that was with me kept saying that while we walking through it. It takes about 20 mins to go through the whole thing.

Waste of time. Interesting idea of encounters with dolphins and other marine animals. Poorly executed. Low quality experience. Would not recommend for anybody who seen dolphins before or been in other marine aquariums.

We loved it! We went with our daughter, son-in-law and grandson and it was one of most memorable experiences. Learning about the mission of the Aquarium to save and rescue all marine animals was most inspiring. We would highly recommend.

Great marine conservation group. Not a mega attraction but lots to enjoy and friendly staff to answer questions. The dolphins, sea turtles, otters and pelicans are popular, and there are also tanks with sea horses, moray eels, puffer fish and lots more. A fun, family friendly and educational environment. Summer 2018 is a special evening offer of half price admission.

Fantastic place. Winter was so sweet. Can t wait to see new home.

This place is great if you enjoy sea life. Very good instruction shows great viewing of all the sea life on hand.

Definitely worth it! The exhibits have a lot to offer. Overall, the aquarium is clean and family friendly. They always have events or seminars that teach you about marine life. Getting to see Winter the dolphin was very neat.

Awesome time with family, had a family photo with Nicholas thanks to my Sister had a close encounter. Must see great for all!!

We had a great time visiting the aquarium. We were able to see everything we wanted to see in more intimate setting than a traditional aquarium. The staff and volunteers were so knowledgeable and you could tell they are passionate about working with all of the animals. We were able to ask questions and really understand each animal's challenges and victories. We also took the behind the scenes tour and it was pretty informative. I am excited to visit again once the construction is complete. We will definitely be back.

Expensive, dirty and exhibits that are rundown or non-existent. The only thing this aquarium has are it's two savior dolphins, Hope and Winter. People go to see them. Everything else is not worth it. Go to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota or the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa.

Way over charged. .I have more fishes in my tank than the aquarium. The only good part is non profit

This is a wonderful place to visit be sure to take the behind the scenes tour, you will learn learn so much about sea creatures Winter lives here

One of the best place to visit when you are in Clearwater. The experience is unforgettable. The staff very helpful and friendly and the environment a dream. If you like dolphins...this is a place for you.

Loved it!!! Fun for the grandkids and educational. Staff was amazing.

I love it here. The staff are knowledgable and friendly. The dolphins and other sealife are well taken care of and 100 % of the proceeds go straight back to helping the animals that are rescued and released. If they are too injured or sick they live their life at the aquarium. Love love love

My daughter loved the movies, so it was a really exciting to find out we would get to see Winter and Hope. All the animals were beautiful and you can tell they are truly loved and cared for. They didn t rush us through. You could take as much time as you wanted. The employees were polite and provided really interesting information. An all around great experience!

I don't like it very much, the Havana Cuba aquarium has few resources and is better in all services and shows, it has more varied fish and the tanks are well-kept and transparent.

Not really worth the admission. More of an animal hospital and care facility. Wouldn t come back. My seven year old was very disappointed.

Kids love it. Try Captain Memo's pirate cruise if you are in the area as well.

It is an awesome place the dolphins are fun. Employees are friendly and helpful.

Nice place to visit. Worthwhile charity to help injured sea creatures.

The kids LOVED it! Really cool place to see turtles and dolphins (among other fish and rays)

Absolutely loved that I got to see Winter and Hope. So that was a thrill for me. I am 52 and loved and own the movies. Enjoyed the other show and Nicholas was amazing. Great family friendly place.

There's nothing there. Dolphins that you can see in the bay or on the beach. Few fish an otter and couple of pelicans. Nothing to guide your way through. Very over priced for no more than that. Parking attendant not very helpful. Under construction and just a mess. Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg is WAY better.

Its been several years since I had been there, A LOT of changes. More commercialized since the movies dolphins tail 1 and 2 have been released. But still plenty to see with regular general admission at $24.99 overall it was an enjoyable experience.

Phenomenal place! I already want to plan my next trip! *important: not a huge theme park type place* They make the most out of every inch. TIP make sure to pay attention to the times guide so you can hear the trainers talk about the animals. And believe me there is more to do then see winter. Great props and info about the movies. Make sure to walk around to every inch once twice or even three times because there is always something going on! I loved hearing about their message of rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine life.

They serve a great purpose and Winter s story is great. But- it is tiny and not much experience compared to other aquariums in the country for as much as you pay. Maybe it ll be more worth it when the renovations are done. Also- please clean the algae off more windows so we can see better what is there.

Took advantage of the free military discount and was glad I did!! I was able to get my two kids, my wife and her parents as well as myself, all for free! It took way more than 10 minutes to go through it all. We stopped and talk with an Intern about Nicholas (a dolphin) and learned a lot about the rescue side of this aquarium. All of the staff was kind and knowledgeable answering all our questions. It was very educational and fun! There were otters, sea turtles, and sting rays. We also got to see Winter. I can see what people are talking about when they say the tanks look dirty yet, I think they fail to understand that the water can't be tempered with to much, as part of the rescue process is trying to make it as close to sea like as possible. Prices in the gift shop were comparable as any other "attraction". We plan to visit again and will pay this time since the proceed go to helping the animals. Recommend to all, but keep in mind it is a rescue facility not all the frills like the Tampa one.

I took my granddaughter to the aquarium and she had a great time touching the rays and watching the dolphins.

As most people we were excited to visit because of winter and hope. I understand that this is a rehabilitation center but I was not very pleased. There is no flow to the place and is a chaotic on where to go and start and what to see. There wasn't much to see which for the price I think there should be more. I know animals come and go because that is their sole purpose but there wasnt much to see.

Done in 15 min. Children would like it but overpriced plus $10 for parking.

My two toddlers and I went to the aquarium today and I was severely disappointed. First of all, it s $12 to park which I find extremely expensive. My kids were free but all together with parking I paid like $36 to go, basically the same price to get into the Florida Aquarium in Tampa which is considerably nicer and bigger and has free parking. I knew the aquarium was pretty small but I was still disappointed with the number of exhibits there were. The walkways were very narrow and made pushing my stroller around difficult. I can t imagine trying to get around if you were in a wheelchair and forget about bringing your double stroller, not going to happen. Almost nothing was at eye level for small children so I had to pick my kids up to see things which is also very annoying. The exhibits themselves were lackluster. The glass was dingy, lighting was poor, and they all seemed way too small. For what it cost to get in I feel ripped off. We won t be back.

Great place for families to visit. We got to see winter and hope.

Going to be something special. Oh wait it already is!

Great experience and the girl is explaining about the dolphins she really understands the topic

Atmosphere and staff are high energy, fantastic time viewing the marine animals and watching the sharks being fed. Love to watch the interaction between staff and animals.

They have fixed it up alot since last time I was there and they are under construction now to grow so that's great was very busy when we got there. But place was clean and staff was very friendly

For a rescue facility, it was definitely worth going. It was a decent price even though they didn't have tons of animals. We felt like we were contributing to the rescuing cause with our admission. The dolphin shows are more intimate than larger facilities. Nicholas, the dolphin, had a touching story and was quiet talented. We spent 2.5 hours there.

Great staff!!! We had a good time seeing all of the rescue animals.

This is our second trip to Clearwater Marine Aquarium and we just love it!

Good learning experience for the kids. Haven't seen the movie but kids who like the movie will love meeting winter in person.

Amazing. The wife got to see dolphins and the boat tour was refreshing.

Really nice idea , but aquarium itself need a lot of cleaning and tlc.

Just a couple dolphins and turtles. Not impressed at all.

I Only came here because my best friend worked here and she showed me an amazing time.

Awesome organization!! "Rescue, rehabilitate and release" is their motto. This is the home of Winter, the famous dolphin with the prosthetic tail, and her friend Hope, another rescue dolphin. Several other rescue animals call this wonderful, caring place home. Great staff and volunteers who are always saving Florida's saltwater friends!!

We have visited many top notch aquariums, but the experience that we had at CMA has to top the list!
This facility, currently in an expansion project, is brilliantly staffed. We took a Behind the Scenes tour of the rehab facilty and learned about the incredible commitment that these people have towards rescuing, rehabilitation and releasing the amazing marine creatures we share this earth with. Visit with an intention to learn and see through different eyes! I cannot wait to visit again!!

This place is a must for anyone who wants to do something fun. Our family loves coming here to see the dolphins, otters, and turtles. Our kids love to pet the rays. This place is going through construction so we're excited to see the future place. This place does a lot for the animals so our kids can appreciate the animals.

Cant wait to see the additions to the aquarium!!! Great to see see Winter.

Kids loved visiting Winter and seeing the other animals

Love this place Take your kids and go have fun.Awesome!

Go after 4:00 pm. Worth the price, not sure otherwise.

One recent day with rain we decided to visit the aquarium. Alot of construction going on. Parking on site if needed. A little pricey but all money goes to animals, mostly the turtles. A few dolphins and other fish too. Well laid out. lot of volunteers who know alot about the animals. Various small educational sessions through out day. Would recommend and return.

Love this place very interesting kids loved everything here

Excellent!!! Loved it, and everyone was so nice! Took the Dolphin watch tour, lots of fun, great place to go! We re going back.....

Interesting very dedicated to rehabilitating the sea life they care for!!!

Wow. So much fun. The education, experience, boat ride to see a baby dolphin and of course winter, hope pj nicholas and ruffis aka ricky! Oh the turtles, and the opportunity to pet the friendly sting rays! We enjoyed each animal's rescue story.

This is a small aquarium that concentrates on recovery of sea life due to sickness or harm, do not think this is a place where you are going to see a show (although they have a small one). If you want to learn about what is being done to save sea life this is the place, it might be boring for smaller kids that don't understand what's going on. I understand they are raising money to help sea creatures but I think they have over commercialized the place making it feel like a cash grabbing endeavour. They need to be more upfront on what to expect of the place