Mote Marine Laboratory Review

Love this place. Great for families and singles alike.

We had some extra time on our vacation while waiting for our flight, so we thought this might be a good way to spend a few hours. We really enjoyed the exhibits and that staff was engaging, friendly, and knowledgeable. We especially enjoyed the session with the otters, watching them work on behavior training that helps the staff take care of them. While it was a little pricey, it's worth it knowing that we're also supporting good work.

Visiting the Mote is a wonderful experience for all visiting guests whether 4 years old or 74. Everyone can admire the sea life, touch the sting rays, see the manatees up close and observe the dances of the jellyfish.
We all love visiting the Mote.

This place is cool. There are two buildings basically across the street from one another. The main building has lots of wonderful small displays, and a rotating display (showcasing plastic pollution when I was there). The shark tank is phenomenal... lots of fun to see the different species. Across the street are the manatees and a great otter exhibit. The otters are very active and seem to be having a blast sliding down the waterfall. I also really enjoyed the temporary exhibit space that showed many of the cool adaptations of marine animals.

Pack up the kids and get out there, you will not be disappointed.

I took my two grandsons ages 5 and 3. They loved it. Big enough for adventure and small enough to get the little ones to see everything. The highlight for them was the turtles, sharks, otters, and caimans.

This is one of my favorite places to visit when I go to Sarasota Florida love seeing all the sea turtles and all the sea animals I do miss the Dolphins though they do an excellent job there kudos to all of them they all work very hard thank you for the excellent service

Actually at seabird rescue.An incredible place.my son is always bringing injured and abandoned baby birds to them to heal or mature.If visiting mote stop and check it out its right on the grounds to the east.Well worth the visit.

Kind of expensive for what you get. At least it's well kept.

Great aquarium near St Armand's circle. A diverse collection of fish, corals, and jellies. Touch tanks are on display to feel sharks and sting rays. Also on exhibit are sea turtles that are being rehabilitated due to injuries. A few otters can be seen playing as well. A membership gives free or discounted admission to several other places around Florida and the country.

Great for kids & adults! Close up views of and experiences with sea life, many of which have been rescued after injuries or illness & brought to Mote for recovery/rehab. Wonderful learning opportunity & a chance to see humanity's kinder side toward other creatures.

Did the Marine Sea Life tour really enjoyed it great experience for kids

I've always loved coming here as a kid, and now I've been able to take my kid's. They absolutely loved coming here

Great aquarium with a nice outdoor section. Admission was reasonable and also gets you 50% off admission to the bird sanctuary next door. Lots of opportunities to touch and interact with animals - great for kids.

Cute aquarium. 2 buildings that are included in the price. They have a bird sanctuary that isn't included on admission. We go here everytime we come.

First time loved it. Volunteers helpful and curtious

Great aquarium with activities for children. Pet stingrays, sharks, starfish and more. They also have a marine life hospital and rehabilitation center.

Our Grandchildren love this Aquarium. There is a nice variety of marine life and plenty to see. The Aquarium is clean, well maintained and staff is friendly. The only drawback for me is the separation of the two sections of the Aquarium. One must leave the main section of the Aquarium and go a distance to the second section to fully take in the full experience of the Aquarium. There is a Bird Rescue, which is an additional charge, located in between the two Aquarium sections. It is a hot walk in the summer months. (One may want to drive the short distance over and park.)

This is a great place for kids and adults. My 3 year old loves it. We were camping at myakka Park. Great little trip to Mote Marine. Clean, nice staff, lots to look at.

Very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers available to answer any questions about the exhibits.

We LOVE Mote! This was our grandson's first visit.

Nice aquarium, I loved the otters! So adorable! I felt bad about what seemed like cramped quarters for some large species.

Truly great place. Very nice aquarium and a large assortment of animals to see and learn about. There is a ton of volunteers to talk to and they are all very friendly and knowledgeable

Fun place. Dropped one star since the Manatee exhibit was closed.

I love this place. Great for kids and adults too. We recently did the Marine life exporer tour. Amazing. Mote Marine is easily worth the drive from the main land. Not expensive and you will be amazed at what you learn.

A great place for family an adventurous date or just moseying around

There are many wonderful exhibits and interactive tanks. I found the price reasonable and parking is free.

Great place to see conservation and gain knowledge of Florida sea and river life. Best of all it is a charity.

Small aquarium but great at what they do here. My kids really liked it.

Hugely attentive and enthusiastic staff guided us smoothly trough everything. The were bespoke with answers, seemed like every time I was standing in front of a tank they knew every animals name and it's origin story. Sad and happy that there were no dolphins. Sad because I didn't get to see dolphins but happy none were hurt. The shark tanks were amazing with every variety of local fish and the others were the stars of the show. Very cute. A little expensive for adults but kids are just 18 bux.

This place is worth every penny. It is as some have said a little pricey however, it is not cheap to do the research and the work they do either. Visit this place and help them help keep florida a natural safe habitat for all ocean and fresh water habitats. They are doing some great great work here.

Lots of stuff to take in. Very educational if you read the info beside each spot. My 8 and 2 year old had a blast. The wife and I really enjoyed it too.

I... Loved it. I really wish I had brought my 4 year old with me when I went down there he would've loved everything, I sent pictures but I know he would've been so much happier if he went with me. I will be going again, 100% positive about it and next he's going with me.

Had a blast checking out the Mote aquarium. You'll find clean tanks/enclosures with a very friendly & knowledgeable staff. It far exceeded my expectations and was worth every penny.

Nice aquarium. Cool shark exhibit, indoor/ outdoor is nice. Ocean trash art really brings the perspective of how much junk goes into the ocean.

What a wonderful first time experience for my three daughters and I. We spent an entire day soaking up the vivacious activity of all the animal interactions. Every exhibit offered something new, special, and exciting for all the girls, myself included. I thoroughly enjoyed how the design of all the exhibits maximizes children's ability to be captivated.

A huge thank you to the wonderful staff and volunteers. Everyone was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and exceptionally patient. Each volunteer we came across was willing to answer all the questions from my intensely curious five-year-old (and we all know how enduring that can be.)

Thank you, Mote Marine for an experience that exceeded our expectations. We will definitely be back!

One of the highlights of our trip! So much to see at the aquarium. Staff were all friendly and helpful. The best part was the boat tour. We took our kids (ages 3, 11, and 13). Got to see dolphins, see some famous houses, tour an uninhabited island, and troll in the bay for fish to catch and pass around the boat for a touch and feel session. The kids loved it. The marine biologist was very knowledgable of the area and marine life. Very interesting, yet fun for all!

Don't miss the bird rescue next door, discount with aquarium ticket. If you like Seahorses, this place is #1. They had a tank full of 50 baby seahorses in a lab by the cafe and more big ones. This aquarium has everything you need to see, yet smaller than Tampa Bay aquarium. Popular animals: Sharks, lionfish, jellyfish, etc. You can pet stingrays, horseshoe crabs, sea cucumbers, starfish, and urchins. There's also a giant squid preserved in a tank.

We mainly visited Mote to see the manatees but the other creatures at the zoo sounded good too.
We re on vacation from the UK and having been to lots of aquariums at home and in Europe this is our favourite!
We spent about 5 hours here and had lunch in the little cafe which was lovely and cool as it was a really hot day and the animals are in both indoor & outdoor tanks. We watched the manatees, otters & gators being fed which was interesting & fun. It was great to use the touch tanks to experience what rays, urchins, horseshoe crabs etc, something UK aquariums won t let you do now.
We stayed for a last circuit of the center once the crowds had gone at 4.30pm when you could get close to the exhibits, the otters put on a great show play fighting and jumping in an ice box to cool off!
As a family of 4 with kids 15 & 19 it was a fantastic experience for $80 with coupons which we all thoroughly enjoyed, cheers to all the great staff!

Took our grandchildren. It was a lot of fun, informational and educational...highly reccomend.

We had an amazing day. The kids loved it. We loved it. Its wonderful to see how they take care of the animals. The employees are very fun to speak with.

This aquarium was amazing. I've had a love for all sorts of animals since I was little. When i went to the Mote, it made me want to go into marine biology in college even though i was just a plain biology major. I've also been to the Shedd aquarium and the Ripley's aquarium in Tennessee. I loved them all!

The volunteers make this place! The best aquarium I've been too, worth every penny. The exhibits are clean, and really engaging. The walk across the street is very pleasant. The location overall is beautiful.

Very cool! Kids loved the touch tanks, and seeing the manatees!

Love it! Great place close to home for the grandkids!

Great place to spend with kids. Enjoyed hands on exhibits.

Awesome aquarium! Great for the whole family, so many close up experiences of sharks, manatees and the otter exhibit is fantastic!

I would give it 5 stars if you didn't have to walk so far to the manatee exibit.

Great for families. My wife and I took our four little kids and everyone loved it! Sea creatures to touch and see. Great gift shops! (two total) with excellent stuffed animal selection, quality and prices.

Wonderful place to spend few hours at. Plenty of volunteers who explains exhibit without asking. Must see for those who are hanging around Sarasota.

Kathleen Brennan was our hostess ... first visit here!! Thank you all for your hard work and for being awesome!

Great way to spend a day learning about marine life, including what's in our own back yard! Our little ones could have spent the entire day just watching the otters play!

Well worth the drive! The shark aquarium is fantastic!!

The facility is very large with many tanks and more than enough things to keep you busy for the afternoon. Great food in the concession stand. more than worth the price of admission. Try a boat tour while your there. They have several buildings to wander through at your own pace so spend a day and enjoy the facility. some people complained that they felt sorry for the animals and so do I but for a different reason they seem to think this is a zoo. This is a rehab and research facility that also is open for the public to enjoy and see behind the scenes with the scientist not zoo keepers. The dolphins may be in a pool that isn't like nature but they are only here for healing not to be trained to jump through hoops . No dolphins the last time I went because they were healed and released and for that we are happy.

Had a great time here. The exhibits were very well done and the docents were all friendly and attentive. Loved the otters and manatees.

Everyone says it's small but I thought a fair sized aquarium. Everything was very clean, staff was great, and the kids kept busy not only looking but getting to touch some fish/sharks/rays. New exhibit opens in February they said. I believe with crocs and more.

It was a fun experience with lots of things to see. The guides were very helpful and friendly.

Fantastic place far better than Tampa aquarium...by leaps and bounds actually. Workers there are highly informative.great touch tanks...spent several hours there and look forward to next trip.

Excellent evening @ the recent Party on the Pass. Fine Foods and Fine Folks.

Oh my goodness...the otters! Otterly delightful! Well done!

Had a great time here! A great place to take your kids. A variety of animals and exhibits to see. Live feedings and touch zones where you can touch some of the animals (sharks, starfish, etc). Such a cute and clean area. Would visit again, I recommend that you do the same!

Wonderful place to go to learn and enjoy with family. Highly recommended. My fav spot when Im in Sarasota.

the water was a little salty but overall tasted great, using fish as ice cubes was different but added nice flavor!! over all a great drink very filling

If you are interested in marine life, this is an awesome place to spend the day. Make sure you arrive in the morning to allow enough time to see everything. The touch tanks, rays and otters are defiantly my favorite exhibits.
There is a small retro dinner and squished penny machines so bring quarters (costs .50 per penny) and of course pennies.
Bottom line exhibits are amazing, staff are very knowledgeable and helpful.

Great place to visit and see all types of different sea creatures.

Also went on an interesting boat ride along the bay.

Elizebeth was a great host, very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Thanks!

Great boat ride with plenty of information, aquarium was odd with 2 buildings across from each other but still loved it

Mote is awesome place to visit. A must see if visiting Sarasota. They have done tons for our fishery in Florida.

Beautiful displays, friendly personell willing to assist with directions or questions.

I was pleasantly surprised because i wasn't expecting much. I live local all my life and somehow missed it. We spent 90 minutes here and the family had a great time.