Mote Marine Laboratory Review

It was a great family experience, the children loved it.

My wife and I were looking for a fun activity out of the sun for the day and stumbled upon this place. It was absolutely awesome and we easily spent 3 hours there. Definitely check out all the exhibits when you re there and partake in the stingray and shark petting. Oh and don t miss the 27 foot long giant squid while you re there either!

What a wonderful Aquarium. Many ages love this place. Well kept and cared for.

Best investment for locals is an Annual Pass to Mote Marine Aquarium.

They have great facilities with numerous engaging attractions and knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Plenty for kids and adults to enjoy. We went on many dates here before having kids.

Touch tank, shark tank, sting ray touch tank, lots of exhibits and factual snippets to enjoy. Great for the family.

My favorite is the otter show at their other building across the street. Very entertaining for the littles and very cute.

Along with the annual pass, we were able to get GREAT deals on other Florida attractions as well, so ask them about the perks when you sign up!

A great place for tourists to visit. I d say you could spend about 2-3 hours here and most of it is inside or under sun cover.

Fantastic people doing exceptional work for the world's oceans. Excellent exhibits.

nothing could be better ! seriously love everything about mote. from the sea daddies to the plankton they have it all. ive been a member for 11 years and absolutely adore every inch of mote!

The prices are high but the money goes ro a good cause so it makes it worth it so people know what they are talking others have no idea just say what sounds good. The drink policy is crazy as long as the contaner seals it should not bw an issue especially if its water.

This was a neat experience. Able to stand, with the fish swimming by in the aquarium. Lost of knowledge to absorb from a friendly staff. Clean restrooms and building.

they take in rescues and work to rehabilitate and release if possible for the animals to survive when rereleased into the wild.

Educational fair prices and you get to touch baby sharks what more could you ask for.

We joined as a manatee family for the annual pass. It s a great value to be able to come here and visit all year long. The kids love it and we enjoy bringing them!

I loved it here we had a great day seeing all the animals and the feeding times where so mich fun and informative will go again very soon

Very cool place to go. The otters are amazing. I received a megaladon tooth in a bag of sand I bought at fossil creek. Love all the hands on experiences.

A nice aquarium to take the kids to. Only issue I had is the price, I know they have a lot they have to support but $22 per adult seemed just a tad high to me for what they had.

Great place with kids. Lots of interesting marine life.

I was very optimistic about this place when I saw the reviews. But it turned out to be a big disappointment. Tickets are expensive, the place is divided into two buildings and you have to walk which is inconvenient. But I could live with that if only this place had more exhibits. We were done in less than an hour and that s with two little kids, and all the walking between the two buildings, etc. I ve seen much better aquariums than this so that s why only 2 stars. I think people who give 5 starts probably have never visited other aquariums.

Very nice facility and grounds, lots of volunteer staff who are really helpful. Cost is steep, but you can get your money's worth if you really explore.

A must-go place in Sarasota. Very interesting animals, information, and friendly docents and information cards so you can learn about each exhibit.

I've been going to the Mote Marine for a few years. They make improvements every year!

Great aquarium with a Florida feel. Look to find out what makes FL a special ecosystem.

Absolutely loved it! Had a wonderful time on our visit to this great place. All the staff we came across were awesome and very helpful!! So many beautiful animals to see and experience! The Manatee exhibit was awesome! They look so happy. Definitely a place to see when you're in or around the area!!

Visited Mote on a recent trip to Florida. Was pleasantly surprised that they offer a discount for being an aquarium/zoo member at an out of state zoo. We got 50% off our tickets! We spent about 4 1/2 hours at Mote and stayed busy the whole time. My girls loved the ray touch pool and the fossil dig.

Oh, and Buffett was very much loved by our family!

Very cool place. I remember coming here as a kid and having a blast. Still having fun here to this day!

We really enjoyed this! Staff was super friendly and always there to tell you where to find the animal. There were a lot of cool things to see.

Everything very nice, except the pencils I bought, they were expensive and without fome ink, I am far to go to change them

Very friendly staff with plenty to see for all the family. Entry is about $20 per person if you have a $2 coupon from one of the local tourist leaflets. The overal experience was very good. My only gripes were possible that you couldn't really hear trainers talking over the speakers as they sounded muffled and the main cafe staff came across as a little tired and negative. I definately wouldn't let this putt you off though as there is so much to see that you could easily fill 3 to 4 hours. Parking is also free and offered plenty of space when we visited.

Just a fun day visiting turtles, otters, alligators, so many awesome fish and jellyfish...

This place was an excellent exhibit of the local sea life. I was impessed by care for the injured turtles and manatees, and the education aspect of the whole complex.

Great staff to answer all your questions. Wonderful exhibits some you can touch.

Kids absolutely loved coming here! There is a lot to learn about some of the animals if you stop and talk to the staff

What a neat place to go to learn about some of the sea life around! Our favorite was the up close look at the sea turtles display. Standing on the side of the tank, the mischievous turtle currently there swims to you and pulls her head out of the water. It's a nice up close look. Inside is also an octopus tank with a funny octopus that swims around and plays....and her skin changes with whatever piece of display she currently rests on. Very neat!

Good aquarium, but its overpriced for what is is. Spent about 1.5 hours here, and was able to see plenty of sealife.

Great for every member of the family ! Bring every one

There is a little hut by the water near the aquarium you can rent for a small gathering where I was. We got to see the water skiing. It was mediocre show.

Enjoyed our visit and great to know funds, time, and skills are used to help and rehabilitate aquatic marine life!

I absolutely loved this aquarium! There were so many wonderful things to see between the two large facilities. There was an abundance of volunteer staff that were ready and willing to answer questions and offer all sorts of information about the different animals. This is a research facility, as well, so the animals are not just there for people to gawk at. Scientists are able to study and care for the animals. When we went, there was a new baby sea turtle that hadn't made it to sea after hatching, and they are helping it to grow strong before releasing it back to the ocean. This is common practice there, per one of the volunteers. I felt like every penny spent was well worth it, and I will most definitely come back on a future trip.

AMAZING! I'm almost 30 and loved all of it. Military is free and tickets for adults are $22. Not bad at all and it's worth every penny.

Always a great place. Great displays, varities of ocean life and somebody is usually around to inform and teach about each species. Wonderful place for adults as well as children.

The Mote Aquarium's research-oriented focus provide an interesting glimpse into the more scientific aspects of marine life and ethical management. This provides better engagement for adults and is still perfect for kids because the smaller facility is more interactive them you might expect.

Always great, hot so drunk plenty of water. Otters are nocturnal so don't expect to see them during the day. Saturday special is where it's at

Better than it was but still pretty lame. Something to do once but not twice, even if you're into aquatics or have kids.

Absolutely a wonderful experience with two of our grand children!

awesome aquarium definitely a must see if you are in lido.

Great time, very busy today because of the weather but fun!

Enjoyable and educational! We found everything well done, and the staff were all available, patient and informative. Don t miss the Manatee exhibit across the way!

Great place to take the family. Interesting exhibits for every age.

For the price, not really worth it. Maybe our $ goes to a good cause?? But over priced for what you get in my opinion.

Family had a great time. Lots of interactive stations for the kiddos.

It is just wonderful. I visit every year. I'm so thankful that wheelchairs are available.

Great research facility and aquarium! I really enjoyed a break from the heat, and getting to see the animals in a protected environment is incredible. Definitely a destination!!!

Great place for the kids. Touching pools, fish, otters, sharks, and gators. Only downside it the split building that you have to cross the street for. (My daughter loves molly the giant squid.)

Best aquarium around and admission prices support aqua culture research and projects. Fantastic place to see and learn all about the local aquaculture. Great place for kids to interact with different marine life.

Great place to visit. It takes about 2 hours. Start on the aquarium side. My Boonshoft membership got me in free so if you have a museum membership check if it qualifies.

My 14 yr old daughter and I enjoyed this place immensely!! We were there for 3 hours and could have stayed longer. The otters, turtles and manatees exhibit were great! We even grabbed a snack at the cafe. Great prices and great milkshakes!!

My family has been here many times and the volunteers are always kind and informative. They are always updating the aquarium displays and adding new features. It is hard to pick our favorite parts, but the sharks and the manatees are always a hit.

Very educational for young and old. Can spend all day there. Must see when in Sarasota. Plenty of room to see most species of fish, sharks, invertebrates, otters and birds. Free parking and covered picnic tables. The volunteers are so helpful and knowledgeable. Wish there was a discount listed for senior citizens.

Very interesting and educational for the children. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a discount coupon (usually gives $ 1 or $ 2 discount per ticket).

I loved all the aquatic life but some of the tanks are very pootly kepted nothing like the wild habitat, for example drawf sea horses in less then a 5 gallon tank algea everywhere and only 1 small plastic plant for the 6 horses to share overall a very nice experience

We had a lot of fun. Lots of fish. Sharks, manatees Turtles, otters. it was worth the money definitely go

Very nice aquarium with tons of information. A little jewel in Sarasota.

I had a really awesome time at Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium. You actually get 3 different experiences for the price of one. The first is the aquarium, which is standard fare for an aquarium. The second is a temporary exhibit showing some fossils of old sea creatures, and the third is the laboratory itself, which has things like baby sea turtles, a rehab center, and manatees.

For anyone visiting from out of town, there are a couple of cool parks nearby to visit, as well, including a really unique boardwalk. You can definitely spend upwards of 3 hours in the aquarium and the area. Highly recommend checking this place out. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Sarasota.

Just visited the Mote today, as Florida residents can visit for $7 each Saturday in September. I moved here 5 months ago, and this will definitely be on my list of places to bring visitors. The displays were interesting and interactive. I loved being able to see manatees, sea horses, sharks, sea turtles, otters, and a huge variety of sea life. Fun day!

Best place on earth, like seriously... TAKE THE BOAT TOUR you will thank me later it was so incredible. We saw Dolphins in the bay, went to an ISLAND and hiked around, saw tons of birds and even scooped stuff out of the bay that we got to touch, see live animals, and learn about from a real on board BIOLOGIST!!! Best experience ever, and I am so glad we went... We touched starfish, sea slugs, mermaids purses, live fish, seahorses and so much more. It was off the CHARTS AMAZZZZIIIINGGG... Words cannot describe how awesome it was, really anyone who loves nature or science would find this to be completely off the charts epic awesomeness!!!

The Aquarium is amazing too, with so many awesome displays and wonderful staff, you will have the experience of a lifetime. No trip to FLORIDA is complete without MOTE MARINE!!! I promise you will LOVE this, they have everything, seahorses, sea urchins, giant squid, otters, lion fish, sea turtles, manatees, star fish, stingrays, SHARKS. So many SHARKS... Touch tanks and well marked exhibits that you can read about and learn stuff as you go thru the aquarium. Beautiful displays and well cared for tanks, and happy fish. Kids will never be bored here and will be bounding from EXHIBIT to EXHIBIT, I cannot wait to go back!!!

Beautiful aquarium with cool touch tanks, and Otters to boot!

Not a thing has changed since I was here 25 years ago. For the 22.00 fee it's really disappointing. I love the work they do for our local sea life, but the aquarium is lacking.