Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

Negative experience: I was not expecting to see such shameful conditions for these animals that are money makers for this aquarium…. It was heartbreaking to see the conditions of the aquariums, and living quarters for these animals. Inhumane conditions, and clear signs of distress from the sea turtles, manatee, and the macaw that has plucked all of his feathers out. These animals need social interaction, room to be wild, objects to play with, mental stimulation, and environments they can thrive in. The poor sea turtles were bumping into the tiny walls- no room to turn around, swim, and get the exercise needed to maintain muscle mass- not to mention the poor manatee.

Positive experience: $79 for 2 adults and a 5 year old is crazy. The aquatic selection is weak— you might as well peek into a retention pond. As for the birds… same thing… just look outside. Nothing spectacular and the bird facility is particularly busted.

Fantastic experience: My family and I enjoyed this aquarium last summer. It is definitely worth the money. The staff is informative and very friendly. The grounds were very clean and the animals were active and fun to watch. I would love to go back when we go back to Sarasota!!

Positive experience: It's a nice place to spend a couple of hours seeing the various fish. I gave it four stars because none of the doors have automatic openers so while they are ADA compliant the doors are not wheelchair friendly.

Fantastic experience: I had a really great time at this aquarium, and I definitely would come again. There are two main buildings, the building with fish and other attractions like a preserved giant squid and a virtual reality experience, and a building with mammals like manatees and turtles. Once you pay for a ticket, you can enter both of these buildings. I suggest starting at the main building, and when you finish, follow the path marked with paintings of fish, and you can find your way to the mammal building. There's also a bird sanctuary, which is free entry. You can spend a decent amount of time there, so if you don't want to spend any money, it's a great option. This place is great for anyone of any age, and the elevators for accessibility make it a very open experience for anyone of any demographic. I highly recommend this place if you want to learn about marine life or just enjoy your day viewing interesting sea creatures.

Positive experience: Mote Aquarium Sarasota Review - 3.5/5 Save the Macaw. I recently visited Mote Aquarium and had an overall enjoyable experience, though there were a few aspects that could be improved. The aquarium itself is great, with a variety of exhibits that are fascinating to explore. I especially loved the stingray pond, where you can get up close to these beautiful creatures, as well as the vibrant fish tanks and the sharks, which were definitely a highlight. The otter, manatee, and turtle exhibits were decent, though not as captivating as the others. Unfortunately, the bird section was under construction during my visit, which made navigating the area a bit tricky. It was also very hot and uncomfortable in that section, which detracted from the experience. One major concern I had was with the macaw. The bird appeared to be distressed, plucking its own feathers and acting aggressively. It was a sad sight, and I truly hope that the right people take notice and provide the care and attention this macaw needs. Ideally, it should either be given a more appropriate social environment with other macaws or be set free where it can thrive. Overall, Mote Aquarium has a lot of potential, but there are some areas that need improvement, particularly in the care of the animals. I hope my feedback reaches those who can make a difference for the macaw and other animals that may need better care.

Positive experience: It was a mice aquarium. You can pet a baby shark and baby sting rays! It just a small aquarium. For the price it is a decent deal. Friendly and knowledgeable staff!

Fantastic experience: Lots of cool aquatic animals too look at. Plus a surprising amount of actual hands on touch tanks. The whole place was very cool and informational.

Fantastic experience: Every Monday during summer your child gets to learn about conservation while touching, catching and releasing different sea creatures. No fee but must be registered and needs to be with a parent. Mote has a hidden gem behind the building where they host weddings etc. this is where they are hosting their educational conservation series. Mote used to also honor SNAP discounts but I haven't tried since they moved to the fancy new location. This is such a great place and so important for Florida for the animals and for the next generation.

Fantastic experience: Had a great time, though with the current selection, it would be more reasonable for tickets to be $15-20, but overall, everyone had fun. Walking across the street to the other building is tough when it is 90 degrees.

Fantastic experience: Educational, enthralling, a jewel in the scientific community and an immaculate collection of animals treated with integrity and dignity!

Fantastic experience: As a teacher in the area, this place has been a staple for classroom resources. The original campus is very "old Florida." I am looking forward to the opening of Mote Sea

Fantastic experience: Enjoyed the day. Lots to see for the whole family. Educational and fun.

Fantastic experience: Aquarium and marine animal rescue were great. Not crowded on a June afternoon, and docents were terrific. We used our hometown zoo membership to help get a discounted ticket price. We arrived around 3, but wish we had had more time to read about everything and check out the bird rescue, which closed at 4:30, too.

Fantastic experience: This 5 star review is all thanks to Jason Robertshaw, their Program Manager (Education)! He led a virtual axolotl tour for my nephew that really blew it out of the water. We've never been to the museum in person but we can 100% recommend any tour or learning session led by Jason. He also shared information on some free virtual summer camps they're hosting -- so nice of him and much appreciated! Hoping to make a visit in person someday.

Fantastic experience: Super Cool Aquarium! Lots of different tanks to check out with lots of sea creatures and fish! Very cool! My WIFE and I Loved it!

Positive experience: They have 2 buildings full of sea creatures, river and land animals, and lots of info on all of the exhibits. It's a great place to visit. They have multiple touch tanks, and you can even pet a stingray. We visit all the time and can't wait to visit the new location.

Fantastic experience: My son and I did the night time kayaking with the clear see-through bottom. We learned so much on that 30-45 min kayaking trip. We had a Blast!! I would definitely highly recommend it!!

Fantastic experience: Fun place, especially for a rainy day. Alot of cool exhibits! We loved the jellyfish and seahorses

Fantastic experience: Coming from a landlocked state, this was a super cool experience for our family. It was very busy because it was a rainy day, but still very pleasant and not overcrowded. We loved the interactive learning stations, the touch tanks were stellar, and the exhibits were clean and well kept. Overall, high marks for cleanliness. We loved the otter training presentation and seeing the manatees. Kudos to the staff for keeping up with the large crowds and thanks for being friendly!

Fantastic experience: We took the behind the scenes tour, and it was amazing. We learned a lot and got to see a side of the aquarium that you don't see when just touring the public side. Our guide was very informative, and tailored our experience to satisfy our curiosity.

Fantastic experience: Educational day trip with an engaging & friendly staff. Lots of interactive opportunities with plenty of space to rest when needed!

Fantastic experience: It was pretty cool. Alot of free activies that youd normally have to pay for like petting string rays. My daughter loved it. Staff was super knowledgeable. The manitees seem to like people. Everytime someone would walk up to the glass one would run his face into it and hang around until you left. The bird rehab was nice. There was a parit there that would nonstop say Hi. I came on the sunday before memorial day. The parking lot was super busy but it was still easy to find parking. Good time all around.

Fantastic experience: Our 2nd trip here. The kids always have a good time. Very nice aquarium and 3 different areas to touch various stingrays and sharks.

Fantastic experience: It was great. I can't wait for the new one to open.

Fantastic experience: Pretty cool place my kids loved petting the sting rays and seeing all the jellyfish

Fantastic experience: I’m very happy to know they are moving to newer and nicer / larger building soon! This will be amazing for them since you always have to walk to the building across the street. People are so friendly and so nice, we Love the people working and volunteering here! There was an older gentleman who took the time to explain to us how their giant squid ( found dead and now being preserved ) came to the facility. He was an amazing story telling and so knowledgeable about these creatures! We can’t wait to come back but now to the new facilities!

Fantastic experience: Nice day at the aquarium with my son. Lots of things to explore.

Fantastic experience: This place is awesome, and very kid friendly! We got to see so many cool creatures up close and even pet sharks! The staff are incredible and have mountains of knowledge to share about all the animals. You can see turtles, manatees, and more! Ashley Ross was incredibly knowledgeable (as we're all the staff and volunteers) and told us about many of turtles behind the scenes that they are rehabilitating. You could really hear the compassion in everyone's voice here. Take the kids. Take yourself. Take everyone! This place is a good way to spend a few hours. Donations are the backbone of this place, so help save the marine life (and pet some sharks!)!!

Negative experience: I left feeling sad and disheartened. The "exhibits" for the turtles and the manatees were less than favorable. Dare I say the bare minimum. The manatee that I saw has a terribly small tank of water. That's it. Nothing enriching the environment. It was heartbreaking. Same with the turtles. Dark, no natural light, and once again nothing to enrich their surroundings. Just a nasty tank. I will never, ever spend my money to support a place that does the bare minimum. Shameful.

Fantastic experience: Man it was great! Wonderful exhibits and very interesting knowledge id highly advise to read everything there's some cool stuff in there but I ain't gonna spoil it for ya! Probably one of the best 30 bucks I've ever spent, highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Nice exhibits and friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: We took our grandchildren here during a vacation. We enjoyed the educational experience. It is kid friendly and a great place for them to explore the wonders of the sea. Staff are knowledgeable and approachable. They enjoy educating the visitors, especially the children. There are hands-on activities for the littles. It is not overwhelming big, the perfect size for the children. The bird sanctuary and manatees are a short walk and worth it.

Fantastic experience: All of the staff were very welcoming and very informative about the wildlife. It was a beautiful experience. I love how creative the place is with the artistry. As well as the video game on the wall. We were happy to support this foundation and for the animals.

Fantastic experience: Always a good time at Mote. It's a smaller aquarium, with three separate facilities. The main aquarium where you purchase your tickets will give you about 45 minutes to an hour of exhibitions. The smaller one across the street will take you about 30 minutes. And don't forget to check out the bird sanctuary! All in all it's no more than 2 hours of entertainment. Really looking forward to the new one opening up at UTC!

Fantastic experience: We visited Mote Marine on a school field trip with my daughter’s class, and it was such a great experience! The staff was incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable, and you could tell they truly care about marine life and education. The exhibits were interactive and engaging for the kids, especially the touch tanks and the shark zone. It was the perfect mix of fun and learning—my daughter hasn’t stopped talking about the sea turtles and manatees! Highly recommend for families, school groups, or anyone who loves the ocean.

Fantastic experience: An absolute must! We spent an entire day between the two buildings, the park and the bird sanctuary near by. So much fun! There are volunteers all over to answer questions about the exhibits also. Get the year round pass if you’re local it’s well worth it.

Fantastic experience: Great place for kids and adults alike. Loved the manatees, otters and watching the sharks.

Positive experience: They are still cleaning up from last year hurricanes. Compared to other aquariums not bad.

Positive experience: Nice exhibits and staff. Lots of room between tanks and the turtles, manatees, and otters are the second building which is a walk to get there. End of April had a few bus loads of loosely supervised 8-10 year olds running around knocking on the glass.

Fantastic experience: It was an excellent, and exceptional learning experience!! We were met at the gate by our tour guide Graham who was extremely knowledgeable and really enjoyed what he was doing!!! Thank you Graham! We would love to come back and see the new aquarium when it is finished, our grand children really enjoyed petting the stingrays and we all had a great time!!!

Positive experience: Really nice place to visit with kids, super clean and the employees super nice ❤️

Fantastic experience: I have to admit I was a bit leery of visiting this aquarium as I had thoughts of Sea World in my mind. I was 100% wrong. Sure, this is an aquarium, but it is so much more! The staff truly cares about their aquatic animals and are both friendly and knowledgeable. I learned a lot during my visit and only wish I was able to spend more time here. The sea turtles and manatees were amazoing to see and were obvioulsy well cared for. This is worth spending at least 1/2 a day to visit.

Positive experience: A great family aquarium. I have been to larger aquariums and this one is perfect for younger children, due to the size.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely amazing experience at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida! This hidden gem is perfect for families, tourists, and anyone looking for a fun and educational activity in Sarasota. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and the exhibits are beautifully maintained. We loved seeing the local marine life up close—it’s a fantastic way to learn about Florida’s coastal ecosystems. If you’re searching for a Sarasota aquarium or looking for family-friendly things to do in Sarasota, this place should be at the top of your list. It’s clean, interactive, and surprisingly affordable. Highly recommend for both kids and adults!

Fantastic experience: Was recommended Mote whilst visiting the area on holiday from England. We had two under 5s with us so attractions can be hit and miss but Mote was definitely a hit! There was plenty for people of all ages to enjoy. The story of Mote was very interesting and the variety of species was great. There were plenty of touch pools and other interactive parts for younger visitors as well. The shark feeding was great to watch and hear about how you train them and we caught a bit of otter training too again fun to watch. Overall one of the highlights of our trip so far.

Fantastic experience: The Otters were so much fun to watch - I could watch them all day. You can also stroke a stingray and small sharks. It’s not huge and so you can do everything in a couple of hours, which is great when you have small children. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and are at every exhibit telling you about the animals. They do a lot of conservation work, which makes the ticket price alone work it.

Positive experience: Fun day trip with one of my kiddos while the rest of the family wanted to stay on the beach. An abundance of aquatic life to see, with some touch stations as well. Two separate buildings within eyesight and walking distance on one another are included in the price, and the bird sanctuary is currently free. Note* If staying on Anna Marie Island, consider visiting earlier in the morning and getting back home before that late afternoon traffic backs up.

Fantastic experience: Grand daughters visited and the Mote was their choice. Their first visit, both teenagers, and they loved it. I've been to aquariums all over the country and Mote is one of the best. It's intimate. Plenty to see. First building impressive, but the girls loved the manatee, otters and turtles in the other facility that is a short walk away. Gift shop has everything. Mote was closed for a while after hurricane damage and the new building is well underway over near I75. Order tickets on line only.

Positive experience: Smaller aquarium. In the first building, the aquariums are well maintained and beautiful. So Colorful. They have a few spots to touch aquatic animals. In the second building, you can see otters, manatees, turtles, and a few other animals. The third building is all about birds. Easy aquarium with kids- my 3 and 8 year old kids enjoyed themselves. We were in and out in about an hour- but can take longer. This was our second time visiting. Indoor and outdoor setting.

Positive experience: Though it be okay would think there would be more animals but my son had good time

Fantastic experience: Good aquarium but not extensive. Very good info and history experience if viewed as Marine Laboratory (the real purpose of the place)

Fantastic experience: Mote was awesome! I went specifically to see the manatees and I was not disappointed. An employee informed us about feeding time so we wouldn't miss it. There was more to do than I realized because I didn't know there was another building. The employees were all very helpful and kind. I was happy that there was even a touch tank with rays that seemed to enjoy being pet!

Fantastic experience: Great educational aquarium with 2 separate buildings. The main building houses fish, sharks, etc, and the other building (2 minute walk) houses manatees, turtles, otters, etc. Both have tide pools where you can gently touch rays and small sharks. Expect to spend at least an hour in each. Very kid friendly. Buy tickets in advance, and go early in the day. If you go on a Sunday, don't plan to leave at 3pm as the nearby boat races finish and there is tons of traffic. Pro-tip: Walk across the street to the "salty" restaurant to grab lunch.

Positive experience: Definitely worth seeing but can't wait for the new one to open this summer. For its size, it does a good job.

Fantastic experience: Visited 3/17 (St.Patricks Day) wasn’t super busy! Staff were very nice and gave lots of great information at each attraction! Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for an aquarium visit!

Fantastic experience: Two separate buildings of exhibits plus a bird sanctuary! Wow! So much to see, definitely worth a trip! Very crowded this third week of March, though. Definitely buy tickets online, in advance!

Fantastic experience: This Aquarium is filled with beautiful Fish. They are in the middle of remodeling their facility so it’s not completely perfect yet. But wow…. What they do have on display is very pretty. We got to pet sharks, stingrays, turtles, and watch a snake eat his lunch. The staff were very friendly and helpful, they would answer all our questions and sometimes walked with us to point out fun facts about the animals. They weren’t very busy, we went on a Wednesday. Definitely recommend

Fantastic experience: What a wonderful, interactive museum and research lab! Very family-friendly, well-organized, and clean with fabulous exhibits and displays. Founded by one of my childhood heroes, Dr. Eugenie Clark, it's a great tribute to an amazing scientist and an excellent way for all us armchair marine biologists to share our love of the ocean and its creatures.

Fantastic experience: We had a near hopeless experience while visiting your aquarium today. My husband lost his very expensive hearing aids. Not just one but both! We told the admissions office and they went to work and actually found them inside the building. We were pretty amazed that they located them We cannot tell you how appreciative we are. Your people are the absolute best!

Fantastic experience: Excellent place, it was quite a bit larger than i originally thought. Beautiful enclosures and a helpful staff

Fantastic experience: My daughter's favorite place. We have been coming here for a while. The staff is great and knowledgeable. The facility is always clean and well maintained. There's three buildings to visit. We love the walk between them. My daughter's love to follow the path (they have painted manatees and turtles on the floor as a guide). Last time we were there, they had rescued baby turtles from the beach. It was an exceptional experience for my daughter. Great place for kids.

Fantastic experience: Mote Marine was always a must-visit growing up… and I highly recommend to anyone visiting the area. I also recommend doing their Eco Tours (found on their website), the Sea Life Encounter Cruise has something for everyone. They take you out in the bay, where you can see dolphins, manatees, birds and the beautiful homes on the water. They also net the bay and bring up critters that a biologist tells info about- you are allowed to touch most of these animals. Overall a wonderful place! Make sure you purchase tickets in advance.

Positive experience: Enjoyable aquarium. You could tell that they took aquatic wildlife serious with all of the conservation practices. My 10 year old enjoyed the touch tanks, especially the sting rays, and my 7 year old liked learning about the baby fish as well as the megladon jaw and mural. My favorite was the manatee. We spent about two hours there. Purchase tickets ahead on the website!

Fantastic experience: Compassionate and friendly workers, a lot of research and care taken into consideration to make the environment for each tank/habitat as natural as possible.

Fantastic experience: Great value with so much to see and hands on exhibits. Our grandsons loved it

Fantastic experience: I went last week with my daughter then this week with a friend on the Mote Aquarium boat tour. It was awesome. I thought it would be repetitive but I had different tour guides and learned so much about the local birds, dolphins and the islands and keys in Sarasota Bay. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: This was our first time and the kids loved it. The staff are so friendly and informative. There are volunteers helping to teach about the exhibits and animals. The restrooms are clean, and there is ample signage. We would love to come back!

Positive experience: We had an amazing time at the aquarium! Though the $100 entry fee for 2 adults and 2 kids on a Sunday was a bit pricey, it was definitely worth it for the experience. We ended up spending an additional $80 inside, but the kids had a blast, and it was great to see them so engaged with all the exhibits. The animals were incredible, and there were so many interactive displays that kept them entertained for hours. Parking was surprisingly easy, but I do recommend staying vigilant as drivers in the lot can be a bit reckless—make sure to hold your kids' hands while walking around! Overall, it was a fantastic day, and we're already looking forward to our next visit! Highly recommend for families, just be prepared for the costs!

Fantastic experience: I’ve been coming to Mote since I was a small child- I actually met the famed Bob Ballard there in the late 80s near the touch tank. Anyway, I’ve loved it forever— great opportunity to see marine life up close. The shark feeding is a “not to miss.” Make sure to visit when you’re in the area!

Positive experience: Very nice place, but I expected more of the biggest fishes (no comparison to the Disney's place). Additionally no manatees to see + it was closed because one of the manatees is sick.

Positive experience: This was a nice aquarium. The animals look well kept and they give you a lot to see. Nice variety of marine animals. It's was $49 total for myself and a child which is a bit pricey but definitely worth a visit.

Fantastic experience: Very friendly staff loving their job sharing useful information about their place and animals. I want to come back there ❤️

Negative experience: The building and facilities are very clean and the few staff members we encountered were very friendly. I was extremely impressed and awe-struck with the preserved squid in one of their exhibits. Many of the aquariums and enclosures were very impressive (especially the otter one), however, I struggled to enjoy the trip in its entirety. During my walk, I found 2 separate fish with kinked bodies, 2 others with markings on their bodies (unsure of what it could be, but it was not a pattern of the fish), 2 bloated Royal Gammas, an axolotl missing a foot, and a dead crab. I was very, very disappointed in seeing this. I can understand if some of the fish were rescues or were being treated or are living with disabilities, I’m sure it’s not easy feat caring for such a wide variety of animals, but there were no signs/plaques explaining if this is the case, so I have no way of knowing. They had some beautiful murals and a decent gift shop, but then had a couple areas of shallow water that looked like sewage and had garbage - I’m unsure what these pools were, but one had a sign for “Mosquito Fish” however there was nothing there. To get to the second part of the building, you need to cross the parking lot, walking a tiny bit down the street and cross it. This second building is where they have their rescued turtles. It was very surreal to see them so close! The gift shop in this building was closed the day we went, but it looked decent through the windows. A good benefit of the area is that another spot called “Save the Seabirds” shares the parking lot with them and offers free admission to see their rescued Florida birds, so don’t miss out on this spot! Overall, I sincerely hope they do good work and contribute to wildlife welfare. All the employees seemed knowledgeable and kind, but I saw many health issues and I believe there should be some kind of communication of what is happening to alleviate concern/stress on those that visit this aquarium or more thorough/frequent checks of the animals.

Positive experience: Was so excited to see manatees and was a bit disappointed that there was only one swimming in such a small pool. No otters were out. The aquarium part was nice and I enjoyed it, even as an adult. Bird area was ok.

Positive experience: Had a lot of exhibits and lots of information on their habitat and the area. All the workers around their information added to what you were reading which I enjoyed.

Fantastic experience: This was a very nice museum and the staff was dotted throughout who were helpful and informative. Although the entry fee was 29 per adult, it is supporting a museum founded as a research facility; and research and rehabilitation is still happening there. I would recommend seeing the manatee exhibit across the street from the aquarium before 4 PM because the glare from the setting sun in winter can make the clear panels of the pools reflect sunlight. The virtual reality movies are an add-on option, and I enjoyed them thoroughly especially the Gorilla and Whale short movies. The animals are interesting and some I have not seen at other aquariums.

Fantastic experience: There’s a wide variety of creatures and plenty of interactive exhibits. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. My family and I had a great time!

Fantastic experience: Great aquarium! Really enjoyed learning about marine life, the work being done to preserve and protect the coral and seeing the different species of fish. Having indoor and outdoor spaces made us nervous because of the rain, but even during the sprinkles we were covered for 90% of our time there. Great place for all ages, but the new discovery reef exhibit is fantastic for 4-15 year olds. I think older teens would enjoy if they really have an interest in marine life. The staff was fantastic, too! So friendly and informative. Definitely worth the money.

Fantastic experience: This is one of my favorite aquariums in the area. The highlights for me are the open shark tank, manatees, otters and sea turtles. They feature a few touch tanks which are a hit with kids. Make reservations ahead of time.

Fantastic experience: Came here after getting the recommendation from a friend back home in the Midwest. We are glad we came. It was very cool seeing the different species of sea life. Everything was very organized and traffic really flowed smoothly through the exhibits! Definitely recommend buying tickets before hand. As we needed to wait an hour until our 11am tour time

Fantastic experience: Had a wonderful time visiting mote marine laboratory and aquarium on 12/25. Staff is very friendly and informative and so many exhibits to see! Highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Nice little aquarium. Lots of fish. A little bit dated but many volunteers willing to talk about the animals.

Fantastic experience: Absolute gem of a place, lovely aquarium. Have been to quite a few aquariums and this one ranks towards the top.

Fantastic experience: My family visited recently after the latest hurricane when they had just reopened. They did an amazing job of getting so much back up and running, and although not every exhibit is available yet, what is open is fascinating, educational, and a lot of fun for the kids. We love that it is a rescue center as well and the animals are wonderful! The staff takes very good care of them and you can tell that they really love these animals. We will definitely return when we are back in Sarasota!

Fantastic experience: My boyfriend came here with his family a few years ago and we decided to come back together! This aquarium and laboratory was built off of a wonderful beginning and it's so lovely to see how they're still educating and displaying how beautiful our ocean is along with its inhabitants. We went to both buildings those being the main aquarium and laboratory and the marine mammal center. It is from what I noticed mostly volunteers here and biologists which is an interesting dynamic. We were also so excited to see Lou the manatee who transferred here from Walt Disney World!!! This place deserves it's flowers and we can't wait to come back once they build their new space. Support this place so they can keep sharing knowledge!

Positive experience: I thought the displays were excellent and the people they have at the stations were knowledgeable and helpful. The reason I gave 4 instead of 5 is because the 1st part is in 1 building then you have to walk quite a bit to get to the otters, manatees and turtles. I'm sure they would like to have everything in one place but a big pain in the butt, especially if it's raining, which it was. When we arrived it wasn't raining, so we wish we had known it was that far away, we would have started at the other building instead.

Fantastic experience: Very cool aquarium with several varieties of jellyfish, sharks, sea turtles and manatees- the petting tanks were definitely the highlight for the kiddos!

Fantastic experience: Fascinating aquariums with a nursery , touch pools, huge displays, lots of interactive activities makes learning fun and easy. For any age group.

Fantastic experience: Nice aquarium with three different sections - Fish, Birds and animals. You can touch sting rays, sea cucumbers, star fish, sea urchins etc. bird section has various birds and animal section has turtles, manatee, alligator, otters etc. staff is friendly and the facility is well maintained. There is a small cafeteria inside.

Fantastic experience: Purchase tickets online for specific time slots. Aquarium is located in 2 separate buildings with a short walk from each other. The main building has lots of small exhibits, my favorite was octopus. He was great, presenting a show with all it's awesome legs, swimming, and constantly moving. The second building has large exhibits for turtles and manatees. We saw newborn turtles, literally just days old. I couldn't imagine that baby turtles are so small (less than 2 inches long).

Fantastic experience: I thought I had been to just about all aquariums and seen it all. Boy was I wrong when I went to this aquarium. Very very educational. A wealth of information regarding sea life and opportunities to see them up close as they may be in recovery or a permanent residents due to injuries matters. I probably could have stayed there from the time they open till they closed. I highly recommend this place for anyone, whether you're single dating married or on a family vacation. Definitely stop by this place!

Fantastic experience: This is a fantastic place to visit if you are visiting the area. Took my kids for a little relief from the sun. They had a blast. Went first thing in the morning it wasn't crazy busy. It did get really busy while we were leaving. Spent about 2 hours here. My only word of caution is the manatee and turtles are in a separate building about a 5 min walk so if you park in the first lot and you have someone who can't walk long distances in the heat jump back in the car and drive to the other lot closer to that building.

Fantastic experience: The best aquarium I've ever been to. Loved all the touch pools, the giant squid and many many fish tanks. We went for the Manatee and we're so impressed.

Fantastic experience: We have been to this aquarium three times already and we love it everytime. It's nothing grand compared to larger aquariums but it's great for a small family trip if wanting to go to an aquarium. Everything looks clean and the animals look like they're well taken care of. Employees are very nice and helpful. I highly recommend coming here!

Fantastic experience: Do not miss!!! My favorite aquarium ever. Lovely staff well taken care of animals and equipment. I got to pet 6 different kinds of fish. They have Sharks, jellies, otters, manatee. And tons more Even a bird sanctuary! Really cute gift shop.

Positive experience: Nice aquarium with lots to see. Not too busy when I went, though sound can be overwhelming at times. There's also a walk between buildings as there are two sections. Overall nice aquarium.

Fantastic experience: This is an older, small aquarium and marine biology research facility founded in the 1950’s. You’ll see sharks and jellyfish and a touch pool. Pose by the massive jaws of the Megalodon Shark. There is a snack bar and gift shop. Take the time to read the signage by the displays — they are very informative. This is a great place to bring the kids! Mote is building a huge modern aquarium just off of I-75 that’s scheduled to open next year.

Fantastic experience: This was an amazing aquarium!!!! This place was packed with all kinds of things to see. When you thought you were done, there was another building and then an entire bird area. I could have stayed and watched the Cuddlefish forever because they are absolutely bizarre creatures. We got to watch them clean and scrub the turtles' backs, and saw the biggest manatee named "Buffett" I have ever seen.

Fantastic experience: Visited on a holiday weekend was not too crazy busy and was able to see all the exhibits. Staff was super friendly and welcomed us with a smile. All the animals looked happy and well cared for. The otters were playing and being goofy water puppies. Would recommend for couples or families with kiddos.