Welcome to Miami Seaquarium®, where conservation and education go hand in hand.

 

On a 38-acre tropical paradise with spectacular skyline views lies a South Florida attraction like no other.

Welcome to Miami Seaquarium, where endangered sea turtles and manatees find a safe haven and dolphins delight children of all ages. Providing unique and interactive experiences that are educational and fun for visitors looking for things to do in Miami and South Florida, the Seaquarium’s conservation efforts have protected thousands of animals since opening in 1955. Miami Seaquarium champions the importance of environmental stewardship and conservation through education brought to life through astounding animal presentations featuring sea lions, cetaceans, penguins and more.

 

Miami Seaquarium

Daily admission includes a fun filled day of marine-life shows and exhibits on 38 beautiful acres overlooking the Miami skyline. Visit our Calendar for park hours.

Conservation

Our commitment to conservation and care is demonstrated every day through the actions of our dedicated staff. From rescue and rehabilitation efforts to educating the next generation of veterinarians, caretakers and all-around animal lovers, the mission of Miami Seaquarium is to conserve the wonders of our natural wonder and provide unparalleled care to the animals who call the Seaquarium home.

Education & Outreach

Education is key at Miami Seaquarium. Unique programs are available for several groups including: home school, field trips, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and more. Whether you’re camping out or just spending an afternoon at the park, kids will learn about marine-life in a new light.

Miami Seaquarium boasts a wide variety of marine life, remarkable educational programs and state of the art rescue and rehabilitation efforts. The public relations team at Miami Seaquarium is available to assist working media on a variety of editorial projects. Media visits offer the unique opportunity to explore Miami Seaquarium and speak with a variety of animal and tourism experts.

Members of the media who would like to schedule a visit or need assistance with a story should email pr@msq.cc or call 305-361-5705. We look forward to greeting you at Miami Seaquarium.

History

66 years ago, Miami Seaquarium first opened its doors to become one of South Florida’s most popular tourist attractions.
When Miami Seaquarium welcomed its first guests in 1955, it was the world’s largest marine attraction. But people weren’t the Seaquarium’s first visitors. That honor was reserved for Mamie, an orphaned three-year-old manatee rescued several months earlier, the first in a long line of marine life cared for at Miami Seaquarium. Today, the oceanarium is one of only four manatee Critical Care Facilities in the state of Florida. View Timeline

Experiences

Miami Seaquarium offers a variety of unique interactive and educational experiences, perfect for families seeking fun things to do in Keys Biscayne with kids! From discovering sea turtles, meeting the newest creatures, and learning about our conservation efforts, there is something for everyone.

Birthdays & Special Occasions

Make a BIG splash and host your next birthday party or special event at Miami Seaquarium! For birthday parties, choose between a day party or a slumber party. Rates start as low as $33 per person. Learn More

Miami Seaquarium is the perfect location for weddings and special events. With a beautiful waterfront garden and large reception area, guests will love the view of the Miami Skyline from Coconut Grove to Downtown Miami.

Group Sharing Pizza

Dining

A day of learning, laughs and entertainment can leave you feeling hungry! Within the park, you can find a variety of food options suitable for any diet and appetite.

Plan your Miami Seaquarium visit today!

Please allow at least 4 hours to see all of our shows and exhibits. Show times do vary from day to day and are established each morning. For a given day’s show times call 305-361-5705 ext 0 and speak to the “receptionist.”

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The History of Miami Seaquarium At a Glance

1954

Wealthy industrialist Fred D. Coppock of Greenville, Ohio sets forth his 14-year dream to build a $2,000,000 aquarium in Miami.

1955

Miami Seaquarium rescues and cares for Little Mamie, an orphaned baby manatee as the park undergoes construction.

1955

Miami Seaquarium opens its doors as one of America’s first marine-life parks on 38 acres leased from Dade County. The park opened with just three major exhibit elements: the Top Deck Dolphin pool, Reef Tank facility and the Shark Channel.

1960

The Golden Dome Stadium, designed by architect Buckminster Fuller, is completed. The geodesic dome structure quickly becomes a Miami landmark.

1960

Palooza, a Miami Seaquarium bachelor porpoise, is sent to Italy to marry a female porpoise named Lalla.

1962

Carolina Snowball, the albino porpoise arrives at the park.

1963

Miami’s first monorail and the first in the eastern part of the country, goes up at 33 feet above ground taking passengers on a 2,300 foot sightseeing ride of Biscayne Bay, Miami and the ocean.

1963

Filmmaker Ivan Tors shoots the “Flipper” Television show pilot at Miami Seaquarium. Over the next six years scores of “Flipper” television episodes and several movies are shot at Miami Seaquarium’s Flipper lagoon.

1967

The first of several “Salty the Sea Lion” movies are filmed at Miami Seaquarium.

1968

Miami Seaquarium welcomes the arrival of Hugo, it’s First Killer Whale to the park. The whale is named after Hugo Vihlen, the man who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in a six-foot sailboat.

1970

The Killer Whale and Dolphin stadium is completed and killer whale Lolita arrives at Miami Seaquarium.

1975

First female baby manatee is conceived and born under human care.

1985

Sea Lion Amanda is the first sea lion to undergo cataract surgery.

1986

For the first time in history, Miami Seaquarium had one of its dolphins X-rayed. The diagnostic procedure allowed veterinarians to determine the dolphin had bronchitis.

1992

Hurricane Andrew strikes South Florida in early morning August 24. Miami Seaquarium is heavily damaged and remains closed until December 15.

1993

Manatee Caroline is the first manatee to ever receive an MRI test in order to determine her illness.

1998

Miami Seaquarium kicks off its Water and Dolphin Exploration program. Guests can enter the Flipper Lagoon for an up close dolphin encounter.

1999

A combined team of expert veterinarians and two neurosurgeons from the University of Miami perform the first neurological surgery on an injured manatee at Miami Seaquarium. They utilized the same rod and pin system on manatee Nash that is used to repair human spinal cord injuries.

2000

Miami Seaquarium welcomes a new species to its marine life family. Twenty-six Nile Crocodiles find themselves at home at Miami’s premier attraction.

2001

Miami Seaquarium successfully releases a manatee with an amputated flipper into the waters of Biscayne Bay. Manatee Venus suffered severe fishing line entanglement in her right flipper. As a result, a serious infection had set in and the veterinary staff at Miami Seaquarium had to amputate her flipper in order to save her life.

2002

Miami Seaquarium welcomes the birth of the first Pacific white-sided dolphin born under human care.

2003

Phoenix, a 10 year-old manatee who has never given birth, becomes the spontaneous lactating sea cow surrogate mom to an orphan calf.

2003

Miami Seaquarium rehabilitates and releases the first manatee to survive a deadly condition called Pyothorax known to kill all previous manatees. (Gulliver)

2004

Buttons, the smallest manatee to have ever been rescued and rehabilitated by a facility is released back to the wild.

2005

Miami Seaquarium celebrates 50 years of education, entertainment, conservation, and community involvement. Windows to the Sea building remodeled and reopened for new generations to enjoy.

2006

First and only manatee twins born under human care. (Pumpkin & Patch)

2007

Miami Seaquarium opens its brand new swim with the dolphins facility ‘Dolphin Harbor’

2009

Miami Seaquarium veterinary staff travel to New Jersey to rescue Ilya, the wayward manatee, from frigid waters after getting lost while migrating north. Ilya was transported by the Coast Guard and successfully released back into South Florida’s warm waters off the Miami Seaquarium sea wall.

2010

Miami Seaquarium opens the next branch of its interactive facilities, a 10,000 gallon Sting Ray Touch Pool as part of the Tropical Wings exhibit.

2010

For the first time in Miami Seaquarium history, two pacific harbor seals are born at the park.

2011

Miami Seaquarium introduces Sea Trek Reef Encounter, an underwater helmet diving adventure. The program offers guest the opportunity to explore the park’s 300,000 gallon reef aquarium without any specialized training.

2011

Sharky’s Sky Trail, a ropes course adventure, opens creating additional fun for the whole family. The attraction features a 3 story ropes course with 18 aerial challenges ranging from tight ropes to suspended bridges.

2012

Miami-Dade Police Officers brought in a sea turtle name Deputy to Miami Seaquarium. The Green sea turtle had sustained a life threatening injury that created a hole on his shell where water was entering her body. Our veterinary staff developed an innovative method to close the wound using IV Bag material and marine glue. Deputy began eating within 48 hours of this medical procedure and was successfully released on November 21, 2012.

2014

Miami Seaquarium aided the New England Aquarium Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts, in the largest recorded collaborative effort following and cold-stun sea turtle mass stranding in history. Over 1,200 sea turtles stranded during this event, the majority being Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, the most endangered of all sea turtle species.

2015

Miami Seaquarium became the forever home to two sea lions, Berkeley and Monterey. They were part of an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) where over 3,000 starving sea lions, mostly pups, were stranded on Southern California beaches. After being rescued, rehabilitated and released several times, these two sea lions were eventually deemed un-releasable by the National Marine Fisheries Service and transported to Miami Seaquarium.

2017

After being closed for 36 days due to the effects of Hurricane Irma, Miami Seaquarium announced its re-opening on October 13, 2017. To aid hurricane relief efforts, all guests who visited during the month of October purchased online tickets at a discounted rate. Miami Seaquarium made a donation of $5 per ticket to the American Red Cross, a non-profit organization that continues to work around the clock to help people affected by the most recent catastrophic natural disasters: Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and earthquake in Mexico City.

2018

Miami Seaquarium unveiled new ‘Main Street’ entrance with touch pools, an expanded retail shop and a new flamingo exhibit.

2018

American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization and the world’s largest certifier of animal welfare and well-being, announced the certification of Miami Seaquarium through the American Humane Conservation program. The facility passed rigorous, independent third-party audits to earn the certification.

2019

Our rescue team released seven sea turtles at Vero Beach, FL. These turtles were rescued at the beginning of February and brought to us due to being cold stunned from the central coast of Florida. After a successful rehabilitation, it was time to send them back to the water!

2022

Miami Seaquarium comes under new ownership!

The Dolphin Company welcomes the Miami Seaquarium family, both animals and associates alike, to their team. For more than 25 years, The Dolphin Company has operated with respect, social responsibility, and ecological conscience. Their team of professionals works every day researching and developing best practices in marine mammal care.