Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

We loved our visit here! It was very educational and the perfect size for the kids to not become overwhelmed or tired. We really enjoyed the sea lion show & the dolphin show. We sat in the "splash zone" for the dolphin show and that was the highlight of the day for our kids! They thought it was so fun getting splashed by the dolphins & also thought it was really special to be so close to them. I personally enjoyed the CARE center and seeing the work being done to help rehab the injured sea turtles.

Amazing place. Definitely get tickets and schedule of shows so you can work your visit around the ones you want to see. The gift shop is amazing. Plenty of places to sit down. Up close to see each of The different animals. I highly recommend a visit here. Good for all ages. Wheelchair accessible. Just expect to walk a lot around. And the views literally right on the beach. So beautiful.

The dolphin and the sea lion show was great. You can spend good time here specially with kids. They have sharks but the visibility was low. They have a small cafeteria with option like hot coffee, hot chocolate etc.

We went for a few hours in the afternoon. Most of it is covered to block the hot sun. There's several exhibits. A few not native to the United States. It's an older aquarium it opened in 1955 so it's celebrating it's 70th anniversary. The seal and dolphin shows were super entertaining. They even house the injured. Nice place to take the children to. The Pier is right next to the aquarium.

$75 for two to walk around the animals was a bit much as they really do not have the attractions to warrant that price point. So what if you can come back with your receipt. If there is nothing the first time around then the second or third would not have me excited. I truly am an animal person too, so many of the exhibits need some help as animals could use a little more attention for sure.

The animals were a delight! You could tell they were happy and playful. All where either contently resting, roaming gracefully, or energetically bouncing with excitement for their trainers to come in. We learned lots of fun facts. You could view the ocean while wandering through. Prices were great! Every staff member was friendly, helpful and willing to chat or point you in the right direction! Amazing improvements from when I was here 20 years ago and I loved it then too! Impressive!

Wonderful experience and wonderful staff! You can feel how passionate everyone working there is for the animals and for those wanting to observe them. The animals seem very happy, and I love their rehabilitation exhibit with the sea turtles. Downside is obviously food cost; however, those teriyaki chicken sliders were so yummy. Definitely recommend!

We got there late and caught the last sea lion show of the day. It was quite, nice, and the animals seem to be well cared for ❤️🐬 it was my 9m old daughters first time to a aquarium and she loved it. 😍

Thinking it would rain all day, we scheduled a visit along w a special meeting w the seals. The kids were very excited to see the animals and you are greeted by the gift shop and a welcoming staff. Manatees are the first animal you see, and they were the best! We were unaware of how small the park was and assumed we would have to walk forever in between exhibits. We attended the free dolphin show and sat in the splash zone (you do these things for your kids) and we definitely got splashed! While sitting and waiting they even came to see and play w us! I know a lot of people are against these parks bc of the treatment of animals, but it is a rescue park, and these animals look well taken care of and their homes look very clean. We did a meet and greet w the seals since it was my son's birthday and it is very interactive. The trainer answered a lot of our questions and was great w the kids! Big shoutout to Audrey who spoke a lot on the exhibits of the animals and their care. We were there for awhile but you could complete it in 2 hours. There are other places to visit while waiting for your individual meeting. We walked the Pier and it was beautiful for the kids to see!

Nice little place if you want to enjoy some animals/fish. It's more like a zoo than an aquarium. There wasn't a whole lot of fish per se, but just different aquatic animals to look at. The aquarium part is actually quite small. The cool thing they do is they do animal demonstrations with animals such as dolphins, otters, seals, etc. The whole place is quite small and it took us about 2 1/2 hours to go through. Not real big and doesn't take long. So take your time if you visit.

The weather was nice enough on the day we chose to go to Gulfarium despite lots of rain the day before. Highlight of the trip is watching manatee, so much fun watching them over & over. The view is amazing & not overly crowded. We watched dolphin & sea lion shows. My son loves petting horseshoe crabs, he definitely had a lot of fun & sweat that day. Recommend for little kid if you visit Fort Walton Beach.

I always enjoy coming here and seeing the sea life. The trainer and announcers seem to actually enjoy their jobs and stay and answer any and all questions. The guy at the alligator habitat was kind and showed patience while younger kids asked some the most absurd questions, even acknowledging when the children insisted they had caught 40 snapping turtles in the yard in Indiana. He was super knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy explaining about his subject. The dolphin and sea lion shows are awesome and the trainers seem to enjoy their trainers and animal friends. I really enjoy the mission of the Gulfarium and will always go back.

My husband and I went on a Wednesday morning and the crowd was minimal had very good parking. We started with the dolphin show and it did not disappoint. We next watched the sea lion show and it was our favorite. Nice selection of marine life to check out. We had an amazing experience. I would recommend to any age group.

Great day at the Gulfarium. Enter and exit through the gift shop. They provide a map but it's easy to get around. Signs are posted all over to show you which way to go. It's a little pricey but no more than any other aquarium. Kids 2 and younger are free. So we only paid for 6 out of 8 of us. Highly recommend the sea Lion and the dolphin shows. The kids and adults both loved them. The albino alligator was pretty cool. They are getting a manatee exhibit which looks like it will be huge. We will probably return next year.

This place is great!! We spent a fun couple of hours here and really enjoyed our time! First tip, get here right when it opens at 9 to avoid the crowds. By the time we were leaving the place was packed with school field trips and vacationers who had the same idea! Also, check the show times! We saw the dolphin show at 10:00. It was really good! They have another one at 12 and then more in the afternoon I'm sure. The staff are super friendly and love to talk about the animals. Great time all around. There is a pier with shops and restaurants next door. We ended up at The Gulf across the street for Lunch which is highly recommend.

Fun little place to visit. Be sure you check the schedule ahead of time to make the shows. The dolphin and sea lion show are great.

Great activity to spend a few hours of your day. Came during Christmas week and it was slow but that's great for us! Spent about 1.5 hours. It's a smaller park so don't think sea world. They had dolphin and sea lion shows. A very small indoor aquarium. A few outdoor exhibits for stingrays, alligators, penguins, sharks.

Very clean, wonderful staff all the animals look happy and taken care of. Would definitely come back again good for the price kids had a blast shows were awesome and educational. Can see the gulf all throughout the park inside and out..

This was well worth the admission, animals looked well fed and healthy. The seal tank definitely needed a scrubbing. Popped for the encounter with a seal lion and will remember always. Easy parking

Came here with my family on vacation. This is a small indoor and outdoor aquarium. Tickets are not cheap but similar in pricing to other aquariums. I couldn't find anywhere to get discounted tickets so it seems like the price is the price. The employees were very nice. My 4 and 2 year old really enjoyed the gulfarium We all loved watching the sea lion show and the dolphin show. The animals seemed well taken care of. They have a whole section of injured turtles that are being rehabilitated there. Overall, I would recommend it here you have younger kids. We were able to do the entire thing in about two hours. I recommend going on a cooler day as it can get hot. They will be getting a new manatee exhibit soon too.

High priced attraction- my little one's 5 and under thought it was good but anyone over that can see that it's a sad place. They do take the animals that aren't fit to ever be in the wild so that's a nice thing. You have to go when they are doing the "shows" and follow an itinerary that's printed out for you so you're constantly looking at your watch hoping you'll get to the next show on time. Shows are meh- sometimes the dolphins for example will do what the trainers want and sometimes not. One of the tanks had goldfish with fin rot! It's a meh experience for the price but if it's raining and you have little ones it's an ok experience.

Lots of fun for my 1.5 yr old. Watched the dolphin show, hosted by Emily, and it was amazing!! My toddler was amazed. :) The whole area was very clean and workers were available around every corner to assist or answer questions. Very fun and informative place.

This is a great aquarium situated right by the gulf. You can even see the ocean as you walk along to see the various marine animals. Most of it is outdoors under the shade. The presentations/shows are included in your ticket. We spent 3.5 hours here with our 8, 11, and 13 year old but there were alot of families with tiny kids.

Great place to go with the family! Mostly covered from rain except for the large dolphin stadium. The manatees and sea lions were our favorites. And getting to see the rehabilitation areas for sick animals was touching.

Very bad experience with Dolphin show. We had small children with us went all the way down to end to sit. She was very rude made us move. I preceded to see her be rude to other parents. Very disappointed with the experience.

Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, located at 1010 Miracle Strip Parkway SE in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, is a beloved family-friendly attraction that has been entertaining and educating visitors since 1955. With its rich history and commitment to marine conservation, Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park offers a unique and unforgettable experience for guests of all ages. The park features a variety of exhibits and shows, including the Dolphin Show, Sea Lion Show, and Otter Chat, as well as interactive experiences like the Stingray Bay and the Reptile Safari. Visitors can also participate in animal encounters, such as the Dolphin Encounter and the VIP Sea Lion Experience, for a more hands-on experience with the park's amazing animals. One of Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park's most important programs is the C.A.R.E. Center. I had a chance to meet and talk with some staff and volunteers from C.A.R.E. yesterday at the release of FIVE sea turtles back into the Gulf from which they came. 4 Loggerheads and a Green turtle were released at Access #4 on the beach in Perdido Key, FL. it was a great event.  The Gulfarium's C.A.R.E. (Conserve, Act, Rehabilitate, and Educate) program, based in Fort Walton Beach, FL, is an exemplary initiative that focuses on rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing injured and stranded sea turtles. The program operates under the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park's non-profit branch, the C.A.R.E. Center, which was developed in 2015 to facilitate coastal conservation efforts. C.A.R.E. Center has been instrumental in helping various species of sea turtles found in the Gulf Coast, including Loggerhead, Green, Kemp's Ridley, and Leatherbacks. The dedicated team provides essential medical care and rehabilitation services to sea turtles that have been affected by various issues such as boat strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and plastic ingestion. In addition to its rehabilitation efforts, they are  committed to educating the public about the importance of sea turtle conservation. The center offers various opportunities for visitors to learn about the challenges sea turtles face and how they can help make a difference. Through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and even the chance to observe sea turtle patients from a safe distance, the C.A.R.E. Center strives to raise awareness and inspire action for the protection of these vulnerable creatures. The C.A.R.E. program also extends its reach beyond the walls of the Gulfarium by collaborating with other organizations and participating in community events. One such event is the annual "C.A.R.E. on the Coast," which was inaugurated in 2023. The event aims to raise funds for sea turtle rehabilitation while offering participants a memorable experience, featuring private dolphin presentations, live music, and conservation-based vendor exhibits. The C.A.R.E. Center's dedication to sea turtle conservation has not gone unnoticed. The program has been awarded funding by the Florida Sea Turtle Grants Program, a competitive grant initiative that supports projects aimed at improving the livelihood of sea turtles and conserving their habitats. These funds have allowed the center to purchase essential equipment, such as water chillers, which help maintain optimal conditions for the recovering sea turtles in their rehabilitation habitats. Bottom line: The Gulfarium's C.A.R.E. program has made significant contributions to sea turtle conservation through its rescue, rehabilitation, and educational efforts. By continuously advocating for the protection of these endangered animals, the C.A.R.E. Center serves as a beacon of hope for sea turtles in the Gulf Coast and an inspiration for individuals and organizations working to ensure a brighter future for these remarkable creatures. The park's hours of operation vary by season, but it is generally open from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Their website, https://gulfarium.com/, provides more information about their exhibits, shows, and animal encounters, as well as details about the C.A.R.E. Center and upcoming events. You can also follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GulfariumMarineAdventurePark for updates and promotions.

This was the most fun 3 hours of my life. The dolphin and sea lion show are a must see. The animal chats are interesting, however they're timed 'back-to-back' so it's almost pretty hard to be jumping around to get to all of them. The property was chill, relatively little walking. Animals were all active!!

The food was amazing and the dolphin show was awesome and the sea lion show was I came all the way from Oklahoma to see this place

We wandered in here on a dreary day after a quick google search. Tickets are a little pricey- around 30 bucks for adults. The facilities are definitely older but they have large sections marked off for upcoming renovations. The dolphin show was super entertaining and they have a good variety of animals to see! The ray and sea turtle enclosures seemed a little sad to us, kind of small with no enrichment pieces for the animals. It's definitely no Ripley's but we were impressed by how large it is!

This is my first time in Destin and honestly just skip this place all together. We bought GA tickets yesterday morning to arrive around 1 pm to enjoy the aquarium and guess what? There's an unannounced event that just happened... when we got there the two ladies up front said to us it was a last minute a event that came up and people who purchased GA or any other admission cannot go in which was never mentioned or an email or phone call was sent out. So I asked how will we be able to either one get our money back or two come back. She informed us we would have to wait till 9:00 AM the next day to call the aquarium and see how to proceed as the tickets are set for a specific date. I have called about 20 times with no response. It's as if there's no one working "administration/Account payables" which is concerning. At this point I just want my money back. I had driven 30 minutes yesterday to get there and 30 minutes back to my hotel at this point I don't even want to make the drive... I haven't actually seen the places on the inside so you take this review how you see fit.

This place has been around a long time. The dolphin and sea lion shows are great! The sea life and animals they have are fun to view. And the setting on the beach is amazing. The experience is a little pricey, but the kids (and even the adults) enjoyed themselves. So I guess it is what is... Right now the place is being renovated and expanded, so the snack bar was closed. They had a table set up with some candy, chips, and drinks, but nothing substantive. In a few months when they finish the project, I'm sure the place will be awesome! I'll have to check it out again then...

Great place to take the kids especially when they need a break from the sun. A great experience and learning atmosphere for the young ones.

A great place to take a break and learn about the beach and what loves there. The dolphin show was great! I am excited for the manatee exhibit to be finished. All the animals were happy and healthy in well maintained exhibits. A great place for kids and adults for a break from the sand. We will be back. But definitely try and get there early if you can.

Fabulous aquarium for Destin Florida. Some stuff inside and other stuff outside. Most is covered outside if too sunny. Very informative and educational. 32$ to get in general admissions. Get to see all the shows and chats. They even have a rehab area to help wildlife. Big gift shop and plenty of food/drinks. Great view of the harbor and marinas. Highly recommend!

We stopped by just to use some coupons we had, but the experience was honestly disappointing. The staff were not only rude but also unhelpful--they wouldn't direct us to the checkout and even threw away the straws from the drinks we brought in, without asking or being polite about it. One employee seemed to take pleasure in pointing out how much the tickets cost and made sarcastic comments when we mentioned we had a coupon. The whole interaction felt unnecessarily hostile. On top of that, we noticed they sold drinks with plastic straws in them, and the place was messy with trash everywhere. Overall, it was a really unpleasant visit and we won't be returning.

First of all, the location of this aquarium is AMAZING. Absolutely gorgeous and right on the water. I love that this aquarium is mostly outside. You really feel immersed with the marine life. There's great photo opportunities as well. The dolphin area and the show are perfect. So beautiful! You can see the dolphins underwater and it is so neat. The sea lion presentation is also suuuuuper cute and funny! We arrived right at open. Looked around for a little bit, headed to dolphin oasis and looked around, and then took a seat for the presentation. Afterwards, we headed to the bathroom and then took a spot at the sea lion presentation. After the sea lions, we looked around a little more and headed out. It was really starting to get busy by then. (11:30 am) There seemed to be a lot of food options, but we didn't get any. We really enjoyed our time here! My advice is to arrive to the dolphin and sea lion presentations early. There's a lot of seating BUT they get filled super fast.

Great staff and well taken care off animals The dolphin show was awesome and very informative

Cannot saw enough good things about this place. Loved learning a ton about the animals and the staff was awesome. Walking in and seeing dolphins right there was an incredible Experience.

This aquarium was such a disappointment! We went yesterday, and I was so excited. I love aquariums. To call this much of a "marine adventure" is just misleading. There was no adventure. The animals have very little space to live, explore or thrive. The Tide Pool touch and feel only had shells in it. The poor penguins looked mistreated. The sharks only go around and around in a very small enclosure. The dolphins had such a tiny space in which to live. I doubt those dolphins had any value of life. I was embarrassed for this to do be my grandson's first experience meeting these poor animals. Dont waste your money here.

Extremely overpriced for general admission. You do have to pay extra to have any other "experience" opportunities, but the expense was the least of my concern. The most disappointing part was how filthy, dirty the tanks and water looked. One could hardly see the animals in the murky water. The animals all looked so sad and miserable...very confined and looked like they were imprisoned. Nothing seemed clean. Chipped paint everywhere. Habitats were not well-kept. There were only a handful of animals to see. It was by far the worst aquarium experience I've ever had. The name is very misleading. It is not a "marine adventure park".

We were there on 5/30/25. I had happily expressed the joy of petting "Lilly" the dolphin in 2024 to my family from Montana and they wanted the same experience. Needless to say, it wasn't even close. The trainer seemed annoyed before he got to them, rushed them (not close to the 5 minutes stated online), and they only got to touch the dolphins fin for a second. Pretty expensive to be treated so poorly. Trainer acted like everyone was bothering him. Wish I could recall his name, he was middle aged and had a short beard. He participated in the dolphin show just prior to the 2:45pm petting.

The new dolphin oasis is really nice and always a good show! I come from Oregon once a year

The Gulfarium was pretty darn cool! While visiting our son in Florida, he suggested we go there and I'm so glad we did! Like any type of amusement park, the food and beverage is ridiculously expensive! Kind of a bummer for beverages, especially in Florida, where it's ridiculously hot and you can't bring in your own water bottle. The shows were adorable! Seals, sea lions and dolphins!! Choreographed and informative, they were very enjoyable and brought on a lot of laughs and smiles. The seating areas are covered, so you're out of the scorching sun, which was appreciated. They offer a map to walk throughout the park and you see so many different birds, fish, turtles and an albino alligator to boot! The park was clean, I didn't see any trash on the ground and there were plenty of garbage cans around to help in keeping it tidy. Once you're done in the aquarium, it's followed up with a gift shop with plush toys, shells, shirts and knickknacks.

Very small aquarium located in fort walton Florida. They have very limited show times and they full up fast so you have to kinda gameplan ahead. Me and my family on our summer vacation stopped in here for a visit right after opening. The parking lot was overfilled so we had to park at the boardwalk next door. Pricing is on the high end. Basically $25 person. As alluded to above this place is very tiny. If you are a person who doesn't linger and just looks and move you could do this whole place in less then 30 Min. Which means they probably rely on there shows to keep you entertained. Noah there shows run maybe once or twice a day and are kinda scheduled around the same time. Shows fill Up fast so on our trip there we only made one show. A sea lion show. It was fairly entertaining. I've seen similar shows actually at our local Louisville zoo. So nothing groundbreaking for us. They do have a very cool dolphin theatre that the kids enjoyed. They didn't get to see a dolphin show but they liked seeing them swim through the little windows below. Overall while it's a cutesy place that has some cool exhibits it is very tiny and we felt rushed the whole time. I honestly do not feel like I got my money's worth. They have a lot of things you can pay extra for to have personal experiences with the animals. So maybe that is this places focus and not on the general admission folks like our group was.

I went to the Gulfarium with my family and the experience was alright. When I walked in everything felt pretty rundown and a little dirty. Walking around the entire aquarium took about 45 minutes and was most definitely one of the smallest aquariums I have ever been too. On to the positive things, the workers seem to like their job and my family had a good time. Im not an animal expert but the animals look happy and well cared. The shows the aquarium had to offer were pretty cool, not Sea World level but it was still a nice and fun experience. Definitely stop by here on your next vacation.

Not worth the price. Main exhibit closed, as well as shark exhibit. Did not enjoy our time for the price spent.

The exhibits were soo dirty & murky! I felt to sad for the manatees and the windows to view them were tiny and a horrible view. There wasn't tons to see and the only way to see the dolphins is if you watch the show.

This was a fun attraction for a cold day at the beach! The dolphin & sea lion shows were awesome. We would definitely recommend!

Everything was very fun, particularly the sea lion and dolphin shows!!!! Tip: I would eat at the food truck near the dolphin show, rather than at the regular food stand near the penguins (as that food is bland and overpriced).

Today on a whim we visited this place. We weren't sure what to expect as the website only presents animal shows. Basically it's like a zoo for marine animals! You can walk around and see so much!! The trainers and team were kind and cheery. All the exhibits and spaces were very well clean.

Extremely disappointed. Overpriced and filthy. Walking through, I felt terrible for many of the animals, who are in small dirty enclosures. I wanted to hop in and scrub their tanks! They seem depressed. Dolphins are my favorite and I couldn't get myself to go look at them after seeing the rest of the place. The hands on area is a joke. Barely anything in there and smelly. Not much to see overall, probably a good thing at this time. You would expect much more from a highly advertised oceanside aquarium. It has potential, but needs the effort and more clean space for the animals.

Great small aquarium with a focus on larger animal exhibits like dolphins and seals. Similar to a small scale Sea World. All of the exhibits were easily accessible and had plenty of easy viewing space. All the animals were easily seen which is great. Often you go to a zoo and the animals will be hiding in their enclosures; that isn't the case here. Lots of educational sessions/shows. Reasonable prices on encounters and concessions as well. The turkey wrap is really good.

Really neat place and has plenty to offer for all ages. Many exhibits and staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. However, a $14 ICEE?! -not for us.

A little over rated and a little dirty . But was fun to see the dolphins and otters .. in a raining day not much else to do. We enjoyed the show. And the girls seemed to genuinely care about the marine life .Gift shop overpriced .

It's a smaller park but it was really enjoyable people friendly staff was great if we are back in area we will come back

Not worth the money. Everything is lame except the newly built dolphin exhibit/ show. But even then, do we really want to support dolphins in captivity? Algae filled tanks, water so dark you can't see anything swimming around, penguins living in dog houses, and no animals in the touch tide pool. Maybe because they all died from the poor conditions? We paid $123 for two adults and two kids. We saw everything in an hour it was difficult to wait in between shows. Pictures attached.

Took my family that was visiting from out of town. We paid around $300 total for 8 adults and 2 kids. Some of us didn't get to watch the dolphin show because it was so packed and there was no space for all of us to watch. All the seats were taken as well. We had to keep taking turns in watching. In my opinion, the entrance fee is not worth it. Not much else fascinating to see inside except the penguins, we loved the penguins!