When a family of four flies into Orlando International Airport people usually assume they're headed to Disney World or other area theme parks. Having done that last year, I was looking forward to a relaxing trip to Florida this April with a few day trips planned here and there from our home base in The Villages. My daughter Kylee (9) and my son Luke (6) have watched “Dolphin Tale” and “Dolphin Tale 2” over and over and over. One of their favorite games to play is “Animal Rescue” where they rescue Luke’s many sea turtle stuffed animals and nurse them back to health. So our first day trip was a NO BRAINER. We would hit the road to visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and meet Winter and Hope.
The trip was so much more than just a day trip for us and well worth the two-hour drive to Florida's Wes Coast. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by a friendly, enthusiastic and helpful staff. Since our first stop was an 11 a.m. Eco Boat Sealife Safari, the staff quickly pointed us in the right direction of the boat and we were on our way. The Eco Boat Sealife Safari, 90-minute family-friendly boat tour, led by Captain Randy, First Mate Nick, and Marine Biologist Lisa, informed us all about the local wildlife, environmental laws and conservation techniques. The kids listened attentively, and the teacher in me loved that my kids were still learning something while on vacation even though they didn't realize it. After our mini-lesson, the kids headed to the front of the boat to observe a net drag that pulled in a Pinfish, Pipefish and our family favorite, a Striped Burr Pufferfish. Then we made a stop at "Shell Island" where we collected shells before heading back to the aquarium. One of the best parts and our biggest surprise was the two small pods of dolphins we saw along the way — a first for my kiddos.
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Back inside the aquarium, we finally got to see Winter and Hope, the stars from the movies, along with a new addition PJ, and the kids were pretty excited. Who I am kidding, my husband and I were pretty excited, too. Come on ... it's Winter! Above the water, we listened as the staff told us the dolphins’ stories and how they came to be at the aquarium, all the while enriching the dolphins with different toys. Afterward, we headed below water, we were able to view the dolphins playing and swimming with each other from the underwater window. I really think my kids were surprised to see that these movie stars were real and Winter really was missing her tail. For some reason, they just hadn't grasped that until this trip.
Another of our family favorites at the aquarium was the turtle tank. This wasn't much of a surprise because Luke is pretty obsessed with turtles (he currently sleeps with 18 turtles, three of whom were acquired during this trip.) At the turtle tank, we met Bailey, a sea turtle with a back injury, and then learned a little about keeping sea turtles safe in the wild. The staff informed us about the dangers of drinking straws for sea turtles and the harm they can do to them when they end up in the ocean by accident. Another cool aspect of being below level, was that we were able to interact with a diver in the tank and play a game of “Turtle Trivia” with him to learn fun facts about the sea turtles. The divers would hold up a question and we would respond by showing them our answer on a dry erase board. How much faster does sound travel underwater? What species of sea turtle is only found in Australia? Needless to say, we need to brush up on our marine life facts next time we head to the aquarium.
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Some more of our family favorites included seeing Nurse Sharks, rays, otters and pelicans. Who wouldn't love Rufus? (Who's real name is Ricky by the way.) We learned so much visiting the hospital wing, too, and made sure to say, "hello" to Nicholas, another resident dolphin, as our last stop. Before we knew it, it was time for us to head home to my parents. On our way out we visited the gift shop knowing our money was going toward a good cause — 100% of all purchase supports the aquariums rescue, rehab, and release of marine animals efforts.
When we arrived back to my parents' house that evening, Kylee and Luke talked nonstop to their Mima and Papa about their trip to the aquarium and we have already promised a return trip at some point — sooner than later. Yup, it was that good! Any family looking for a fun educational day trip while in Florida and within a two-hour radius of the area should definitely consider a visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. It is absolutely worth the trip.
For more information about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium visit seewinter.com.
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Tiffany grew up in the Berkshires and is the sister of Kelly McIlquham, Berkshires Macaroni Kid Publisher. She lives in Amesbury, MA with her husband, Matt, and her two children Kylee and Luke, Bear their dog, and a cat with several names. She is a fourth-grade teacher at Penn Brook School in Georgetown. Disclaimer: Tiffany and her family received free admission to the Clearwater Aquarium and their Eco-Boat Tour for the purposes of this article. All opinions are her own.
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