Miami Seaquarium Guide

If you're looking for an activity to help the whole family cool down in Southern Florida, look no further than the Miami Seaquarium. Here are our top tips for visiting.

By Go City Expert
Published: July 18, 2024
Miami Seaquarium

Heading to Southern Florida and looking for some fun family activities? Miami Seaquarium is an oceanarium located in Key Biscayne that is one of the oldest oceanariums to still exist in the US. Featuring shows that are entertaining and educational, you and your family will get a chance to see fishes, marine mammals, sting rays, sea lions, turtles, sharks, manatees, birds, reptiles, and more.

Check out our helpful guide for visiting the Miami Seaquarium, packed full of ways to save on admission, tips for visiting, other nearby attractions, and much more.

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Tips for visiting the Miami Seaquarium

dolphin-during-show-miami

If you’ve never been to Miami Seaquarium before, be prepared to be amazed! When you first arrive at the attraction you will get a map of the park and a list of show times available that day. Use that to navigate through the park and make sure that your family can enjoy everything the park has to offer. Here are some great tips for making the most out of your visit:

  • Get there early. Showtimes will vary from day to day, but the only way to truly get a full experience you will need to be there for at least four hours.
  • Take part in the experiences. Miami Seaquarium offers various experiences where you and your family will be able to swim with dolphins or fishes, enjoy the reef encounter, swim with seals, or be trainers for the day. Your kids will never forget the experience, and neither will you!
  • Don’t miss any of the shows or exhibits. There is a lot to see here, so use the map you received to mark off everything you’ve seen. 
  • Sit in the front row. In the Killer Whale and Dolphin show you will get to see the whales doing tricks, while getting completely soaked by giant splashes. Kids love it!
  • Plan ahead. Miami Seaquarium is actually quite close to a few other great family-friendly attractions and beaches. So, you may want to spend four to five hours at the park and the rest of the day exploring elsewhere.

The best times to visit

South Florida is beautiful almost all year round. The few times you need to be careful is during hurricane season, but as long as you check the news, you’ll be fine. During winter months, South Florida doesn’t get that cold, which means you can take advantage of children's winter break from school.

If you're trying to avoid crowds, do keep in mind that school trip season tends to fall roughly from March to early April. During this time, the Seaquarium attracts school groups in droves.

What you should bring with you
 

  • A towel and/or extra clothes. Many of the shows and activities involve heavy splashing.
  • Extra socks or shoes for the kids, especially if they intend to visit Salty's Pirate Playground.
  • A waterproof or resistant camera or phone case.
  • Sunblock, sunglasses, a hat, etc. Most of the Miami Seaquarium is outside so you'll be exposed to the heavy Florida sun for hours.
  • Water and snacks. While you can purchase these from concession stands in the park, they can be pricey.

What can I see and do there?

usa-miami-seaquarium-happy-dolphin

Miami Seaquarium has four shows that occur throughout the day and multiple exhibits. Here are the shows and a selection of the most popular exhibits:

Shows

Killer Whale and Dolphin Show

If there’s one show you don’t want to miss it’s this one! Lolita the Killer Whale gives an incredible performance and leaves her audience shocked and soaked. She performs alongside Pacific white-sided dolphins, who do incredible aerial stunts.

Top Deck Dolphin Show

dolphins-playing-pool

In this show, you will get to see bottlenose dolphins perform incredible acrobatic tricks. You’ll see dolphins leaping higher than you have ever seen before! You can still visit the top-deck dolphins while the show isn’t going on. Occasionally they will even have a baby dolphin swimming in the tank!

Flipper Dolphin Show

Even if you’ve seen the Flipper Dolphin Show before, you have not seen this show. The Miami Seaquarium recently upgraded the show and it’s better than ever. You’ll also get to enjoy a new exhibit at the entrance of Flipper’s Stadium that contains images and memorabilia from the original Flipper television show.

Golden Dome Sea Lion Show

The Sea Lion Show is such a great time for the whole family. In the show, Reef Rangers go on comical adventures with a sea lion named Salty. The entire show is entertaining and also teaches kids about the importance of not littering.

Exhibits

Shark Channel

At the shark channel, you’ll be able to see caregivers feed sharks that are up to 200 lbs. Miami Seaquarium has various sharks of different species and sizes.

Tropical Reef

sea-turtle-swim

This exhibit is breathtaking. Here you’ll look into a 750,000-gallon saltwater aquarium that is filled with various reefs, fishes, stingrays, eels. If you are lucky enough to catch the Reef Presentation, you’ll get to watch a diver's hand feed the fishes while listening to an educational narration.

Manatee Exhibit

The Manatee Exhibit allows you and your family to watch and learn about Florida’s magnificent endangered animal. You can even go to underwater viewing areas to see them swimming. If you get lucky there may be a rescued baby manatee there as well.

Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit

Sea lion show

At the Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit, you can look at, learn about, and feed seals and sea lions. You can even watch them playing and laying around in the sun.

What other attractions are nearby?

If you’re heading down to South Florida you should also explore a few other family-friendly attractions.

  • It's just a short drive over to Jungle Island, where you will find animal exhibits and shows that are fun for you and your whole family.
  • If you’re in the mood to take a tour of South Beach check out the famous Duck Tour South Beach. Their vehicles will go through the streets of South Beach and into the ocean.

Places to eat nearby
 

  • There's food inside the park like the iconic Pink's Hotdog (of Hollywood fame).
  • The casual and tasty SALT Waterfront Restaurant is a convenient option with an abundance of seafood.
  • Outside of the park, the Rusty Pelican is a fun venue with great views and modern American cuisine.
  • The Atlantica Seafood Restaurant and Market is more casual with fresh-catch specials and good happy hour deals.

Need to know details

Hours vary seasonally and for other factors, so consult the attraction website for the current operating schedule.

Directions: 4400 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149 

Please note: Parking is $10 and is not included with your admission.

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