Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
1010 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
This oceanside marine park in the northwest reaches of the Florida panhandle is ideal for a day of fun, educational sea life encounters. It's more than an aquarium—visitors can pair with dolphins to make one-of-a-kind art, safely snorkel with stingrays and small sharks, and get up close and personal with endangered penguins.
To enter, you'll book general admission tickets, which grant access to exhibits, shows, daily presentations, and informal "chats"—short lectures about penguins, otters, sharks, and other resident animals. For an added cost, visitors can sign up for special animal encounters. These vary from supervised meetings with gators and sharks to hands-on, behind-the-scenes animal-care experiences with the marine park's official trainers and aquarists.
Some animal encounters have age restrictions—check the fine print before booking.
Children, seniors, military members, and Florida residents get admission discounts.
A "Dive-In Eatery" offers lunch and picnic tables next to Seal Harbor.
Guests cannot bring outside food and drink inside the park—exceptions are made for baby food and special dietary needs.
The park lies on the Okaloosa Island area of Santa Rosa Island. Driving is the best way to get around this part of Florida. From Pensacola, it's about a 70-minute drive. Take Highway 98 East into Fort Walton Beach and cross the Brooks Bridge onto Okaloosa Island.
The marine park opens daily, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It opens in the morning. In spring and summer, it closes in the later afternoon. In fall and winter, it closes an hour earlier. Animal chats, encounters, and experiences happen daily—check the park's website for a full schedule of events.
There are several types of dolphin encounters at the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park. Dolphin Doodles are short painting collaborations designed for kids. You can feed, touch, and learn about the resident dolphins under professional supervision with the Discover Dolphin experience. Or, share the stage with the charismatic animals during live presentations with the Dolphin Star encounter.
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