Clearwater Marine Aquarium
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Photos: Photo: Waters2100 (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Our take
By Matt Spaulding, Founder and writer
The aquarium sits on Island Estates, just short of Clearwater Beach off the Memorial Causeway, and it reads like a working animal hospital that happens to sell tickets. Exhibits stack across four levels. The Window of Wonder on level one is a forty-foot underwater view into the dolphin complex, and level two runs Turtle Cove, Otter Oasis, Stingray Beach, Shark Pass and Pinniped Pier. A surgical suite has a public viewing window, so otter physicals and turtle surgeries happen in front of guests. The residents are all judged non-releasable, though not all of them arrived as rescues. Nicholas and Hope came in as strandings, four rough-toothed dolphins transferred from Gulf World in 2025 after NOAA ruled them unreleasable, and bottlenose pair Star and Squirt plus the seals and sea lions at Pinniped Pier came from the closed Miami Seaquarium, where they were born under human care. CMA is the only aquarium in the country caring for rough-toothed dolphins. The site is compact, and visitors arriving with a big-city aquarium in mind finish in two to three hours and count fewer tanks than they pictured. Parking is a paid garage at the aquarium, separate from admission. Winter, the tail-less dolphin from Dolphin Tale, died in November 2021. A memorial and her prosthetics stay on site. What holds up is the staff. The daily habitat talks are run by the animal care team, and the rescue footage in the theater sticks with you longer than most of the tanks.
Quick facts
- Hours
- Opens at 10 a.m. daily. Last entry is 30 minutes before close, and the closing time shifts by season, so check the day you go. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, with shortened hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
- How long
- Two to three hours for general admission. A boat tour or animal care experience adds at least an hour.
- Best for
- Families with kids, and anyone drawn to rescue and rehabilitation work.
- Getting there
- 249 Windward Passage on Island Estates, off the Clearwater Memorial Causeway. The Jolley Trolley North route stops at the aquarium.
- Parking
- Paid garage at the aquarium, separate from admission. Rates vary by season and ticketing is at the level 3 entrance.
- Included
- All habitats and exhibits, the daily animal presentations, and both theater films. Boat tours, guided tours and animal care experiences cost extra.
Where it is
249 Windward Passage, Island Estates, Clearwater, FL 33767
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Check tickets →Clearwater Marine Aquarium FAQ
How long do you need at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
Two to three hours covers general admission. That is enough to walk all four levels, catch a few of the daily animal presentations and sit through one of the theater films. Adding a boat tour or an animal care experience pushes it toward half a day.
Is Clearwater Marine Aquarium worth visiting?
Yes, if the rescue side is what draws you. This is a working rehabilitation facility with a surgical suite you can see into, and every animal on site has been judged non-releasable. The daily presentations are run by animal care staff. Visitors expecting the tank count of a large city aquarium tend to leave underwhelmed, because the site is compact.
Is Winter the dolphin still at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
No. Winter, the tail-less dolphin from Dolphin Tale, died on November 11, 2021. Preliminary necropsy results pointed to an intestinal torsion. The aquarium keeps an on-site memorial to her and has kept her prosthetics at the facility. Other rescued dolphins live there and appear in the daily presentations.
What is included with admission?
All the habitats and exhibits, the daily animal presentations, and both films in the theater, Turtle Odyssey and Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker. Animal care experiences, eco-boat tours and guided behind-the-scenes tours are booked and paid separately. Parking is also separate.
Where do you park at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
In the paid garage at the aquarium itself, with the ticketing entrance on level 3. Rates vary by season and the fee is not part of admission. To skip the garage, the Jolley Trolley North route stops at the aquarium, and the Clearwater Ferry connects Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater to the Clearwater Beach Marina.
What is the best time of day to go?
Early, close to the 10 a.m. opening. Presentations and feedings are spread across the day at set times, so starting at opening lets you build the visit around the schedule instead of catching only the last couple. Last entry is 30 minutes before close, and that window is not enough time to see the place.