Get Up Close at Theater of the Sea

Disclosure: Theater of the Sea provided two tickets towards my family’s admission, but all opinions and photos shared here are my own.

Driving through Islamorada in the Florida Keys, you are bound to come across the waterfall and large shell that welcome visitors to Theater of the Sea.   Although I have driven by it many times in the past, this was my first visit to Theater of the Sea and I was uncertain what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful pathways through tropical gardens which led to dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, fish, crocodiles, alligators and birds.

Theater of the Sea is great stop for children and adults of all ages. It is a small marine based park which offers guided marine life tours, a bird show, dolphin show, sea lion show and bottomless boat tour. In addition, there is a lagoon beach complete with lawn chairs and large colorful fish swimming around in the water.   Theater of the Sea also offers interactive animal programs that can be experienced for an additional cost.  Information on the interactive animal programs can be found on Theater of the Sea’s web site.

The best part of Theater of the Sea was getting up close and personal with the animals during shows. Unlike larger parks, visitors sit close to the animals and many get selected to touch dolphins or throw a ring onto the neck of a sea lion.

All of the shows were short in length which was great for holding the interest of young kids.  In addition, visitors learn interesting facts of about the animals during the shows. For example, the bird show features birds that can do simple addition and subtraction.

Plan to spend between 2 ½ to 3 hours at Theater of the Sea. Outside food is not permitted in the park but there is a concession area that sells drinks and food (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, etc.).

As many of the animals at Theater of the Sea are non-releasable due to injuries sustained in the wild, their care and maintenance is supported by visitors and donations alone. As such, a visit to Theater of the Seas is more about the well-fair and conservation of animals, than just a few hours of fun.

Theater of the Sea was very clean and had good customer service. It was apparent that all of the employees that work with the animals love their job, care about the well-being of the animals, and have really bonded with the animals.