Heading out to explore Orlando? SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium is a great place to spend your vacation with the whole family. Located on fabulous ICON Park Orlando, one of Orlando’s newest entertainment complexes, you’ll find your time at the aquarium to be fascinating and fun, and there’s lots more to do right here in ICON Park.
Orlando may be best known for its major theme parks, but if you want to have some family bonding with the kids, and spend time in a less crowded setting, you’ll want to check out the best Orlando aquarium in the city, SEA LIFE Orlando.
What is SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium?
If you are heading out to International Drive, make your way to this fantastic Orlando aquarium where the whole family can get an up-close and personal look at marine life while learning a thing or two about them. You can experience their interactive touch pools, floor-to-ceiling aquarium displays, bubble aquariums, and even their 180 and 360 degrees underwater tunnel where you’ll get to see up to 5,000 sea creatures in their natural habitat!
While you’re at SEA LIFE, you and your kids can test your knowledge about marine life through their interactive quiz, which will follow you throughout the exhibit. You’ll love the dive show here as well where divers interact with sea life inside the tanks.
Educate yourself about their important Breed, Rescue, and Protect Program where they discuss the steps that can be taken to preserve the natural habitats of marine life so that future generations can enjoy them too. Don’t miss their live feedings either, as guests will get to see how the professionals take care of marine life at SEA LIFE. [1]
What You Need to Know Before Going to Orlando Aquarium
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, which is close to lots of other Orlando attractions in ICON Park Orlando, pay homage to the various sea creatures, with interactive exhibits and displays that aim to educate and entice their guests regardless of their age. If you are planning on heading out to International Drive Orlando, and are considering buying an admission ticket here, this is what you should know about this fantastic aquarium in Orlando.
But before you buy, check out iconparkorlando.com and their “3 Attraction Ticket, which at $49.95b per ticket will get you a ride on the fabulous Wheel, a visit to Madame Tussauds and a visit to SEA LIFE. All that and free parking- not that’s a great day.
- Main Attractions. This Orlando sea aquarium features an interactive rock pool, talks about their marine conservation and breeding programs, includes a behind-the-scenes tour, and feeding display for everyone to see and learn from. The star attractions here are the sea life where you can get a closer look at sea turtles, sea urchins, stingrays, reef sharks, jellyfish, giant Pacific octopus and a whole lot more.
- Exhibits. SEA LIFE Orlando has talks as well as feeding times that give their guests a chance to see how sea life works right before their eyes. There are dive shows where divers get to interact with sea animals in their own habitat as guests ask questions about the animal. Choose from the Indian Ocean talk, stingray cove talk, sharks shipwreck talk, and others while visiting this popular tourist destination. They have a new feature that was installed in 2017, where kids and adults can learn more about the axolotls, which is a type of amphibian that lives in Lake Xochimilco in Mexico. They are an endangered species that are somewhat similar to a salamander and was called “The Last Dragons.” [2]
Tips to Exploring SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium
When you are on International Drive Orlando and are ready to have some fun with the whole gang, you’ve probably included SEA LIFE on your itinerary which is a great idea if you want to expose your kids to sea creatures in their natural setting. That said, there are a few tips to consider that will make your visit to SEA LIFE that more enjoyable.
- Buy your tickets online. If you want to save money when traveling to Orlando, you can start with buying your tickets to SEA LIFE online where you can get around $2.50 off each ticket, or $5.00 off if you want to see the Behind-the-Scenes tour. Another way to save money while enjoying the animals here is to purchase the combination tickets where you can add other attractions such as Madame Tussauds and ICON Orlando to your itinerary since they are also near the aquarium.
- Get your Dive logbook. The first thing that you should do when you arrive at SEA LIFE is to ask for a logbook for your kids which is a free pamphlet that your kids can use as a guide when they explore the area. Inside the pamphlet are the nine Dive stations where, aside from learning a thing or two about the sea creature or a problem that marine animals are facing, they will be able to see the animals and habitat up close. Have an embosser stamp their log book so that, when they complete all the nine Dive stations, they will be able to get a SEA LIFE medal.
- Check the schedule. It is always a good idea to know what the schedule is for the day before visiting so you will know what to expect when you arrive. The talks, as well as the feeding times, are spread throughout the day, so you will know which station to go to so you won’t miss anything.
- Visit the 360-degree underwater tunnel. SEA LIFE has plenty to offer their guests both young and old. At the start of the tour, there is an aquarium that has a crawl space underneath with little domes that your kids can check out to see the sea animals closer. This is a fun way to help them know what life in the water is all about. While you are here, don’t miss the 360-degree tunnel that lets you walk through a large tank where you can see sharks and stingrays that swim around along with other sea creatures like turtles and the like.
- Take your time. Don’t rush yourself as you go around SEA LIFE because there is much to see here. Each section features a different type of aquatic life from different parts of the world from the Atlantic, to the Indian, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. There are hands-on exhibits too that have educational games for everyone.
- Head to the touch pool. After exploring the aquarium, make your way to the touch pool where, you guessed it right, you can get the opportunity to touch aquatic life. There are tide pools where you can find anemones, crabs, and starfish. You will need to keep an eye on your kids here with the staff ready to answer any questions that you may have. Don’t forget to wash everyone’s hands afterward. [3]
Why Visit SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium?
Why should you include SEA LIFE on your list of places to visit while in the city? Well, here are a few reasons why you should:
- A lot of space to explore. SEA LIFE sits on 25,000 square feet of space, so don’t think that this is going to be your ordinary aquarium. It can take you up to 2 hours to fully explore the area, and it will be well worth the time you spend here, especially when you get to see small shrimp, moray eels, blacktip reef sharks, and rays swim in their tanks.
- Unique experience. SEA LIFE has taken their interactive aquarium to a whole new level with floor-to-ceiling tanks, underwater tunnels, touch pool, and even playgrounds for the kids to have fun in. You and your kids can see the sea creatures in their own habitat through tunnel and domes, which is a unique experience altogether. Who would have thought that you can learn more about sea animals without getting wet?
- Near other attractions. Another reason to visit is the fact that it is in the midst of other great attractions such as Madame Tussauds and ICON Orlando. The ICON Park plaza is packed with shops, entertainment, and restaurants where you can hang out afterward.
- Build more memories. If you think you may be bored when you’re at SEA LIFE, think again. This attraction is an excellent place for the whole family to explore and see live creatures swim about, get fed, and even be able to touch them. This is an experience that everyone is going to enjoy. And it doesn’t stop there because you’ll love hearing the experts talk about conservation, rescue, and breeding animals to help support sea life. [4]
Orlando has a lot to offer both locals and tourists and there are attractions that will cater to both the young and the old. If you want to have a memorable experience here, make sure that you check out SEA LIFE and other ICON Park attractions on International Drive where it is less crowded, and lots of fun.
With plenty of free parking, it has a lot to offer in terms of fun, entertainment, and learning all at the same time. For sure, you’ll be coming back for more.
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