Make a Splash in Miami

By Jill Martin
Published: June 11, 2009
Last Updated On: March 10, 2011

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As summer heats up, cool off with a dolphin encounter and more at Miami Seaquarium.

“Where can I swim with the dolphins?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions at VISIT FLORIDA and one that’s easy to answer – the Miami Seaquarium. With their newly built, 700,000-gallon Dolphin Harbor facility, you can have a one-on-one interactive experience with the most majestic mammals – Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.

 

Get Wet

Dolphin Harbor offers two different programs: Dolphin Odyssey and Dolphin Encounter. Both programs begin with an interactive and informative classroom presentation where you’ll learn all kinds of interesting facts. You’ll also learn the proper way to touch the dolphins so you’ll feel comfortable and ready for your dolphin encounter. Thirty minutes later, you’ll be stepping into the lagoon wearing a wetsuit as the dolphins jump and play right in front you!

As a participant in the Dolphin Odyssey program, you’ll be able to touch, hug, kiss and even dance with these friendly mammals.

As a participant in the Dolphin Odyssey program, you’ll be able to touch, hug, kiss and even dance with these friendly mammals. You’ll also get some deeper water interactions, including an experience you’ll never forget – a dolphin pull across the lagoon! For Dolphin Odyssey, you must be 52” or taller.

The Dolphin Encounter program offers a shallow water interactive experience – perfect for those young and old – and no swimming is required. You’ll have the chance to touch, feed and play with a dolphin and even learn a few commands that the trainers use. (See how well your dolphin follows your instructions!) Dolphin Encounter participants must be at least five years old.

Dolphin Harbor will definitely fulfill your dream of getting up-close and personal with these fun-loving, rubbery-feeling, make-you-smile creatures. Just be sure to make reservations as space is limited.

Since your ticket to Dolphin Harbor includes admission to the Miami Seaquarium for the day, take advantage and enjoy all it has to offer, including a seat inside Killer Whale Stadium. If you want to get wet, sit in the first few rows. When Lolita the Killer Whale makes one of her incredible leaps out of the pool, hundreds of gallons of water will come pouring into the audience (and that’s why those first rows are called The Splash Zone).

Tip: Miami Seaquarium is teaming up with Miami Metrozoo and Wannado City to offer a Summer Savings Pass that will allow unlimited admission to all three of these attractions throughout the summer (ends Aug. 30, 2009). Buy your regular-priced general admission or Dolphin Harbor program tickets at Miami Seaquarium, and for only an additional $19.95 plus tax, visit all three parks for free all summer long!

 

More Miami

Miami offers lots of other places to enjoy the water this summer, including the most unusual pool you’ve probably ever seen, and the only pool I know of on the National Registry of Historic Places – the Venetian Pool.

Tucked amidst the quiet, Mediterranean-style neighborhoods of Coral Gables, this magnificent 820,000-gallon pool was formed from an abandoned rock quarry in 1923. It’s not only stunning to look at, it’s an adventure with underwater caves to explore, cascading waterfalls, Spanish fountains, and the water stays cool because it’s fed by natural spring water that flushes in and out daily.

Spend the day enjoying its luxurious surroundings while munching on kid-friendly goodies from the café such as pizza, nachos, hotdogs and ice cream. They have rental lockers to store your stuff, but bring cash (they don’t take credit cards).

For a splash of a different kind, put on your sunglasses, stick cotton in your ears and hop on an airboat ride at the Everglades Alligator Farm. Just a short drive south of Miami is where you’ll find them – and you can see hundreds of alligators, turtles, fish and all kinds of birds as you glide across the River of Grass. It’s absolutely exhilarating (and you’ll only get a little bit wet).

The Everglades Alligator Farm also features wildlife shows every hour where you can learn about the different reptiles and the unique environment of the Everglades. You can even hold a baby alligator.

As you make your way to the alligator farm, you’ll pass a famous fruit stand called, “Robert Is Here.” On this corner is where Robert, as a young boy in 1959, would sit and sell cucumbers for his dad. To attract more attention, his father placed signs that read, “Robert Is Here” and the name has stuck all these years. In fact, Robert is still here, along with his wife and children; you’ll find him behind the counter slicing up sweet, ripe mangoes for visitors to sample.

Robert Is Here is renowned for its exotic fruits and vegetables, fresh jams and jellies, flavored honeys, orchids and hot boiled peanuts. The long line on the left is for their thick, homemade fruit shakes; strawberry is the crowd favorite. I sure hope this whets your appetite for a fantastic South Florida adventure.

This article is brought to you by the Miami Seaquarium. To plan your own “get wet” adventure, call 305-361-5705 or visit www.miamiseaquarium.com. For more information about their Dolphin Interaction programs, visit www.miamiseaquarium.com/dolphin_swim/dolphin_swim.asp.