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Dolphin Research Center, Grassy Key

4.5

#2 of 38 in Wildlife in Marathon

Wildlife Area Nature / Park

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The saltwater lagoons at Dolphin Research Center are home to a family of dolphins and California sea lions, and offer educational and interactive experiences with marine life. The center originally opened in 1958 as Santini’s Porpoise School and became famous after a few of its dolphins starred in the 1963 film Flipper. The site was founded in 1984 as a non-profit research center and continues to promote the understanding of marine mammals. The center has educational presentations every half-hour and opportunities for live animal encounters. Not only can you swim with the dolphins here, but you can also paint with them. To visit Dolphin Research Center and get the most from your holiday in Marathon, create itinerary details personal to you using our Marathon travel itinerary planner.

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Dolphin Research Center Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2,508 reviews

Google

4.5

facebook

140,007 likes

• By Michele D

  I chose this dolphin place because it looked less gimmicky than others. We did not do any swim or touch the dolphin programs, just general admission. There was still plenty to see, they run various ta...  more »

• By DanGreaves

  A beautiful spot and really thoughtful facility. You get to see a lot of interaction with the dolphins and explanations of their anatomy and behaviour. You can swim with dolphins which looked fun but ...  more »

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Google

• By Karl Morlock

  Love this place! What an amazing place to visit while in the Keys. We made an afternoon out of it and were very happy. Prices were cheap for the time and what you get to see. Watched a small dolphin show, paid extra for my daughter to play with the dolphins. Extensive gift shop and lots of places to walk around and enjoy. Saw some huge Iguanas walking around and the staff really cares about these mammals. There was a small food truck on site which made us an amazing lunch for cheap money. Will definitely come back each time when passing through on vacation!

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• By Sharon Zozzaro

  We stopped here driving through the Keys and we had such a great time! Staff very knowledgeable and very friendly. We thought it was so cool when they told us they had descendants from Flipper (if any of you know what show that was.) All of the money goes to The Dolphin Research for the center. A great place to visit and get up personal with the dolphins when in Marathon!

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