New year's re-zoo-lution? More family time at the Gulf Breeze Zoo!…read more The zoo is impressively clean. The animals & their habitats are all very well-cared for. My 1 and 2 year old toddlers enjoyed the train ride (about 15-minutes long), the "feeding zone" (they fed the camels, giraffes, goats, and pigs). I was also thankful for the two playgrounds within the zoo. One playground is for the younger toddlers while the other is much taller for the older kiddos. The zoo also offers animal encounters for the giraffes, indian rhinos, hippo, sloth, alligator, and galapagos tortoise. I'm hoping to try the sloth encounter during our next visit. We had such a great time at the Gulf Breeze Zoo & look forward to returning!

Had an amazing time. Very clean and not crowded the animals are spread out enough that it's not…read morecluttered

This place is great for families to visit! They rescue animals as well as teach the public about…read moreour wildlife.

From the owner: ECWR is a local wildlife refuge, where citizens are able to bring injured, orphaned, or ill native…read moreFlorida wildlife. However, we also operate a small Education Center, where visitors are able to meet our Animal Ambassadors, or wildlife species that are no longer able to be released into the wild. Our Animal Ambassadors are inside their own private enclosures, and we can not guarantee they will be visible at all times. We also do not currently have the staffing to ensure full-length tours for each visitor, but we try our best to accommodate! Otherwise, the tours can be self-guided and we are an easy going, small nature center that you can go at your own pace, but general visits are less than 35 minutes.

One of the BEST experiences we have had in the Gulf Coast! Our family visited this weekend and had…read morea blast petting all of the animals and feeding the reindeer. The staff was very sweet and made us feel right at home! I can't believe word hasn't gotten out about this gem... I'll be telling EVERYONE about this place

My friend and I brought our 6 children here. There were a lot of little activities for them to do,…read morebut we were hoping for a pumpkin patch. There was no patch. There was only a table full of small pumpkins. It's fine. There were a lot of other good things about the place. The deer, the goats, the big pig that walked around, the zip line, etc. Well we went up to pay our way in and the lady at the concession was So Super nice! The price was $10 each. 2 and under are free. My friend paid for her and her two children. I pod for myself and 3 of my 4 children because my youngest was 2. I asked again about the and under being free. She said yes. So I asked what about the pumpkins? Because usually the pumpkins are included in the price. She said "Oh the pumpkins are free! Take as many as you want. We have more than we know what to do with!" Ok great! We spent close to 2 hours doing all the activities. Then we when we were ready to leave, we went to the pumpkin table to get our pumpkins. My daughter had a hard time choosing so we were showing her options then putting them back until she found the one she wanted. Great! We go to leave and we're taking pictures of the kids carrying their pumpkins. 1 for each of us. I was carrying mine and my daughter's. When I was almost to the parking area, a woman stopped me and said we got too many pumpkins. I was confused and told her we paid 7 fees and my youngest was free. And she said "I don't know. They just told me y'all had too many pumpkins and I have to get them." So I explain that we had the right amount. She wasn't having it. She said the pumpkins were only free for the kids. So I don't really know what my friend and I paid fees for because it's not like we got on the zip line or anything. Whatever! So I give her the two I have in my arms back and walk away. My friend goes back and at least gets my daughter's pumpkin back from the lady because I was done with the confrontation. She was hearing it. All in all, my children enjoyed it. Every other employee other than this lady was so super nice! But it was not the pumpkin patch experience we or they were hoping for and the lady at the end of it ruined my whole view of the place. We will not go back. We'll drive a few minutes down the road to Holland Farms!

Sunset Wildlife Connection is truly a wonderful haven for wildlife. I visit every chance I get and…read moreproudly support the incredible work they do. Their outreach programs--especially the animal interactions they bring to local libraries--are always well attended and loved by both children and adults. The staff's genuine care for the animals shines through in everything they do, and their passion for sharing knowledge and wildlife conservation is inspiring. A truly exceptional place!

My daughter loved toddler time with the animals! We had so much fun learning about all the…read morewonderful animals here and getting to feel them too! We were all very impressed!!! We hope to return soon. Thank you so much!

Incredible!!! The staff are fantastic with all creatures and patients with all humans. These…read morewolves are living in their own environment and allow us to engage with them freely. They are intelligent, strong, independent and affectionate. Most of all, they are curious. The staff keep everyone safe and the entire event is exceptionally well organized. I highly recommend this event to anyone who cares about animals.

Seacrest Wolf Preserve in FL is Fantastic! These wolves were raised with contact by people, but to…read morego in the enclosure, we had rules: nothing in pockets, no jewelry, must wear jeans & sneakers, no leather or fur on clothes. The wolves steal things, so we could only take in disposable cameras with us. Can't wait until we get them developed! I sat on a log, but anyone who sat on the ground got more attention from the Wolves

Fun place and affordable! Military discount applies to the whole group!…read more Sweet pea is a beautiful turtle. So happy they rescued her! We were one of the first groups in the expanded room with Stingray exhibit. They have overflow parking and shuttle you back and forth via golf cart. Afterwords we ate on the beach. Then walked the pier ($1pp)

This was a fantastic experience. We learned so much about sea turtles in the gulf, but also about…read moredifferent wildlife in the gulf and species that also aren't in the gulf. One of the biggest lessons we learned is to use red lights when on the beach at night. Sweet pea was amazingly beautiful as were the other animals. Our entire family loved this.

Here's an updated version with your added feedback included:…read more We visited Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach and really enjoyed the self-guided walk through the park. We saw stingrays, dolphins, penguins, manatees, turtles, crocodiles, pelicans, snakes, lizards, frogs, and many other animals. Even though we missed the scheduled shows, there was still plenty to see and enjoy at our own pace. One of the best parts was learning that they care for many rescue animals and help rehabilitate and release them back into the ocean when possible. It was great seeing a place focused on marine animal rescue and conservation. The park was family friendly and easy to walk through, with lots of close-up animal encounters. The reason for 4 out of 5 stars instead of 5 is that some of the animal habitats and viewing areas were not very well maintained. A few tanks had noticeable algae buildup, which made it difficult to clearly see some of the animals. Overall though, we still had a good experience and would recommend visiting if you are in the Fort Walton Beach area.

we're local here and came down to visit the aquarium to check it out. we had a great time and they…read morehave quite a bit of exhibits for land and marine. the dolphin and sea lion show was great! trainers were kind and professional, as well as the staff. it is a small aquarium but have a variety of animals. we definitely recommend to anyone visiting destin to check it out! they also offer military discount as well.

Adopted my parrot from here this month but have been volunteering for months here. Every bird has…read moretheir own personality, space and time spent with them on the daily. Reed is wonderful to be around and he has taught me so much. The adoption process was so wonderful, everything I've wanted. All my needs were met. Reed makes sure all these birds go to great homes. As for the parrots, they are provided with daily enrichment, a great diet, other birds to interact with and places to hide . Misters in the heat and heat lamps in the cold. Nothing better than Uncle Sandy's!!!!!!!!!

This place is a real hit if you love birds. It's a small, privately owned, bird sanctuary and I'm…read morereally glad we found it. The people that run it and care for the birds are first class fun. They give you a little cut of food of peanuts, cooked pasta and bread to feed the birds. You're given a very brief class on how not to get bitten when feeding them. These types of birds can inflict a nasty bite. It only costs ten dollars a person to walk through and it has to be cash. I donated another twenty bucks as well. The bird enclosures are spacious and the birds appear well fed and healthy. I really enjoyed the Emus, budgies and the funny chicken. There are even peacocks running around. One let me feed it peanuts and was very friendly. This place does a great service for surrendered birds nobody wants or knows how to take care of. Visiting funds continued care for these animals and I fully support the mission. It really is a fun experience.

An interactive, fun experience for families that have young children. I even noticed preteens…read morehaving a blast. Unfortunately, for myself and my family we were sold on this idea of a pretty cool pirate ship that tours the island of Destin. Not at all with this ship does. This cruise is solely intended to entertain children while you explore a small area of the waters for example passing crab Island starting just a short distance away from Harbor Walk. We were lucky enough to see a dolphin take a quick flip above water, but if you blinked and missed it, which some people in my group did, then you missed it but it's not advertised as part of the experience so for those of us that saw it, we were lucky. I do find that there are many dolphins and you get to see them probably any day you're on the water. The ship is exceptionally clean, and I loved the laboratory facilities. Not your typical tiny bathrooms that you find on a boat. We did order the fast on boarding Tickets, which I did not feel were necessary. No one asked us for it and when we got to the ship, we were instructed to walk to the front just like everybody else and had to wait for one family to board ahead of us as they only board one group at a time. In my mind that family did not have a fast on boarding, however, who knows. We were not asked for the Pass and there was no line or sign to indicate what side to stand on if you had a fast on boarding. Maybe this is more valuable during peak season but definitely not now.

We had a great time on the cruise! Brought the family to Destin and my girls wanted my grandson to…read moreexperience a Pirate Cruise like they did when they were little. It was outstanding. The staff were all helpful and entertaining to all onboard that I saw. Interacting with as many guest as possible. Cracking jokes, dancing with the kids, training them to be a "Pirate". I would highly suggest this place for more than just the cruise. They are outstanding believers in Jesus Christ and also support missions. I am sure your family would enjoy everything about it.

They have a new very young giraffe named Dorothy that came from Kansas, she is so sweet and gave my…read moredaughter all the licks!!!! This zoo is still one of our favorites, I love how close up the animals are. It is so intimate! They offer animal encounters as well. Staff will walk around with reptiles to pet. They have a small concessions stand that sells cold drinks, popcorn, pretzels & nachos. They sell bird feed sticks, goat feed, alligator feed & lettuce for Dorthy. We have memberships. Unfortunately, there is NO member line. So when there is a LONG line, yes you have to wait for anyone who is buying tickets to enter. Hoping they can change that in the near future. We absolutely loved our alligator encounter! So many baby alligators! Staff is so knowledgeable and take great care of the animals here. We learn so much from the staff. I love their enthusiasm for teaching the public about the animals. Definitely come support this amazing small zoo, you won't regret it.

This is not your typical big city zoo. It's small but well maintained. They still have plenty of…read morecute animals to go around. They are known for their 15 min encounters with different animals. First time I visited I did the sloth encounter and it was amazing! To be so close and feed these guys was something else! I went back in May of this year (2025) and was sad to discover their enclosure was being remodeled and the encounter for them was unavailable. Im sure it will be nice when their new home is done! The birds were hilarious but be prepared they may land on your head! The gift shop was nice and the parking was free and plentiful