Awesome experience. Didn't really have a lot of the aquarium atmosphere but you gotta understand it's a marine hospital not really a full blown out aquarium. Overall loved the place, purchased the boat ride to see the dolphins and we actually got to see a manatee and a pod of dolphins! Multiple times by the way. And yes you run the risk of not seeing anything. It's the ocean not a planned exhibit where you're guaranteed to see a dolphin. The boat ride itself was worth the $20 though in my opinion! The two dolphins were awesome to see inside and they did tricks as well. Definitely recommend stopping here if your in the area! Well worth the price. read more

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Secret stop We went to the Clearwater Aquarium and overheard mention of this ancialliary building with movie props from Dolphin Tale. We grabbed a trolley bus here and took a boat back to the aquarium. The movie props and stuff were neat to see and gave more background on how Hollywood spins a story. The gift shop is huge and had a larger selection of T's and some clearance stuff. read more

This honestly wasn't worth the money. We paid $80 for a family of 4 (not including food). It was very crowded and hard to see anything. If you're a fan of the movie then maybe you'll enjoy this more. The hurricane experience was fun but it scared all the children in our group including the 9, 10, and 14 year old. read more

Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure - Puffer fish - Museums Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

If your children loved the movie - they will have fun here, just don't set your expectations too high. - Admission is included as part of the Clearwater Aquarium entrance fee - otherwise I would say this exhibit is not worth the money. - Don't make the mistake of taking the trolley from the Aquarium. You'll find the wait time for a trolley returning to the Aquarium (and your car) is often more than an hour. - Staff always seem inexperienced and lack even basic knowledge about the exhibit they are working. - Movie recaps roll continuously. - Good for a rainy day. read more

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Crowded and difficult to actually see very much. We went on the dolphin/nature boat, and only saw a few birds. No dolphins. Don't waste your money. read more

Good thing it's free. First off, I don't particularly care for Dolphin Tale. Since I've been seeing Winter since 2006, I don't appreciate the schmaltzy over dramatization of her story. Yes, it was dramatic, but there was no Hurricane Leroy, no possibility of the aquarium closing, and Winter was not found on this coast in the summertime. Based on that, I don't like this place. All it is is props from the movie, a hurricane experience, and a giant gift shop. You do have to opportunity to touch a tiny piece of the gel Winter uses on her tail. The props are unintersting. The most interesting thing in there for me was the files of the schools they were planning on using. It was interesting how they used Mildred Helms, which I passed on the way here. The hurricane exhibit isn't half bad. It shows the progression of the storm, from the warning on Bay News 9, to the storm starting, complete with broken drywall and chairs flying at windows. The hurricane is pretty cool, winds everywhere, pops and crashes--maybe power lines exploding?! The alligator and the bird are very cheesy though. There is a cafe with a limited selection of food. Luckily, they have Luzianne tea, which any Southerner will appreciate. The constantly repeating clips from the movie are not welcome. The gift shop is HUGE and not crowded. I suggest shopping here versus in the aquarium. We like to ride the boat here and take the bus back. Honestly, its not worth the trip from the aquarium unless you're a fan of the movie, or you want to escape from the crowds and get some nice air conditioning and sweet tea. read more

Wow, I remember the days when Universal Studios had awesome setups from movie scenes. We didn't even know this was included in the admission... We took the free boat over to the Museum. It was awesome to see all the memorabilia from the movies and to see behind the scene information. When we visited it wasn't too packed but it wasn't empty either. I think people loved the exhibit especially if you have a connection with the movie. I especially loved it and if I am in the area again i would love to visit it if its still open. They also had a refillable drink cup to purchase which came in very handy. read more

Not very much to experience other than the amazing boat shuttle ride. Plenty of sea animals read more

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It was my first time vacationing in Clearwater with family and one of my younger relatives had seen the movie. Once she found out that Clearwater FL was the filming location she wanted to join in on the movie experience. Overall the building was clean and the staff was friendly. When you first arrive they invite you and your family to stand in front of a green screen where they take some entertaining pictures. The only bad side of that is the price of the prints at the end. They want $25 for one picture in a plastic frame. A bit much in my opinion. It was fun getting to see different sets and props from the movie. This is a good place to visit if you got a few hours to spend. read more

If you're a fan of the movie this is a great place. You can see how everything was made, more back story, and the staff made it interesting as well. they really put a lot into it. However, you really need to be a fan of the movie to enjoy it otherwise it's just okay. The staff is friendly, it's clean and well organized. read more

The best thing about it is that it's indoors and has A/C. While this is very important in the summertime in Florida, it's only half true. The attraction is built like a museum or even a shrine to the movie "Dolphin Tale". As someone who has never seen it, I was still entertained. My 4 1/2 year old son enjoyed all the movie props, and exhibits. The hurricane simulator in the back is the closest to a true amusement park attraction and actually very well done. I can recommend a visit to anyone who has kids, has seen the movie, or visited the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. read more

I've already written a review of this on the CMA Yelp page. Liked it. Recommend it. It's better than the actual CMA hospital. However, I'm shocked at the misuse of space. It is very open and there were very few people there the day we visited. Unless the space is being donated or they are getting a discount, the CMA is wasting money. It must take a ton of money to keep that large space cool during the hot Florida weather. Don't get me wrong! I loved the cool AC blowing full tilt on us when we walked in after being slammed with hot weather. That aside, remember, going here, the CMA and Tale Adventure is for the kids. Forget about it being for the adults. It is the kids who will relish visiting this stuff for a really, really long time. It will be the parents who will never forget paying for an over priced stuff toy made in China. read more

Kind of a sad little aquarium and "museum" with movie props and other stuff. The 3 year old liked some of it and they make it fun for the little ones but don't expect a 12 year old to be impressed. Tough to get a view of the star attraction and the place needed some tlc but that's kind of the life of an aquarium. They perform a delicate balancing act of trying to compete with tablets, rollercoasters, beaches, trampoline parks, etc while trying to maintain a semblance of an educational environment. read more

We stopped at the Clearwater Aquarium only to learn that it was closed because they were filming a sequel to dolphin tale. We were bummed out initially but then told about winter's dolphin tale adventure. First and foremost I want to thank them for their generous military discount. This isn't something that I expect but when a business goes out of it's way to show their appreciation for veterans I commend them for it. It means so much to me and my family to be able to enjoy our family time between deployments. We went here as a group of three military families, one whose service member was deployed to Afghanistan, mine where I was leaving within three months and another where he spends as much time gone as he does at home so from the bottom of our hearts thank you for this. That being said the general admission price is completely reasonable for all the really cool things there are for kids to do. We didn't have any child over 5 with us and for the youngest ones there was still a whole bunch to do. The touch tank was a big hit as well as getting to touch a real shark's jaw and try to fit under a huge tortoise shell. The staff was very friendly and helpful and going during the week we found the place to be very uncrowded. The biggest hit for our children was the hurricane simulation. We also spent a couple of dollars on the hurricane wind simulation exhibit which three kids loved and begged to do again and two children thought it was the scariest thing they have ever tried. I think this was $1 or $2 to try and herding five little kids into it and filming their reactions created memories that you will never forget. Why did we only give this place four and not five stars? Well it is oriented to the movie and some of the children had seen it and others hadn't. For those that hadn't it would have been a lot better if they had watched it before going. Second we came here because the main aquarium was closed due to filming. This place is great and has a lot to do but don't confuse it for an aquarium like the other location. The main focus is the movie and I'm sure after the second movie will have even more stuff related to that. What should make you decide to go here? If you or your kids liked the movie, don't miss this place. For the price of admission there is all kinds of stuff to do and don't get me wrong it is educational but if your main focus is education (which is really important to our family) then first go to the aquarium. there was a food court with a good selection of hot and cold food, the bathrooms and whole place were very clean and if you don't like crowds then this is a great place to check out where you won't feel over crowded. Parking was very easy and got a spot right out front. We did pose for a picture when we went in which was probably overpriced but we never looked into it. The kids on the other hand we much more interested with buying everything in the gift shop which had a really good selection of stuff. read more

Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure - There is a great play area for younger kids! - Museums Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

This cute place has lots of props from the movie. Winter and the other animals are not here but there is plenty of information about the movie, Winter, and the Aquarium. One of the fun things here is the hurricane experience. It reminds me of the twister experience at Universal Studios. In the Harborview center in downtown by the library there is plenty of parking and you don't have to fight the beach traffic. You can take the trolley or take a boat over to the Aquarium to see Winter and the other animals. read more

This place is the sister location to the aquarium and has all of the props and information about the movie production. One of the things my kids like the best was the hurricane experience where you can go and walk through what a hurricane is like. They included some of the scenes from the movie in it as well. My kids loved it so much we did it twice. :) read more

Way too expensive! The prices went up the past 4 years. Just check out the intercoastal and coastal waters. I've seen plenty of dolphins, sting rays, manatees, even a baluga whale came greet me at my dock looking for fish I assume. While paddle boarding I had a very close encounter with a tarpon breaching near by. Wonderful experiences all around pinellas' coastal waters. Sea turtle hatchlings I have not yet encountered season ends end of October and it's usually early morning. Keep an eye out for phytoplankton it's amazing! Explore! Love this place for it's rehabilitation and education for volunteers! read more

The best part was the new parking structure. My wife and I took our two young grandchildren ages 4 and 6 for what we expected to be a nice introduction to dolphins and sea life. We're glad the movies have provided a platform for the sea life hospital and raised its awareness, however, as an attraction it's a big disappointment. Crowded conditions, no real user friendly direction or program, pretty much figure out what's going on for yourself and surprise, no appearance by the dolphins other than some techs doing medical checks while we tried to understand what's going on. For as much as this is and has been promoted you'd think they could make it a genuine experience and not so amateurish. Not cheap or enjoyable. A $72 donation. read more

Winters Dolphin Tale is no longer open, for those who are interested, I have been visiting CMA for over 20 yrs, and the location that would take you in by boat or Trolley, to the set of the movie props, and large gift shop is not available any longer, yes Clearwater Marine Aquarium is definitely OPEN on Windward Passage, they are in fact enlarging the facility, I just thought I would post this info for those interested. read more

We had so much fun seeing Winter and all the other animals. What a great place. I would highly recommend this to others.

Interesting exhibits and clips of the making of the movie and interviews of the actors. Lots to read and neat hurricane simulator.

This was AWFUL! The whole experience was set up as a Disney wannabe. I understand that they are trying to cover their expenses and did not receive payment from the movie. It's a good cause which I support but so disappointing to see the rescued animals "performing" for the crowd in small pens. It could have been done in a more educational way and not a circus atmosphere. read more

Two years ago I was able to see the Dolphins up close with out an issue but this summer I was very disappointed that the Dolphins are blocked off in the back and you can't see them to well :-( I understand they are blocked off for a reason due to people doing things they shouldn't. I truly was disappointed. The only time you can get a good look is when the Dolphins are with the special needs people in the water. read more

Skip it! Way over priced! Small, dirty exhibits, very few animals. The animals that were there seemed depressed! The drive over from Treasure Island took more time than what we spent here. Sorry we spent our last day in Florida visiting this place! read more

Most unfriendly staff ignorant and was not helpful while visiting! Was super rude to our daughter too, not ok and a basic standard of customer service should not be so difficult. On the other hand the marine aquarium was amazing and staff were super nice and very informative and sharing and made it a good visit. read more