After an afternoon at this terrific research center, I learned more about dolphins than I ever thought I'd know. We came here as a group, with the BF and his parents. For $20 a person, you get admission, which allows you to walk through the center and watch the public shows. The place is very low key - it's obvious that all their money goes towards taking care of the dolphins,and not on frills. The shows are awesome. The staff members are really enthusiastic and know everything about their mammalian friends. The dolphins do tricks, but only if they feel like it - they can be a tad moody, just like people. Still, we got to see a lot of cool stuff - flips, rollovers, speaking. It's so amazing what these creatures can do! The staff also does slideshows/information sessions. We sat through one on babies, and I think now I can officially be considered an expert on dolphin pregnancies. One of the best parts is simply strolling the facility, watching the dolphins cruising in their little lagoons. They like to people watch, too, and they'll hang out, just watching you and splashing around. It's fabulous. They all have names, stories and personalities. Become a member of the facility (only $40 for one person, $70 for three) and you can get aquainted with all of them. Side note - this place is funded through donations/admission, and they deserve as much support as they can get it. Of course, the really interactive encounters, like petting, painting or swimming with the dolphins, cost a lot more, but it's doable on a special occasion (those types of activities range from around $25-$200). Of course, you could always be a trainer for a day - a cool $650. But man, it would be SO worth it, if you had the cash. read more

Staff is extremely friendly, ample parking, and such a great place to visit if you're in the Keys. It's not a huge place, but it's filled with great views of the Gulf of Mexico and lots of dolphins of all ages and sea lions to see (as well as some iguanas too!). They offer animal encounters (for an additional fee) but even if you don't decide to do that, you can get very close to the animals and still have a great view of what's going on. Much closer than you can at a corporate park and the staff is way friendly too! They also have a splash pad area for the kiddos (with shaded picnic tables), which my son really enjoyed. Some of the pathways can get very slippery - so watch out for that. Your hand stamp is good all day, so you can come and go as you please. It's a great place to take your family and have a very memorable experience. read more

A truly wonderful experience for everyone! We swam with the Dolphins and my parents just watched. Everyone was very helpful and Doug was the specialist on 'disabled' help so we pretty much had a special one on one tour of all the Dolphins and seal lions. read more

Dolphin Research Center - Swimming with the Dolphins. - Tours Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Loved it! My 10yo and 6yo loved painting with the dolphins! They will have that t-shirt as a keepsake forever! Informative and fun to watch the dolphins. This is a small place that will only take 2-3 hours to go through. Not overwhelming like the parks in Orlando- very laid back and something fun to do that doesn't break the bank. read more

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I had a great time with my friend here, they are doing great conservative efforts for the marine mammals and it was nice to learn more. I also did the dolphin encounter which was a lot of fun. read more

Dolphin Research Center - Demonstration of taking care of dolphins - Tours Near Me - Marathon, Florida

We had a really great experience at DRC! The Play with a Dolphin experience is definitely worth it for the price! Will be returning our next trip to the Keys! read more

Dolphin Research Center - Play with a Dolphin Experience - Tours Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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This place had just opened up after the hurricane, the staff were amazing and the friendliest people! The dolphins, and sea lions were absolutely spectacular!! Worth many visits if you plan to visit the area. read more

What an amazing place with an amazing team!! This is a committed group and a committed not for profit business! If you have a chance to visit, by all means, you must do it!! read more

I came early for trainer for a day, knocked on the door and asked to use the bathroom because I had to go really bad. They let me in so I could relieve my units. They're cool in my book. read more

Wonderful experience swimming with dolphins. The employees clearly care about these animals and want to show others how awesome they are!

The one start review is meant to get your attention. If you are looking for a place to pay $20 a person and take part in some fun activities, this isn't it. If you want to pay a couple of hundred dollars to touch, swim, train a dolphin/sea lion then this is your place. If you know that going in you won't be disappointed like my family was. If you just want to pay a reasonable entry fee for your family to do something plenty of other places in the area: Turtle hospital, Theater of Sea, Butterfly place or Aquarium in Key West. read more

I just came from a weekend in Miami area. For many years I have had this wish and now it is fulfilled . The DRC is great place where you can just watch the dolphins or interact with them. I was for dolphins encounter. For all wheelchair users or with other disability, who are wondering where they can go swimming with dolphins, THIS IS YOUR PLACE :-) I was searching a lot before deciding, but I chose the right place :-) DRC has special coordinator for disability and they can help you to have unforgettable experience. read more

Great place for the entire family. DRC accommodates people in wheelchairs as well as small babies so that everyone can learn about dolphins and interact with them. They have so many ways you can interact: swimming, painting, or just observing, the dolphins had a huge impact on my trip to the keys. It was an experience of a lifetime and totally worth every second. I strongly recommend swimming with the dolphins. If you love animals and enjoy learning about how do keep our oceans safe for dolphins, this is your kind of place. And the best part is that all your money goes back to dolphin research!! read more

Dolphin Research Center - Tours Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Great experience. The main reason we went to the Keys was to have a dolphin encounter and the DRC did not disappoint. We saw two training sessions that were very informative, read an interesting poster on a DRC study which showed that dolphins understand the concepts of more and less and then we had a great time in the water with a dolphin. Jill, a DRC trainor, introduced us to Pax the dolphin and taught us a great deal about dolphins. We had a wonderful time, well worth the trip. read more

Incredible experience. I've seen dolphins in captivity and in the wild, but never this close up. Show up earlier in the day so you can watch several of the "shows". The folks who work with the dolphins are eager to talk about the dolphins and the research being done, so any question you ask is answered with enthusiasm. This is a really cool place. read more

Out of all the dolphin places nearby, this is definitely THE one to go to. They have great interactive experiences and the animals are obviously all loved and well taken care of. They have some that have been rescued, some born and raised there, and even some that are forty or fifty years old. read more

This place is amazing! We took my partner's brothers here over Xmas break. We bought them the dolphin encounter for Christmas. Both are developmentally disabled but the staff are well prepared to accommodate people of differing abilities and people with special needs. We got there early and met with our guide/contact. She had helped my partner set the whole thing up and had assured him that Jim and Bob would be just fine. We had tie to wander around and see the different exhibits, very interesting place with a cool back story. She also took time to explain to both brothers what would happen and what they would get to do. They were very excited. She was in the water with them the entire time, helping to make sure they understood what was going on and got to experience everything the rest of the group did. When it came time to do the dolphin ride at the end, she helped them swim out and meet up with the dolphin. The trainer had to send the dolphins around a few times before the dudes made contact but it was so amazing to watch them have a truly unique experience. Well worth the money and time to drive from Key West and back. Highly recommended. read more

Highly recommend! Our girls 6 & 9 absolutely loved this place and will definitely go back. We signed up for the "play experience" so if you have young children, I would advise this package. Very personable experience and because they are a research facility and not for profit, the price for the quality of experience is well worth it and quite fair. read more

This place is great! You can walk around and read about the animals, watch the dolphins and sea lions. They have a little food place which we just got ice cream from. big huge bonus is that our dog was allowed in! The gift shop is nice. We did the "play with dolphins" for $60, which was super cool even tho it was a lot of money, I just look at it as money to pay for the upkeep and overhead of the place. If you want to swim with the Dolphins ($200) come early bc they sell out quick. We wanted to do the swim but it was sold out. While very expensive, it looked so awesome! They also have a sprinkler park for kids to cook off. Over all it was a great place. read more

We loved this place!!! These were the grounds where the TV show, Flipper, was shot. There were performing sea lions (the trainer told us the difference between seals and sea lions), iguanas, parrots, and performing dolphins. It was kinda small, but it had a good feel to it. Very fun place. read more

I was so happy we stopped by on this place, the experience of being that close to the dolphins is amazing and you don't necessary need to have an encounter with them, they are pet friendly and is really cute how the dolphins are actually really into the doggies, the staff here is extremely friendly and they care so much for they animals, is a must see if you are in the Florida Key area. read more

Even though I did not swim with the dolphins, I did get a very close look at them! I am an ocean lover and have been to most Aquariums including SeaWorld. Yet... this is the closet that I have been to dolphins other than in the wild. I definitely recommend for you to go, it is not a touristy spot and it has a hometown feel to it. read more

We loved the experience! We did the "meet the dolphin" and it was pretty cute "shaking" the dolphins "hand". You can tell how much the employees love these dolphins and I'm quite impressed at the health care they provide these dolphins! These dolphins could easily swim out into the ocean anytime they please but they love living here I guess. There are mini programs all throughout the day which was awesome. We easily could stay the whole day here but we had to leave early to go to the Turtle hospital down the street as well. I think this establishment helps out the Turtle hospital when they need to accommodate more animals. The employees are very enthusiastic and taught us a lot about dolphins! We loved how each dolphin had a different personality. There are some other animals around but I guess my family and I were busy attending all the mini programs that we didn't spend much time with the other animals. I'd love to come back to visit again if I ever visit the area! read more

Excellent Trainers and plan on coming back! Amazing experience interacting with the dolphins! If you don't have a floating waterproof camera they have an onsite photographer that will get plenty of great pictures of you with the dolphins. You are able to buy all your photos on a usb thumb drive which is great, though a bit pricey. $59 for photos of two individuals on one thumb drive. read more

I can not understand why anyone would have anything but praise for what the team does here. It was an amazing experience from the moment we entered the facility. Everything you need to know is detailed on the web-site so you can feel very familiar when you enter the facility. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The dolphin experience was nothing less than magical and simply priceless. If you want a Disney experience then try SeaWorld, but for a more natural lagoon setting and personal experience with trainers and dolphin...this is the place to go. read more

There are many dolphin-viewing businesses in the Keys, and this is the only one I've been to, but I already like it best. It's a nonprofit that rehabilitates dolphins and rescues manatees, and it seems very down to earth (especially compared to the glitzy Theatre of the Sea down the road, which, to be fair, I have not visited). We paid the standard $20 admission and got more than our fill of dolphins. Dolphins jumping, leaping, flipping, pulling people through the water, laughing, squeaking... I had a meaningful conversation with one dolphin who was in a pool by herself and showed great interest in watching me. I went with three generations and we all had fun (although I suspect my daughter liked the ice cream the most). The trainers and staff were enthusiastic, friendly and helpful, and the animals seemed happy and lively. High recommended. read more

Worth the experience if you get a dolphin experince. We did play since the encounter and training were sold out. Kids loved it

Really well done. It seems like a very steep admission fee, but I don't think try advertise well enough how cool it is. You really don't have to swim with the dolphins if that price is to steep. We got very close to the animals, and while we couldn't touch them, we saw all the same things as those who paid for premium packages. The trainers are awesome, knowledgable and ready to answer any questions. Nice job DRC! My daughter is hooked and we are already planning her college around the dolphins (she's 5:) read more

What a great experience! Dolphins were really wonderful to watch. The trainers and staff were so friendly and very professional while educating and entertaining us all. Well worth the price of admission. Proceeds go to a good cause. read more

My family loved the Dolphin Research Center! It was a great place for all ages. Very casual and Keys. We spent 3 hours there, including our Dolphin Encounter, and loved every minute of it! We have really great memories, and everyone we have shown the photos has been very jealous. The dolphins had wonderful personalities and were clearly happy. The staff were excellent. read more

My daughter has done 4 of the dolphin labs where they learn different aspects of marine mammel care and training. It's fantastic! College credit through FL Keys Community College is available for the adult level sessions. So many activities to participate in on visits. read more

Very cool place, highly recommend. The staff is great, very educational. Great stop if you have kids, very clean.

I am a repeat visitor and long time member. Over the years I've done every interactive program and also just spent a couple of hours watching the dolphins and sea lions doing sessions with the trainers. I learn something more about the animals every time. It is clear that everyone cares deeply about the animals and that they give them the best care possible. Definitely include Dolphin Research Center in your vacation plans! read more

The dolphins are great but this appears to be a business not a research place! To the owners what are you reseaching and what university or institution????? read more

Had such an amazing time today! My mom and I did the encounter and my dad did the splash. I've never seen my dad smile the way he did today. In the encounter you get to kiss, play, and swim with the dolphins. It was a lot of fun and I would come back here and spend the money to do the encounter again and again. Thank you Santini and Cacica for the fun today! I can't remember the trainers name but she was also amazing! read more

Love this place! A must place to experience when driving to the Keys! Staff were organized and very informative. My kids weren't dressed to get wet so I paid for the Meet the Dolphins! First time for them and they loved it! Worth the price! The dolphins were very funny! read more

Great place with so many options to see and/or interact with the dolphins! We stopped by on our way to Key West. We just did the walking tour but saw all of the things to do and watched several of the dolphin activities. I would highly recommend bringing your family here. read more

Great experience with swimming with Marina and Santini. The trainers were extremely patient and really seemed to care about the animals. Overall a highlight of my trip! read more

We had a fantastic afternoon . The dolphin encounter was well worth the money. The animals are very well treated. It's not a huge place, but the staff is wonderful and so good with people. They are doing a great job rehabilitating animals and teaching the public about why it's important to care for our marine friends. read more

We went to the Dolphin Research Center to swim with the dolphins and had a great time there! The people that work there are knowledgeable and friendly, and really seem to care about the animals. We spent $200 to swim with the dolphins, and while I'm not sure it's worth that much money (we only had one, short 30 second swim with the dolphin), it was still very enjoyable and different. Most of the dolphins have been born there, but there are a few that have been rescued. Most of the rescued, wild dolphins are eventually set free again after being brought back to health, but the few that have been kept are those that either didn't do well or were unable to survive in the wild. They also have a few sea lions and parrots as well. Overall, very nice! read more