Book in advance. Great place for the entire family, wait for your kids to be old enough to enjoy it not sure if I'm still all on board with all of these swim with the dolphin programs but if you do it, do it here it's non profit and they do a lot of good work. read more

Great caring, friendly, acknowledgeable staff. Prices for interacting with the dolphins are similar to other places but the entry fee is a bit high for those not in a program. read more

We went here to find something to do .we ended up playing with the dolphins there names were sandy and a.j it is a little bit pricey general admission is 23.00$ for adults and 18.00$ for children they have a splash zone and sea lions awesome just awesome. read more

Took the kids. They loved it. It's a real research center so it's a bit rustic but that just adds to the experience in my opinion. Great experience for the kids to get in the water and interact w Dolphins like this. Word of caution...make sure and make an appt in advance or you might be out of luck. read more

This place is run very poorly. They shut everything down because it sprinkled outside. Just for some light rain, what a joke. Do not come here. Everyone lost admission fees. read more

I visited on 4/16 & it was one of the main highlights of my stay in the Florida Keys. The trainers have an intense passion for the welfare & well-being of these majestic creatures. I went into the Center, leery of what I would find, and not sure if I would consider it abusive, but was immediately won over by the love, passion, concern & care shown by the facility & trainers towards the dolphins & sea lions. These are not trained circus animals, but respected members of the human pod, with a will and mind of their own. If they did not want to interact with us humans, the trainers did not force them, they merely waited until the dolphins were ready, be that 10 minutes or 2 hours. I love that!! Meeting Molly & Talon was nothing short of life-changing, almost spiritual, and I await the day I can visit this place again. read more

It is very expensive to get in. Once inside there is not much to see. There are a few sea lions and a few dolphins. The entire place seems run down. I'm not sure where the entry fee goes but it does not seem to be invested in the place. The dolphins do not seem happy and I got a very depressed vibe from the entire place. When questioned about the welfare of the dolphins the staff skirted around and didn't really answer. All of the hands on activities cost extra money. The place seems more like a cash cow than a research center. I would not recommend visiting. read more

A great experience and a lot to learn for people about dolphins and other animals and how to protect them. Definitely worth a trip and please leave a donation, it's going to be used for this great project. read more

We had hoped to swim with the dolphins when we arrived, but they were all filled up sadly.. but the dolphin show was amazing and so cute. Loved it ! read more

I took my grandchildren here and they had a wonderful time. Staff was very friendly and helpful with showing us around and educating us on the research center. There's also a splash pad for kids as well. read more

Signed up to interact with the dolphins...not cheap...but well worth it...no music and or anything like a "sea world"....this is all about the dolphins...we got in the water and had a lot of interaction with these guys. You will be amazed how intelligent these animals are. Was amazed on how long we got to stay and play with the dolphins thought it would be a short stay...not so..you will not get a chance to be that close and to touch a dolphin unless places like this exist. There were quite a number of dolphins there and they were all on the surface looking at the people and seemed to like the attention...not off some where and only came to get fed, you can see the difference between here and other places. It costs a bunch of money to feed and keep healthy these animals thus entrance fee is steep. I could imagine what it costs to obtain the fish that they feed these dolphins. read more

Absolutely wonderful. A little pricy but totally worth it. I did the dolphin encounter and was in the water for about 30 min with 4 other people, two dolphins, and a trainer. So educational and different things to do all day! read more

Great Meet the Dolphin with a pet and hand shake. I like how that they have so much animals and that you have pictures that you get to take home. read more

I have brought my four young grandchildren here several years in a row when they come visit. This year my 3 yr old granddaughter was doing the dolphin encounter where you sit on the platform and pet and shake their fins for the first time. Well, as the dolphin approached she froze with fear and would not touch it. The trainer improvised an activity - throwing a ball that the dolphin caught- just for her so that she could experience an interaction. So very kind of her. She saved the day by providing an activity my granddaughter could do and feel successful at. Thank you so much for making a little girl feel comfortable! read more

I went on a dolphin encounter yesterday and had the thrill of a lifetime ! The staff was extremely knowledgeable and energetic! I had the sublime opportunity to interact with and swim with. 22 year old dolphin named AJ. It was incredible:):):) I would strongly recommend visiting this wonderful facility next time you are in the Keys:) read more

If this wasn't a non-profit organization, I would trash it. It's very expensive and there isn't all that much to see or do.

We visited DRC for the first time this past December, it was amazing! Not to be missed by anyone, great information we even got to be a part of some of the research. A true GEM int he Keys. read more

Went there on vacation, after reading a little about it. Found it to be one of the highlights of the trip to key west. Really interesting and informative, and not terribly high priced for what it is. The dolphins swim in an open area, they pretty much get to do what they want (in contrast to other parks that have this sort of thing). It's really cool to see the communication between the dolphins and the trainers. read more

For a group ranging from ages 20's to 70's, this was the highlight of our vacation. Tried the dolphin encounter, actually getting in the water with two dolphins and trying various interactions, including getting pulled through the water at high speed. Very knowledgeable staff, and very talented dolphins. It gave us a renewed appreciation of this intriguing animal. You can spend most of a day there, learning all about their training and research activities. Not at all commercial as you might find Sea World or a city aquarium, but they do have a gift shop if you are determined to find a memento. read more

My wife and I did the dolphin dip and found it to be fun and educational interacting with the dolphins. The trainers were gave us signals that the dolphins followed and the dolphins we're amazing! I would recommend the Dolphin Research Center and all it's programs for the whole family. read more

We were numerous (7) and it was a nice and professional time. Only regret: at the last minute, my little daughter, 5 years old, didn't accept do try it and no discount was possible. It's a pity to be so hard... when the cost is high. read more

Gave this place another chance, same terrible experience. Same mis-information BS they spatter. I will never return!

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!! There was a snak bar that serves lunch. The Dolphin's are very well trained. They know what go and have a splash fight means they know what go and shake hands means and much more. The staff are very kind. I learnes a lot about Dolphin's. read more

Its been 10 yrs since my husband and I stayed in Marathon,and my most memorable time was at Dolphin Research Center,I was taken so much I went twice.I didnt swim with the dolphins but after the show i found a more private spot where the 1 main dolphin ,was love for Delphi,,I stood and talked to him for awhile and he stayed and listened to every word.The lady at the gift shop gave me a 5x7 pic of Delphi.When I heard he died I felt bad but hey my encounter with him made me a lover of all dolphins.We are now seniors and I'll never be able to afford a return trip but I always get a good feeling when I look at Delphis picture.Thank you for making happy memories read more

An apparent very fine establishment has given me great disappointment. The staff itself has shown great welcoming minus the sour communication skills displayed among its coworkers and staff. Management was even more of a disappointment. Being a business owner myself and having my family members who have visited and give there reviews. I'm less than satisfied. Stuck up, uncomfortable and the last thing you want to do for these people is offer a giving hand. Volunteering ... Do not waist your time! Very disconcerting and apparently it is not needed. If your not willing to work 40 hours per week , zero compensation with duties of scrubbing grounds and garbarge with absolutely zero interaction with the dolphin then this might be for you. Will highly NOT recommend this to anyone in the area. There is a great amount of better options for a wonderful Dolphin Florida keys experience. This wouldn't be the one to go to. read more

What a great experience! Went for Easter Sunday and it was quieter, which was a bonus. We got walk on tickets for the Dolphin Encounter where you get in with the dolphins in deeper water next to a dock and get to touch, play, swim once and go over some tricks with them. Granted, what the one person warned about the length of time with the dolphins is true, so keep it in mind, but as a great way for teens and adults to interact with the dolphins, it can only be beaten by doing a trainer for the day or a researcher for the day. Our friends' kids did the Encounter and were really pleased with the whole way it went as well as the photos they got after for $1/photo ($50 for 50 for 2 people). The informative talks that are given not only to the participants in the many diverse dolphin encounter options but also to the viewers are worth the $25 entry fee ($21 with AAA). It is possible to get walk on tickets, but would check the website first on the day you want if you don't have time to reserve ahead of time. The trainers/staff all are available to answer and and all questions and go into detail on anything you are interested in. The talks given vary in details and info, so going early upon opening time is well worth it. They also have a sea lion talk that was enjoyable, b/c their talks are enthusiastically given and are a part of the presentation with actual animal demos. A must go activity. They also offer an internship for those interested in possible careers in this area, school class trips, and volunteering. read more