If you're looking for a calm, educational, and genuinely enjoyable experience in St. Augustine, the…read moreSt. Augustine Aquarium is a lovely hidden gem--especially for families and anyone curious about marine life. This isn't a massive, overwhelming aquarium, and that's actually part of its charm. The space is clean, well-organized, and thoughtfully designed to let you slow down and really appreciate the exhibits. You'll see a nice variety of sea life, from colorful reef fish and sharks to stingrays and local Florida species, all displayed in a way that feels both engaging and approachable. What truly sets this place apart is the interactive experience. The staff is incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do. They take the time to explain, answer questions, and make the visit feel personal rather than rushed. The touch tanks are a big highlight--hands-on, educational, and fun for kids and adults alike. It's a perfect stop if you want something relaxed, informative, and family-friendly without the crowds. Whether you're visiting with children or just want a peaceful break from sightseeing, the St. Augustine Aquarium offers a refreshing and memorable experience. A great little spot that's well worth the visit.

Such a cute smaller attraction off the beaten path of the Main Saint Augustine area. Definitely…read moreworth going for a small educational look and see of aquatic life. They offer snorkeling and their Upground aquarium along with a ropes course strung above the area. There's a smaller trail behind the facility that you can walk and explore on your own. Restroom is available and a small gift shop. You can purchase food to feed and or pet the sharks and stingrays. Great facility for smaller schools to visit they do offer summer camps as well .

Everything. Healthy fish, great service. They are a family business that cares about what you needread more

This is very nice inside. The man that worked there was so nice and helpful. He took time to…read moreexplain the nitrate cycle for me. All the fish looked super health too. I highly recommend this place.

We had a great experience! There were so many tanks and animal enclosures that held some fish and…read moreanimals we've never heard of (and my son is an animal fanatic)! Our favorites were the Arapaimas, otters, and everything in the walk-thru aquarium! The facility and restrooms were clean and there were many young employees eager to help and share about the educational talk. The event rooms looked really neat and we had to stop in the gift shop! We'll be back!

If you love marine life and animals, this is the place to go. You will be able to see many…read moredifferent types of animals. Some you will get to touch and interact with.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the Alligator Farm, but we were pleasantly…read moresurprised at the the amount of wildlife and the size of the farm as a whole. The admission seemed steep, but by the end, with all the alligators, turtles, reptiles, birds, and mammals it seemed appropriate. St Augustine, being America's oldest city, has quite a bit to see and do! We were able to see the lighthouse, fountain of youth, alligator farm, visit many restaurants and old bars and take the Flagler College tour. The only thing that would have made the day better would have a been a concert at the St Augustine Amphitheater! It was an amazing day!

I absolutely love the Alligator Farm. Because of my previous experience with alligator farms in…read moreThailand, I thought the St Augustine Alligator Farm was going to be shadey. A place where you see alligators but you also eat them and buy alligator skin handbags. That was most certainly not the case here. I always recommend the Alligator Farm for people from out of town as I think it's something truly unique to this region. In the farm/zoo there's more than just alligators, there are crocodiles, birds, and other reptiles. The feeding show is a must see! How often do you see a crocodile eating in real life?

Good for an hour long of entertainment. The show was a little silly and my 4 year old instantly…read moredeclared it wasn't a real mermaid, but we had a good visit. I loved the scavenger hunt with the checklist of animals to find.

We happened upon the mertailors booth at the manatee festival and when the weather turned cold we…read moredecided to spend the afternoon checking them out. What an absolutely pleasant surprise. Not knowing what to expect we were so impressed with the space. Very kid friendly and super interactive. The rays were my favorite as they are like little puppies wanting to be petted. The mermaid show was so impressive. Swimming in salt water with live animals and staying in the water for 30+ minutes straight is wild! I look forward to our next visit to the area and enjoying Mertailors again!

My parents were reminiscing about when they were middle school aged and came here for field trips…read more I was surprised to find out that Silver Springs State Park and the glass bottom boat tours have been around for that long! It was about a 1.5 hour ride from Orlando. Woke up real early on a Saturday (on honestly one of the coldest days of the year) to arrive at the park around 8am. I highly suggest purchasing glass bottom boat tour tickets online about a week in advance atleast since time slots fill up! We purchased the 1.5 hour tour on the boats. Our tour guide was incredible and shared so much knowledge and facts about the wildlife and park. I got to see tons of manatees! Plus getting to see gators, turtles, birds, and even monkeys! The glass bottom gives such a cool perspective on viewing the wildlife and plants underwater. Aside from the tour, we walked several trails to enjoy the great outdoors. Also, we had coffee in the morning when we first got here and lunch after the tour. The food was pretty good and filling. At the gift shop I made sure to leave with a magnet and Christmas ornament to remember such a great day here.

What a breathtaking location! From the parking lot, it doesn't look like much. They are redoing the…read moreentrance sign, and from the outside, it seems like the place might be pretty rundown. However, once you walk through, you are quickly transported. The entrance to the park is only two dollars per person, and honestly, in my opinion, they could charge just a little bit more. The glass-bottom boat tours run faster than you might expect, so if you have the time (which we didn't during our visit), opt for the longer boat ride; it doesn't cost much more. They also have little shops to explore and plenty of outdoor seating so you can take in the beautiful surroundings. If you're a water lover, make sure to plan ahead and reserve a crystal-clear kayak or paddleboard to enjoy the water--it'll be worth every penny. The only hiccup in our plan was that we booked everything on the day of our visit, so we ended up with a shorter tour on the glass-bottom boats and got locked into the last kayaking time slot. The woman at the reservation desk for the kayaks was not very pleasant. She told us that despite showing a 5 o'clock slot, they were no longer taking reservations. I showed her the option on my phone, but she still refused to let us sign waivers. Luckily, we found the manager in charge of the rental hut, who advised that we could still make our reservation online. I showed him on my phone, and although we'd have to pay full price and probably have less than an hour, that was perfectly fine with us since we were in the last slot. The lake was practically empty, so we had the entire waterway to ourselves--so beautiful and peaceful. Honestly, it felt like we were in another country, surrounded by nature. If you don't have the chance to kayak, there's also a walking path where you can see monkeys left behind from one of the movies that was filmed on location. We walked part of the path, and it was just as beautiful. Any chance my kids and I get to be outside in nature, we gravitate towards it, putting away our phones to enjoy everything around us. What a great way to spend your day and your vacation!

I have been to sea life aquarium several times over the years. I first brought my nephew 10 years…read moreago and I've brought my son several times over the years. It's not terribly large, but it is a pretty good size. We usually spend about 45 minutes to an hour here which is kind of his attention span. They have lots of places that you can climb up and feel like you are inside the aquarium and have the fish all around you. He really likes that. They also have a place where you can pet some of the sea life. He does not like that at all. They also sometimes have opportunities to feed the sea life for an additional charge. They are currently doing an animal crossing promo and you can collect stamps as you to travel through the aquarium. At the end, you get some badges and my son really enjoyed that. The price to visit is a little steep so definitely look at getting a combo ticket. You can save money if you decide to do the aquarium as well as the wax museum in Orlando eye. We have Legoland annual passes and those include the aquarium. There's an even smaller version inside Legoland.

We visit zoos and aquariums often and genuinely don't mind paying admission when it supports…read moreconservation and provides animals with well-maintained, enriching habitats. That's why this experience was especially disappointing. We purchased tickets in advance and paid nearly $160 for four people, three adults and one child. For what was offered, that price is incredibly hard to justify. The aquarium is located inside a mall, and the entire experience felt dark, cramped, crowded, and worn down. If we felt confined walking through it, I couldn't help but think about the animals living there every day. There were surprisingly few exhibits, and the sea life itself was fairly limited. Nothing felt particularly unique, and the entire visit took us less than 30 minutes at a relaxed pace. To make matters worse, the building had an unpleasant odor. You expect a slight marine smell at an aquarium, but this smelled more like an old, damp mop than the ocean. For the admission price, we expected a much larger, cleaner, and more engaging experience. Instead, we left wondering where all that ticket money is actually going. Something about this place just didn't sit right with us. And honestly... something seems a little fishy here.

A great hidden gem in Jacksonville. We love visiting on a rainy day with the kids. There are tons…read moreof fish and sea animals, a little library, tasty cafe, and lots of hands on activities.

So this place is huge. It's an aquarium and a fish store and everything. No cost to get in but they…read moretake donations. Lots of turtles. It's a really cool place. Something different. Some things aren't marked, so you don't know what you're looking at but still cool. No one here to walk you around or anything. It's just kinda like you're on your own when you walk in. I didn't eat in the restaurant so I'm not sure how the service is. Just came to look at the animals :) cool place. I'd come back.

We headed up to Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo this past Saturday. They were having a Party for the…read morePlanet Day. They threw a party for the animals and celebrated Earth Day. There's a lot to see at this little zoo. We saw lemurs, a tree kangaroo, Visayan Pig, squirrel monkeys, gibbons, Caracals, owls, a beautiful bald eagle, Herons, Cranes, Emus, Kookaburras, Gila Monster, tortoises, a Wood Stork and more! Hard to get photos through some of the fences. What a fun time!

Well worth visiting if up in Gainesville for a medical appointment as we were…read more Cleo the caracal was our favorite. Many exhibits with much vacant land awaiting "The Master Plan". Numerous helpful staff who I think are students at the college. Paths are unpaved and leafy, not wheelchair friendly, but fine for walking. Gift shop had minimal adult sized shirts and none featuring caracals. Yellow parrots nice eye candy.