Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park Visitors Guide

Since its inception, the Gulfarium has been an Emerald Coast staple, and a favorite among both locals and visitors to the area. The Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park opened in 1955, making it one of the country’s first marine animal parks! Even further, in 1956, the park implemented a “Living Sea Exhibit,” with daily dive demonstrations for visitors to view through glass windows. These windows stretch from floor to ceiling, making the Gulfarium the first aquarium of its time to have such a spectacular feature.

Over the years, the Gulfarium continued to grow and expand into the aquarium you know and love today. The Gulfarium features a wide variety of animals including dolphins, turtles, seals, otters, penguins, alligators, and more! Not only that, the park also features daily shows, and hands-on animal encounters with your favorite aquatic acquaintances. Popular animal encounters include the following:

• Dolphin Splash Encounter
• Discover Dolphins
• Discover Harbor Seals
• Kids Reptile Safari
• VIP Trainer
• And MORE!

The Gulfarium is dedicated to creating unforgettable experiences for their guests, but is also dedicated to marine animal conservation, research, rehabilitation, and education, as well. Hundreds of sea turtles, and other magnificent creatures, have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild by the Gulfarium. This awe-inspiring aquarium is both a Fort Walton Beach family vacation staple, and a significant player in conserving and protecting the magnificent marine life that calls the Emerald Coast home.

In addition, the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2020. While 65 years in business alone is plenty to celebrate, this awesome aquarium celebrated plenty of groundbreaking milestones, as well, including the following:

• The Gulfarium was the first marine park to perform underwater shows with SCUBA gear.
• They were the first to record a dolphin jumping to a height of 21 feet!
• The Gulfarium was the first to successfully raise a stranded baby bottlenose dolphin. They were also the first to develop a synthetic milk formula for bottlenose dolphins, and this formula is still being used today!