Theater of the Sea — Attraction in Islamorada

There’s so many reviews that it almost seems silly to add another, but we went for my sons birthday and had a great time so I’m going to anyway! The cost of admission seems just about right for want is presented and the amount of time spent at the park. We started out by going to grab some food, we looked at the menu online and it looked pretty good and prices somewhat reasonable. We figured it would be better to just eat a the park rather than stopping somewhere before hand and spending too much time at the restaurant. There’s 7 of us, so going somewhere can be quite a chore! Anyways, this is my reason for 4 stars and not 5. They are only serving cold food, wraps, salad, chips and drinks. This was not indicated anywhere on the website, which was frustrating when we got up to the counter to see that. The offerings are extremely limited and a bit pricey for what you get. Beyond this, everything was great, the shows go on from one to the next, and run 3 times per day, allowing ample time to stop and relax and just enjoy the exhibits, while still being able to catch the shows. The Dolphin show is far and away the best I’ve ever seen, it was done very well and was long enough for everybody to enjoy! The other shows are also good, very informative and you can tell the people here really pour there heart into their work with these animals. The beach area was also a hit for us, it was a warm day of 85 degrees or so and the kids were able to get in to feed the fish and cool off, we spent quite a bit of time just lounging in this area and hanging out. Definitely make a stop here, the tour can be done in as little as 2.5 hours and even if that’s all you do, it’s definitely...

A beautiful and well maintained property. I was very impressed with their care for the animals. I care deeply for the welfare of animals, and was prepared to observe the abhorrent conditions like a large ocean animals company from when I was young in the 80s (you know what places I mean). Nope. Instead, I saw a place that was clean, well-maintained, safe, friendly, and strongly concerned for the animals they have rescued. Lots of shade! Beautiful and labeled plants- including the biggest orchids I've ever seen! They use positive reinforcement conditioning to train the animals who all seemed content and healthy.

Key tip: the extra add-on experiences are not particularly necessary. The regular shows are entertaining and educational. Swimming with the dolphins- maybe. But, you are very close to the animals throughout the event.

I only have two critiques.

Really important, they should speak at least a little Spanish. Almost everywhere I've been on the Keys had had at least one person who spoke Spanish to support their customers. This is really the only place that doesn't. Way more than half of their clientele spoke Spanish as a first language, and many of the kids didn't understand the shows. The shows were clearly scripted, so why not offer the scripts translated into Spanish. Even small efforts like saying, "Bienvenidos." Several times, there were safety instructions spoken by the trainer that couldn't have been understood by the Spanish only crowd. ¡Haz mejor, Teatro del Mar!

The bottomless boat trip included was really nice. It would have been marginally better if the motor was electric. And, I think, safer for the ears of...

All right so this place is amazing. This was our second time here. The first time we came was about 3 years ago and we (my wife, our son, and I) did the dolphin experience and it was awesome. Worth every penny. I also got to swim and feed the stingray which was really fun. This time we all did the sea lion experience and it was just as good as the dolphin one. Maybe better! I'm glad that they havent been hit to hard by corona, if they have it doesn't seem like it so good on them. Definitely go early if your doing one of the animal experiences. You want to be in the first group or two I would imagine as the animals are raring to go, not sure if they switch out during the day they might as they have lots of sea lions and dolphins. We still recognized tucker from the first time we saw him and he was just as big and goofy as I remembered.

They also have a small beach to snorkel with fish and past that they have specialized sections for the stingrays, and sharks etc. This is where those animal experiences are and I can't wait to do the shark experience next time we visit. They also have a large variety of birds as well as a bird show and a bottomless boat tour, yes bottomless not glass bottomed, sounds crazy but it's awesome. There also some alligators and the biggest turtles I have ever seen. One literally looked like a large rounded rock on the bottom of the pond.

Theatre of the Sea is a MUST SEE on any visit to the keys either on your way down for a quick hour or two or as part of a fun day of other activities in the local area. You won't regret it. And If you somehow don't enjoy it I have to assume you're...