Gulf World Marine Park
Gulf World Marine Park things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Checked out Gulf world while in pcb and definitely a fun day full of activities for the kids #vacation #beach #pcb #thingstodo #florida #pcbbeach #gulfworld #gulfworldmarinepark #liveanimals #attractions #petting #summer
firefly_mj
143
Captain Yu on Vacation in Panama City Beach
Jacob
50
The Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach was a delightful experience. We visited when there are fewer tourists around, which was a delightful time to go. We were able to view the animals up close and without a crowd. One of the most impressive aspects of the visit was being able to ask questions about the animals. The trainers we talked to were always very open and knowledgeable about the animals they worked with. They were polite, friendly and encouraged questions. They obviously had a rapport with the animals with which they were working and extensive knowledge of their habits and what they liked and did not like. The sea lions and seals were delightful to watch. The amount of fish they consumed was hard to believe. They always wanted more and were incredibly motivated by the food. The animals were obviously well-fed and healthy. The stingrays were fun to feed and feeding them started a frenzy from a few of the animals eyeing the fish. The process and explanation by the attendant was educational. A few shows throughout the day are included with the price of admission. The shows demonstrated the athletic abilities of the animals and were a delight to watch. There are also "animal encounters" available. Some of these are expensive. Having visited and asked a lot of questions, I had a better understanding of the amount of work involved in providing a healthy environment for the animals there. The Gulf World Marine Park is worth a visit.
RalphFLA
00
Our son absolutely LOVES penguins! When I discovered that Gulf World had a penguin encounter I made a reservation for our 3 children to participate. The confirmation said that we should arrive an hour early at 9am. When we arrived the manager, Jacob, met us at the door, handed us arm bands and a pamphlet and told us to wait in line outside the front door and he went back inside and locked the door. Now mind you it’s HOT outside and we have paid $331 to visit this place and asked to stand outside as all the other general admission guest. As we stand outside other visitors doing other animal encounters are allowed inside...as we still stand there waiting for the place to open. My complaint is that if you ask people to arrive an hour early...be ready for them to come inside. Our encounter wasn’t until 10am so once the place did open we still had to wait, again. This is the reason I am giving a 4-star review. Now for the positive...the ladies working the penguin encounter were very nice and friendly with our children. They told us a lot of information about penguins and the kids loved being inside the habitat with the penguins. The photographer took lots of great photos and she was also very friendly. Gulf World is also very small...kind of like a mini version of Sea World. We had a lot of waiting time between shows. It would be nice if the shows were closer together so you wouldn’t have to spend half a day doing what could be seen in 1.5 hours tops.
Daphne Bailey
00
I love that this place takes in animals that can not return to the wild! A rehab for the animals but I can’t help to think some of these animals needed to be separated. I was able to do an encounter with this lovely sea lion Cooper! He did some tricks he hasn’t performed before. I would not recommend some of the tricks for younger kids because he is heavy. However he is a smart sea lion. He was free to go if he didn’t want to do tricks or interact with us. And that’s one reason I really loved this! I also had tons of questions about him and his species and the trainer was very kind and educational! We were only in the pool for about 20 minutes. I wish we could have done more. But I’m glad the staff had some boundaries on what could and could not be done. The turtles were moved inside the building and they were attacking each other. The sharks in the tank outside were attacking each other as well. I tried saying something but I don’t think there was anything they could do. The shark was trying to tare off the other nurse sharks tail. And they were at it for hours. There is a touch area for the sting rays where you can pet the top of them. You can also feed them. However there was a customer picking them up out of water many times and laughing at it. Telling his kids to come pet them. The staff members near by didn’t seem to care. Kids were leaning over the wall and one almost fell in. Again nobody seemed to care. I almost ran over to the kid because I thought he was going to fall in and his parents were not paying attention. The dolphin swim adventure was really cool. You can take pictures with the dolphin and he takes you for a short ride on his belly. The dolphin was treat motivated. I don’t think the dolphin would have participated if he wasn’t getting treats the whole time. Overall this was a great experience. But a friendly reminder these animals have their own minds and should be respected. Don’t do anything that could provoke them. Listen to the trainers. And please watch your kids.
Davis Destiny
00
Updated today to 1 Star as I had a 3 last summer 2024, they get 0 stars in my book. They are terrible people. I love the dolphins stingrays penguins all the animals screw the employees/management. DO NOT DO THE ROYAL SWIM IF YOU WANT TO BE MISLEAD. I went today, Tuesday July 23rd 2024. I went SPECIFICALLY for the dolphin ROYAL SWIM because of the foot push. The only adventure you can buy, that has 2 dolphins and get pushed in the water. The main picture shows you in the air with the dolphins pushing you by your feet. Thats their big selling point. Well after paying $220.00 today I did the whole royal swim only to finish the swim with zero feet pushing. I then asked the trainer “what happened to the foot push” and was told “we don’t offer that anymore for our dolphins medical safety”. They want you to pay 220.00 to be lifted out the water by dolphins but they false advertise by NOT telling you they stopped that. They will tell you “it says online behavior/activities are subject to change without notice”. BUT THATS NOT THE CASE. THEY KNEW THEY STOPPED THE FOOT PUSH FOR A WHILE NOW AND THEY ARE STILL ADVERTISING IT!!! I coulda paid 30-40.00 less to do the regular dolphin adventure that did the same thing as I did with the royal. It’s just to get extra money out of us. Don’t do the royal swim if you want to be disappointed by the foot push. I loved my time in the water with em doing a dorsal tow, and belly ride for less than 10 seconds each. But other than that it was the same as a dolphin swim adventure tour. I loved seeing 2 dolphins but I woulda paid less if I knew the push wasn’t an option anymore. They are false advertising and I screenshot their website and others reviews that prove they did this to others as well. In a good note: I did the stingray snorkel which I was the only 1 in the group at noon that did it. I learned a lot from Sarah and I got all the stingrays to myself! It was amazing awesome and just a blast to be able to do that! (I recommend doing the stingray encounter!)
jessica
00
Nearby Attractions Of Gulf World Marine Park
Club Wyndham Panama City Beach
Hampton Inn & Suites Panama City Beach-Beachfront
I LOVE SUGAR (Panama City Beach)
Calypso Resort and Towers (Towers I & II)
Radisson Beachfront Hotel - Panama City Beach
Origin at Seahaven
Ron Jon Surf Shop
Seahaven Beach Hotel
The Flamingo Hotel and Tower
Embassy Suites by Hilton Panama City Beach Resort

Club Wyndham Panama City Beach
4.3
(1.8K)
Click for details

Hampton Inn & Suites Panama City Beach-Beachfront
4.4
(991)
Click for details

I LOVE SUGAR (Panama City Beach)
4.5
(925)
Click for details

Calypso Resort and Towers (Towers I & II)
4.4
(959)
Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Gulf World Marine Park
Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant
Shuckums Oyster Pub & Seafood Grill
Dave & Buster's Panama City Beach
Diego's Burrito Factory & Margarita Bar
Señor Frog's | Panama City Beach
Barefoot Hide-A-Way
All American Diner
Angry Tuna Seafood Company
Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe - Panama City Beach
Ford's Garage Pier Park

Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant
4.2
(5.3K)
Click for details

Shuckums Oyster Pub & Seafood Grill
4.4
(2.7K)
Click for details

Dave & Buster's Panama City Beach
4.3
(2.6K)
Click for details

Diego's Burrito Factory & Margarita Bar
4.6
(2.3K)
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
15412 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, FL 32413
Map
Phone
(850) 234-5271
Call
Website
gulfworldmarinepark.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.1
(2.4K reviews)
Ratings & Description
entertainment
family friendly
Description
Gulf World Marine Park is a dolphinarium located in Panama City Beach, Florida. It has been open since 1970, and is one of only a few institutes in the United States to house rough-toothed dolphins.
attractions: Club Wyndham Panama City Beach, Hampton Inn & Suites Panama City Beach-Beachfront, I LOVE SUGAR (Panama City Beach), Calypso Resort and Towers (Towers I & II), Radisson Beachfront Hotel - Panama City Beach, Origin at Seahaven, Ron Jon Surf Shop, Seahaven Beach Hotel, The Flamingo Hotel and Tower, Embassy Suites by Hilton Panama City Beach Resort, restaurants: Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant, Shuckums Oyster Pub & Seafood Grill, Dave & Buster's Panama City Beach, Diego's Burrito Factory & Margarita Bar, Señor Frog's | Panama City Beach, Barefoot Hide-A-Way, All American Diner, Angry Tuna Seafood Company, Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe - Panama City Beach, Ford's Garage Pier Park

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