Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park — Attraction in Santa Rosa Island

Today, my husband and I had the pleasure of joining our son and his elementary school class on a field trip to the Gulfarium. This was our first time visiting since we recently moved to Florida in August, and overall, we had a wonderful time. The animals appeared well taken care of, and the park itself was clean and enjoyable. We really appreciated the opportunity to see so many amazing creatures up close.

That being said, I feel compelled to address a situation that left us a bit disappointed, particularly in the way some staff members interacted with guests. We attended the morning Dolphin show and found our seats in the third row of the stadium, just above the "splash zone" area. In front of us were two mothers with their daughters, both of whom were autistic. The little girls were having fun and playing, but it was clear that sitting still was difficult for them. As the mother of a son on the spectrum, my husband and I understand how challenging it can be to keep a child calm and seated during certain situations, so we were sympathetic to their struggles.

The little girls weren't being disruptive—one was standing in front of her mom, flapping her hands, and both were staying within their space. However, at one point, a staff member named Lisa approached and told the mothers, somewhat abruptly, that they needed to sit down. The mothers tried to comply, but the situation continued to escalate when one of the girls couldn't remain seated. Lisa returned shortly after, raised her voice, and said, "If you can’t keep her seated, you’ll have to leave and stand somewhere else."

This interaction was distressing to witness, as the mother was doing her best to manage the situation and keep her daughter calm. She had to leave the show with her child, missing out on a special moment with her class. As a parent of a child with special needs, I understand how difficult it is to navigate everyday experiences like these, and I felt that Lisa’s response was insensitive and uncalled for.

While I completely understand the importance of maintaining rules for safety, the girls weren’t harming anyone. They were simply trying to engage with their environment in a way that helped them feel comfortable. I believe that staff members, especially in public-facing roles at places like the Gulfarium, should be trained on how to approach and support children with disabilities more empathetically and respectfully. This incident left a sour note on an otherwise enjoyable visit, and I hope the Gulfarium takes the opportunity to offer additional training to staff on how to interact with families who have special needs children.

We still had a good time, but I wanted to share this experience in the hope that it can lead to better training and awareness for...

This aquarium is not the biggest we've been to by far but it is the only one that hasn't charged an arm and leg for a dolphin encounter. We bought both time slots and planned to visit in-between the two so each kid could feed a dolphin. The youngest decided after his sister he didn't want to touch "a stinky fish" lol They wouldn't let us give the ticket away so my daughter was super excited to go twice. It was an experience she'll never forget. And the show was amazing. Dolphins in captivity are a love hate thing for me. They were so informative and the dolphins drew in the crowd so they can teach you but it's a small tank compared to such a big ocean. That being said their animals seemed happy, playful and healthy.

We spoke with a lady that was working on rehabilitating the sea turtles. Pretty cool to watch her feeding a few. She was very knowledgeable too and answered my questions very nicely.

The facility was clean and well lit throughout. Beautiful views of the ocean. Most all the staff were sweet and helpful. The gift shop was amazing. The dolphin pictures were a nice keepsake that you can purchase separately from the encounter.

I'd change a few things about the set up if I could, I'd make the shark loop thing drastically bigger. I felt bad for them and I hope they have a bigger area somehow attached to it. I'd make the entrance a little less confusing. Everything moves quickly and I had to go back down for directions again lol for anyone else, if you're going to the dolphin show there's a line, just wait lol I was told how to go but nothing about the doors being locked and needing to wait in line was mentioned to get in. I was on a mission to find the floating dock gate she described and looked a bit crazy going in circles past the line. Lol and lastly I'd add a few things to the touch tank with a staff member to talk to the kids about the critters.

Overall it was an amazing experience for my daughter and the rest of us had an awesome time too. I highly recommend letting your kids be apart of the dolphin show. It sparked a whole new level of love for dolphins in my little girl that I didn't know existed. She may grow up to be an AI dolphin trainer. (Google the new AI dolphin project, it maybe the replacement for using live dolphins one day. Very fascinating read. 🙂) I'd definitely take them back if we're in...

Disappointed with Customer Service at the Gulfarium Photo Center: Ashley L.

I visited the Gulfarium this past Sunday with my family and had a disappointing experience with a staff member named Ashley L. who was working in the photo center. From the beginning, her attitude was cold, unhelpful, and frankly, rude.

When I went to view and purchase the entrance photos they had taken, I noticed my daughter had blinked in the photo. I still wanted it—because it’s my family, and even the imperfect moments matter—but I asked if there was any discount since it wasn’t a great shot. Without any empathy or effort to be polite, Ashley responded with a flat “No. The prices are set.” No offer of a solution, no kindness in her tone—just completely disinterested.

Instead of accepting that, I asked at the front if we could retake the photos—and to their credit, they said yes. I returned to the photo center to purchase the new photos (which turned out great), and I paid the full $40 for the entire package—prints and digital download. Then, I kindly asked if I could just have the original photo as well, the one where my daughter had blinked. I had already paid the maximum amount and figured they’d be throwing out the extra photos anyway. It meant something to me, even if it wasn’t perfect.

Once again, Ashley responded with an attitude, saying, “No, those would have to be purchased separately.” No consideration, no flexibility, no understanding. It felt like she was just uninterested in helping customers and didn’t care about the experience families were having.

What really bothers me is that no one checks the photo quality before sending people off with a QR code. If I hadn’t taken the time to stop and look, I would’ve gone home, paid for the digital download, and ended up with a disappointing photo from a special day. It’s not just about the photo—it’s about the memory, and how customers are treated when trying to preserve it.

The photo team plays an important role in the guest experience, and unfortunately, Ashley’s attitude cast a shadow on what should have been a joyful, easy moment. I hope the Gulfarium considers improving the training and customer service expectations in that area. Guests deserve to be treated with kindness and understanding—especially when it comes to capturing memories with...