Today we made the short trip up the road to a place called Marineland, and as you can see, the whole purpose of this trip was an opportunity for the girls to "swim with the dolphins." Mommy has done this before, before Madison was even born - she and Daddy did this down at Discovery Cove. But this was the first time for Madison, and as you can see here below, she just absolutely loved it.
This was something we were talking about months ago. We had an opportunity to sign up for the Marine Science Center camp one more year, but the other option we presented to Madison was a chance to do a "swim with the dolphins" program instead. You can see the choice she made.
We've been seeing some advertisements for "Marineland" just up the road from here along A1A. In fact, we heard about it from some friends, and we sort of got the idea about the place early on that it was basically something similar to the Marine Science Center, only they let you swim with dolphins as well.
There's a bit of history to the place as well. It was actually constructed in 1938, or at least one building there was: the gift shop. The rest of the area was demolished, so nothing remains of the original structures that used to be there. Hollywood movies were filmed there, and large scale aquatic shows were put on there, all of this before Disney and SeaWorld stepped into Florida. This was the big travel destination, right there alongside the main road down Florida's coast. Of course, Orlando's entertainment empire began to suck away all the business from places like this, as did the new interstate. A few hurricanes sealed the deal, shutting it down completely for a while. Daddy learned this while talking with an older employee there, although you can probably find all this information online. Florida's pre-Disney entertainment destinations are a fascinating and unusual collection.
We arrived a few hours before the appointment with the dolphins, and there were a few things going on - although we missed the behind-the-scenes tour completely. We did catch the turtle talk, which of course was largely information we already know - not because we're experts, but because we've been going to Marine Science Center for years, and Madison has been a big fan of sea turtles. There was one sea turtle there that was something new: a Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, which we had not ever seen before. These are the smaller and more rare turtles. This one's name is Pokey, and though he isn't able to go to the ocean, he's taken care of here.
Nearby there were other tanks: there are a few shark tanks, but not the kind you propose business deals in. These shark tanks actually had sand tiger sharks in them.
After a bit of time, we went over to the dolphin area, which is a very pleasant stroll along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. We watched a few other dolphin programs going on, and sat at a place in the shade, getting a few drinks. There was a small demonstration there, one where the dolphins were splashing Madison and the other kids in the audience. But eventually, it was time to get in the water with the dolphins.
This was a wonderful moment. Madison and Mommy together, saying hello to Casique. It's certainly an unusual name for a dolphin, but she was a very nice dolphin, very warm and friendly with all the guests there.
She was even playful with everyone, giving them a big splash! Madison turned away when she saw it coming, and was laughing at all the waves of water soaking everyone further.
Uh-oh... here comes the tail! Maybe it's going to be another big splash! After all these years in the swimming pool, it's great to see Madison get a little payback from all these years of splashing Daddy, point-blank range.
Of course, she loved it. All the guests did, and all those did who were watching. Basically, there were a few words shared with everyone about dolphins in general, about diet, about training, about habits. And while that was all going on, people took turns doing different things with the dolphin. Here's Madison interacting with our dolphin friend.
She even got to dance with him for a few moments, which you can see here. I'm pretty sure this is not the Cha-Cha Slide.
And of course Mommy was out there too. This is a sweet shot, the one everyone got to do where they reach down and give this dolphin a kiss.
The girls had a great time, and they were out there a good while, doing some of these things or watching others do the same things. Daddy was in an area across the way, watching and taking pictures. I noticed there were a few other dads over there too, laughing, taking pictures or video. There is a camera person there, of course, and they charge a good bit of money for the pictures. We just went ahead and bought them all - we'll get them tomorrow. But until then, these pictures Daddy took from across the pool turned out really well.
Here's Madison dancing with her dolphin friend, and here's Mommy below, sharing a happy moment with her dolphin friend.
Mommy got to do a little dance too, and I love the way the dolphin's face looks as if he is super happy about it. Of course, he knows he's getting some fish in a moment, so there's something to be super happy about there.
But the guests were super happy too. Madison even got to give our dolphin friend a kiss:
She said the dolphin didn't even smell like fish. Actually, it was a really sweet afternoon there. Despite the fact that this facility isn't the empire that SeaWorld may be, this was a nice and quieter alternative, if you're looking for one of those dolphin experiences. They even had that moment where you swam out deeper into the pool, and the dolphin gave you a "ride" back to the shallow area.
You can see Mommy hitching a ride here above, and you can see Madison about to get a lift back to shore herself below.
We'll have better pictures of that event tomorrow, as the photographer had a much better angle on all that. The girls were out there for about a half-hour, and then, it was time to wave goodbye.
It was really nice, actually. We were hesitant about visiting initially. But we had a good time, and I think that's all dependent on whether you get involved with one of the dolphin programs or not. For example, Daddy did not, and paid over twenty dollars to basically see a few sea turtles, walk the premises, see a shark (the other was in the murky water there), and then watch the dolphins. When you consider what you get for that entry fee, it's not worth it. That's because it's all about the dolphins. I wouldn't go here unless you or someone in your party was getting in the water with the dolphins, and then at that point, it's a very pleasant experience - which it was for us.
Afterwards, we were off to the gift shop. Madison got some gift money from relatives in England, and spent a good bit of it on a plush dolphin that she's got in bed with her tonight. And we all got ice cream there, and a pressed penny too. And then, it was time to head home.
We took a different path home, one along A1A - instead of I-95. First of all, it was a much more scenic route, the road running along the ocean the entire trip. It was nice going through all those beach towns on the way south, and of course the road went right by Nana and Ba-Ba's condo. We got back and we realized it was just as long of a drive too - so next time, we'll probably just drive up the coast.
And yes, there'll be a next time. Madison had an incredible time, and wants to do it again. She wants to do the "dolphin trainer for a day" program, or anything they'll let her do. So we'll look into that for next time.
Until then, we're heading to bed tonight. We had a nice dinner with the grandparents here, and got home just in time for it to start raining. What a blessing the weather was for us today! We had a good day with some wonderful memories. But everyone's a bit tired, and after some reading, I think it's time for everyone to get to bed.
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About 9am the next morning, we got our pictures, the whole set. Here are just a few of the highlights, which turned out pretty good!
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