Hello!
This is the second of four posts about my visit to Sarasota, Florida during the Summer of 2024:
A1: Sarasota Overview & South Lido Key Beach
A2: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center (this post)
A3: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
A4: The Ringling, Museum of Art, Bayfront Gardens, Ca' d'Zan, and Circus Museum
This post will cover the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (both buildings) along with the nearby Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center. All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the three aquarium maps.
MOTE MARINE LABORATORY & AQUARIUM
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236
Website: https://mote.org/
Hours: Open Daily, 9:30 A.M. — 5 P.M.
According to the website: To guarantee entry, tickets MUST be purchased online. On busier days we have sold out, and we cannot guarantee walk-up tickets will be available.
Cost (as of 2024):
Adults (13 & older): $29
Youth (ages 3-12): $21
Children (ages 0-2): Free
Mote Members: Free
Special free admission for Active Duty Military personnel (with current ID) and reciprocal partner discounts (50%-100% discounts to members of partner zoos, aquariums or museums).
Note that you can get $1 off with a coupon. Both the airport and my hotel had free Welcome Guide-Maps which included coupons to local attractions. As of 2024, the $1 Mote Aquarium coupon could be used online with the code WGM:
Parking is free.
Extra costs for (I did not do any of these):
- VR Experience: $8 ($6 for members).
- Hurricane Simulator (around $3). I do not think it's worth it. Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry has a free wind tunnel that also simulates 80 mph wind.
- Fossil Creek costs extra too.
Estimated Time: 1 - 2 hours.
When I asked at the entrance, a staff member estimated it would take 1.5 hours to go through both buildings. I ended up spending 70 minutes at the first building and 40 minutes at the second building and it's a 5-10 minute walk in between. So I spent a total of 2 hours but I was very thorough and read about 80% of the information. Maybe I could have spent another 30-60 minutes if I wanted to read everything else and spend extra time taking more pictures. If you are going with children it might take longer. But if you are just looking and not reading, you could probably get through the whole aquarium in one hour total.
SUMMARY
The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is a solid (but average) aquarium. IMHO, the highlight was definitely the manatee, which you don't often see in other aquariums. With the manatee, I would give the Mote Aquarium 3 stars (if they didn't have the manatee I would give it 2 stars). For a frame of reference comparison:
5 stars:
- Acquario di Genova (Genoa, Italy)
- Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, CA)
4 stars:
- Shedd Aquarium (Chicago, IL)
- Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA)
3 stars:
- Mote Aquarium (Sarasota, FL)
2 stars:
- Steinhart Aquarium portion of California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco, CA)
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
- Audubon Aquarium (New Orleans, LA)
1 star:
- Acquario Civico di Milano (Milan, Italy)
The Mote Aquarium felt a bit small. You could definitely spend a few hours there but there really isn't enough to spend a full day there. The aquarium is well staffed with lots of helpful and friendly employees and volunteers.
Mote Aquarium is kid-friendly with numerous interactive exhibits, shark and ray touch pools, touchable sea stars at Contact Cove, and the Mystery Reef area which is mainly geared towards kids.
When I visited, several of the interactive electronic displays were out of order. Also the Ray Touch Pool and Fossil Creek were closed (but the Shark Touch Pool was open).
I was surprised there were no dolphins, since Florida is known for dolphins. Both Chicago's Shedd Aquarium and Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium have dolphin shows. A staff member I talked to said that Mote Aquarium had dolphins when she was a kid but haven't had any in a long time.
I was also surprised there was only a single crocodilian (alligator). While Sarasota itself doesn't have many alligators or crocodiles, they are plentiful in Florida. Maybe Floridians think alligators and crocodiles are so commonplace that they wouldn't want to see them at the aquarium? Then again New Orleans (which is also known for alligators) had several at their Audubon Aquarium and a few rare leucistic white alligators at their Audubon Zoo.
Mote Aquarium also had no penguins and no seals or sea lions. And they only had 3 otters who spent their time huddled in their den so I couldn't see much. Nonetheless, Buffett the manatee more than made up for the lack of dolphins, penguins, and seals / sea lions!
MAIN AQUARIUM
I will begin with a tour of the Main Aquarium building:
This is part of the Indoor Galleries:
The Coastal Waters area is sheltered (there is a roof so you won't get wet from rain) but open air (you can feel the temperature and wind from outside).
This pond with lilypads and a fountain is not sheltered from the rain. You can see the Ray Touch Pool in the hut to the right though it was closed when I visited. You can also see the Deep Sea Diner underneath the awning and portions of the giant Megalodon mural nearby.
This is another pond full of lilypads that is past the Shark Zone and Contact Cove. You can see a snowy egret sitting on a tree stump. This area is not sheltered and is open air - the snowy egret (Egretta thula) is a wild bird that is not a resident of the aquarium.
Here is a closer look at the snowy egret who is just chilling with the lilypads. The snowy egret is one of the smaller and more common species of egret found in the wild in Florida.
A view of the Sea Science at Work laboratory that is located between the Deep Sea Diner and the Gift Shop. They are studying corals here.
ANIMALS
Here are some of the notable animals found in the Main Aquarium.
This is Cecil the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin):
https://mote.org/visit/animals/cecil/
Clownfish with sea anemones:
Other tropical fish:
Mote Aquarium has two main shark tanks. A smaller one near Contact Cove and the big one at the Shark Zone. This is the one at the Shark Zone. You can view it from the side at ground level or you can go upstairs and get a downwards view as in this picture:
This is a spiny lobster. It is not a true lobster because it lacks claws and has long, spiny antennae.
Caribbean king crab
Mithrax spinosissimus
Two different tanks of jellyfish:
Green moray eel
Gymnothorax funebris
Lionfish:
This is Molly, a 27 foot long preserved giant squid (Architeuthis dux). She was accidentally caught off of New Zealand in 1999 and then donated to the Mote Aquarium.
A replica of a Megalodon (Otodus megalodon) jaw. This is a popular photo op spot.
MYSTERY REEF
The Mystery Reef area is intended for kids but is not restricted to kids. Admission is included with your ticket (i.e. there is no additional charge). While it is part of the main building, you need to enter through a side entrance. On the map it is found in the Temporary Exhibit area.
The theme is to investigate what is hurting coral reefs. There are various games to play. There is also a domed section with bean bags for kids to sit and play around.
This is a Whac-A-Mole game about invasive lionfish (that was my high score!):
These air tubes shoot out colored scarves that you can catch floating down from the air. IIRC, it is to simulate how turtles see and eat jellyfish.
ART
This is a giant mural of a Megalodon that is found on the building of the Deep Sea Diner and near the replica of the Megalodon jaws. This is another popular place for visitors to take photos.
This whale sculpture can be found outside the Main Aquarium entrance near Admissions:
This fish sculpture is found outside along the path between the Main Aquarium and the Marine Mammal Center:
This alligator sculpture is on the second floor of the Marine Mammal Center. The sculpture is not completely anchored down in that if you sit on top of it, it can shift. Another visitor discovered this to his embarrassment, though to the entertainment of everyone else watching!
This is a cute illustration of the lifecycle of sea turtles. This can be found at the Marine Mammal Center. Naughty raccoons! Leave those baby turtles alone!!!
MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
Here are pictures of three different turtles.
The first is Hang Tough, a blind green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) who has been at the Mote Aquarium since 1992:
https://mote.org/visit/animals/hang-tough/
The turtle skeleton is a reflection from the exhibit behind where I am standing.
There are also several areas where you can look down at other turtles:
It is my honor to introduce you to Buffett, a Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris):
https://mote.org/visit/animals/buffett/
Buffett and his brother Hugh were born at the Miami Seaquarium and then brought to Mote Aquarium in 1996. Unfortunately, Hugh passed away last year in 2023. Apparently, Buffett is specially trained to participate in voluntary, detailed behavioral research.
Buffett seems unafraid of humans and is willing to get up close and personal with visitors. The water and glass are also very clear, making it easy to take good photos of (or with) Buffett, making him one very photogenic manatee!
Here are a bunch of pictures that I took of Buffett:
Mote Aquarium has three North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) named Huck, Pippi, and Jane. Unfortunately, when I visited they spent all the time holed up in their den so it was hard to see much of them, let alone take many good pictures. These were the two best photos I was able to take:
Roseate spoonbill
Platalea ajaja
Mote Aquarium has a single American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). You can view it from the ground level or look down at it from the second floor. Here are pictures from the two different elevations:
Garden eels:
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). Some people think these tiger salamanders are really cute!
Sea horses:
An interactive quiz game you can play with your friends:
Epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) in the Shark Touch Pool. You can gently pet them with two fingers.
GIFT SHOP
Note that I am not compensated in any way for promoting any of these products. I just like to take note of cute things!
Otter 3D Toddler Hooded Sweatshirt
$50
https://www.muzemerch.com/otter-3d-toddler-hooded-sweatshirt
Assorted plushies:
Eco Pals River Otter Plush
$25
https://www.muzemerch.com/eco-pals-river-otter-plush
(If you buy it at the Gift Shop it's only $23, probably due to bulk discounts that the aquarium gets).
Eco Pals Manatee Plush
$25
https://www.muzemerch.com/eco-pals-manatee-plush
(If you buy it at the Gift Shop it's only $23, probably due to bulk discounts that the aquarium gets).
Manatee Cross Body Bag
by Sleepyville Critters
$32.99
I can't find the item on the Sleepyville Critters website but it is offered by a third party on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/WonderMolly-Manatee-Cross-Body-Bag/dp/B07X4BP15N?th=1
SAVE OUR SEABIRDS WILD BIRD LEARNING CENTER
1708 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236
Website: https://www.saveourseabirds.org/visit
Hours: Open Daily, 10 A.M. - 4 P.M.
Note that the Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center closes an hour earlier than the Mote Aquarium. So if you are visiting both near the end of the day, make sure you finish the Wild Bird Learning Center first.
Cost: FREE! Donations are appreciated though.
The Wild Bird Learning Center is a completely separate organization from the Mote Aquarium though they are right next to each other and share the same free parking lot.
Estimated Time: 30 - 60 minutes.
I visited right before closing time so I rushed through in 15 - 20 minutes. There aren't many informational / educational displays so it's mainly about seeing the birds along the Birdwalk and not really about reading about them.
There is a small gift shop on the upper floor that you reach by walking up a ramp.
I would rate the Wild Bird Learning Center as 2 stars. It is free but limited in scope. It's comparable to the bird section the average zoo has. However, the average zoo has many additional areas beyond just birds. But if you happen to be in the area, I would encourage you to visit Save Our Seabirds and support their mission!
Comparing the Wild Bird Learning Center to some of the zoos I have visited:
5 stars:
- Brookfield Zoo (Brookfield, IL)
4 stars:
- Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, Free)
3 stars:
- Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
2 stars:
- San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (San Francisco, CA)
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
- Audubon Insectarium (New Orleans, LA)
- Audubon Zoo (New Orleans, LA)
These are some pretty metallic sculptures of birds:
Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
Barn owl
Tyto alba
Two species of hawk:
Roseate spoonbill
Platalea ajaja
