It was a fantastic day trip over to Clearwater Beach (about an hour’s drive).  The aquarium is located over the bridge near a super cute marina, if you recall from the movie.  The views of the intercoastal and all the way over to Clearwater Beach were incredible.

We chose the self-guided tour; however, there are upgraded tours of the facilities that will take you behind the scenes.  We would love to return for these at some point.  We did enjoy a few great informational shows while there.

The first show was the “real” story of Winter and how she came to the Aquarium.  While everything is dramatized for movies, the storyline is not identical but close.  We also learned all about her prosthetic tail and how it works.  It was a very interesting and informative show, and we even got to hold one of the (old) prosthetics.  Caleb was shocked by how heavy it was.

We saved the BEST for last.  We went down below to watch the trainers do some work with Hope and Winter both and learned about why Winter usually only wears her prosthetic for her therapy sessions.  She has adapted very well to life without her tail, and it was so amazing to see her swim about and play.

There is much more to see and do as you make your way through the facility, and the aquarium is very interactive, including a touch tank.  They even have a Great White Pelican rescue, where you’ll get to meet Ricky, who played “Rufus” in the movies.

While we were there, some of the areas were under construction.  The facility is getting an $80 million expansion.  The size is going to more than double in most areas, including the tanks. The renovation is due to be complete in the Fall of 2020.  We can’t wait to come back and check it out the next time we are in the area.

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Since we’re spending some time in the Tampa area we decided to visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (@cmaquarium). This is the same facility which was featured in the movie “Dolphin Tale” . If you visit you’ll be able to walk over the exact areas where many of the movie scenes were filmed.

The dolphin “Winter” (who lost her tail due to a crab pot entailment) is still at the aquarium as a full-time resident. They do a group discussion with her and show the prosthetic tail to teach visitors all about it. They have hundreds of other rescued animal to view as well. It was very educational and we highly recommend! ·

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