Dolphin Research Center
Of the several such centers in the continental United States (all located in the Keys), the Dolphin Research Center is a nonprofit facility and one of the most organized and informative. Although some people argue that training dolphins is cruel and selfish, this is one of the most respected of the institutions that study and protect the mammals, which have arrived here from other facilities, or were rescued, rehabbed, and deemed unreleasable back into the wild by the government. Trainers at the center will also tell you that the dolphins need stimulation and enjoy human contact. They certainly seem to. They nuzzle and seem to smile and kiss the people who get to interact with them in daily interactive programs. The “family” of 27 dolphins swims in a 90,000-square-foot natural saltwater pool carved out of the shoreline. If you can’t get into an interactive program, you can watch the sessions that cover a variety of topics from fun facts about dolphins, to therapeutic qualities of dolphins, to research projects in progress. There are also sea lions (which swim with the dolphins), exotic birds, iguanas and tortoises here. Because the Dolphin Encounter swimming program is the most popular, advanced reservations are required and can be made up to 6 months in advance. The cost is $199 to $225 per person, including entrance fees. If you’re not brave enough to swim with the dolphins or if you have a child under 5 (not permitted to swim with dolphins), try the Meet a Dolphin program, in which participants stand on a submerged platform from which they can “meet and greet” the critters. A participating adult must hold children younger than 5. Cost for this program is $70 per person (free for children 4 and under).
Note: Swimming with dolphins has both its critics and its supporters. You may want to visit the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society’s website at www.wdcs.org.
Of the several such centers in the continental United States (all located in the Keys), the Dolphin Research Center is a nonprofit facility and one of the most organized and informative. Although some people argue that training dolphins is cruel and selfish, this is one of the most respected of the institutions that study and protect the mammals, which have arrived here from other facilities, or were rescued, rehabbed, and deemed unreleasable back into the wild by the government. Trainers at the center will also tell you that the dolphins need stimulation and enjoy human contact. They certainly seem to. They nuzzle and seem to smile and kiss the people who get to interact with them in daily interactive programs. The “family” of 27 dolphins swims in a 90,000-square-foot natural saltwater pool carved out of the shoreline. If you can’t get into an interactive program, you can watch the sessions that cover a variety of topics from fun facts about dolphins, to therapeutic qualities of dolphins, to research projects in progress. There are also sea lions (which swim with the dolphins), exotic birds, iguanas and tortoises here. Because the Dolphin Encounter swimming program is the most popular, advanced reservations are required and can be made up to 6 months in advance. The cost is $199 to $225 per person, including entrance fees. If you’re not brave enough to swim with the dolphins or if you have a child under 5 (not permitted to swim with dolphins), try the Meet a Dolphin program, in which participants stand on a submerged platform from which they can “meet and greet” the critters. A participating adult must hold children younger than 5. Cost for this program is $70 per person (free for children 4 and under).
Note: Swimming with dolphins has both its critics and its supporters. You may want to visit the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society’s website at www.wdcs.org.
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