- December 14, 2025
Marineland Dolphin Adventure will have spent about $3 million on renovations by the end of 2012.
Marineland Dolphin Adventure launched a new “Behind the Seas” tour Friday, June 15. But when it comes to recent improvements made to the coastal center at 9600 Oceanshore Blvd., a tour only scratches the surface.
According to Jessica Fontana, public relations specialist, Marineland will have spent approximately $3 million on its facelift and rebranding by the end of the year. Some of the facility’s investments since being acquired by Georgia Aquarium last January include a new heating system for winter pool use, a new special events pavilion, new signage and a new restaurant.
And now the tour will be incorporated, as well, which will guide guests through nine exhibits featuring animals from all over the Southeastern United States, as well as highlight equipment used in making movies (such as “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Benji Underwater”), commercials, and dolphin research filmed at the facility, which is how Marineland got its start, back in 1938.
“Prior to the aquarium acquiring us, we were stuck in that economic downturn,” said Kurt Allen, Marineland’s general manager for the past three-and-a-half years. “Revenues dropped off.”
But being able to tap into the aquarium’s resources has changed things. Instead of having sales agents do public relations on the side, for instance, Marineland now has a full department dedicated to marketing. And, according to Allen, the aquarium purchased Marineland with no intentions of changing the “bones” of its business plan, only enhancing its operations.
“Having a big brother in Atlanta has been extremely helpful for us,” he said. “The (Georgia) Aquarium is the largest in the world, and they ended up buying the first oceanarium in the world. So it’s really a great tie-in.”
The acquisition is also a good thing for ecotourism in Flagler, according to Georgia Turner, county tourism director.
“Marineland is definitely a huge part of what we promote in our area,” Turner said. “And we’re very excited about the directions it’s been taking the last couple years. … It’s actually become a historical attraction, as well as an ecotourism draw.”
In June 1938, Marineland opened as Marine Studios, with more than 30,000 guests showing up for the park’s first day. The studio launched with the intention of being Hollywood’s top resource for underwater scenes and footage. It remained as such until the 1950s, when dolphin shows took over and the park began to average 500,000 guests annually.
Then in 2004, the center retired most of its older structures and exhibits, following hurricane damage, and began constructing what, in 2006, became a more education-focused facility.
“A lot of our general admission customers were looking for more education,” Allen said, describing the three stops on Marineland’s new, 40-minute tour.
The first stop focuses on how the park maintains a healthy environment for sea creatures, and how its system has progressed from a process of “trial and error” 70-plus years ago. The second stop showcases artifacts from the Marineland’s movie-making days. The third is all about the animals, guiding visitors by tanks housing urchins, fish, eels, terrapins and more.
The center has also launched a new summer program. As a follow-up to its S.E.A Camp, for 7- to 12-year-olds, T.E.E.N. Camp is for 13- to 17-year-olds. T.E.E.N. is an outdoor learning camp, bringing teens on Intracoastal dolphin-sighting trips and into the Whitney Laboratory.
Participants are also brought on guided kayak trips, in association with Ripple Effects Ecotours.
“We’re really trying to bring in the partners of our town, along with all of the science components,” Allen said. “This is really the first time we’ve been able to take advantage of each other’s strengths. … Through partnering, we’re really trying to drive tourism to the county.”
For Turner, cross-promotional partnerships are key to any of Flagler’s tourism efforts.
“They’re an example of how tourism is moving right now,” she said, citing organizations like Ripple Effects, Marineland, Whitney Lab and the River to Sea Preserve. “People know that they can’t stand by themselves. They have to partner with each other.”
That’s one of the reasons Georgia Aquarium took over Marineland last year in the first place, Allen explained. The aquarium and oceanarium work to bring in the same crowd — those within a six-hour drive. And because Marineland had already established a research field station nearby, getting in on the action expanded not just Georgia Aquarium’s reach but also that of local sea-life organizations.
“We’re looked upon as really a top place (for ecotourism),” Turner said. In particular, Flagler’s National Estuarine Reserve, which is one of three ecosystems under that designation in the state, is “revered,” she added, not just in Florida but in the country.
In line with Flagler’s “quiet side of Florida” push, ecotourism has always been a main tourist draw for the county, Turner added. But attractions like Marineland Dolphin Adventure strengthen the offerings, appealing to what she calls visitors’ thirst for “eco-adventure.”
“People just want to be a part of a nature,” Turner said. “In their busy lives, it’s a great way to connect with their families and with the destination.”
But having kayak trips, guided tours, summer camps and swimming with dolphins added to the county’s activity roster makes Turner’s job just a little bit easier.
“Any time an attraction grows, that helps us all,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to get the word out. The more we have, the more can promote.”
Plus, Marineland is established, Allen added, calling it the county’s “cornerstone,” in terms of attractions.
“We have name recognition,” he said of his facility. “People know Marineland from their parents, their grandparents. … So it’s nice to be able to draw back into those memories … to use us as an icon in the community. Along with the (Tourist Development Council’s) initiatives. … I think it all melds together nicely.”
VIRTUAL TOUR
To learn more about Marineland Dolphin Adventure or plan a trip to the center, visit www.marineland.net, or call 877-298-5994.
WHOA, NELLIE
Marineland Dolphin Adventure, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, is also home to the country’s oldest living dolphin in human care. Nellie is 59 years old.
