Theater of the Sea - Small Marine Park on Islamorada, Florida Keys

Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida Keys, is NOT Sea World! If you go there expecting to see shows on the same scale as Sea World, you will be very disappointed. But Theater of the Sea has a lot of unique features that you may not find in many other places and, especially for a family with small children, the time spent at this small marine park in the Florida Keys will be time well spent. The park is small, the shows are small, and the audiences are small.

On the day that we visited in mid-May, there were probably not more than 40 people at any given show, and pretty much every child who wanted to participate in the interactive portion of the shows got an opportunity. This interactive program includes such things as getting a kiss or a hug from a sea lion, or petting a dolphin. The photo opportunities abound, and the park also takes professional pictures of the interactive portions of the show, which can be purchased at a kiosk within the park.

There are three primary shows - a dolphin show, a sea lion show, and a parrot show. There are also a couple of guided walking tours - one through mangrove forests to the lagoon beach, where you can wade in a shallow pool with tropical fish, feed the fish, swim or simply lounge in beach chairs and get some refreshments from the snack bar. You should absolutely bring your swimsuit or shorts and towels, water shoes, etc. when you visit Theater of the Sea, in case you decide to participate in this area of the park. One of the most interesting things I learned about mangroves during this walking tour was the fact that mangroves are "pioneering" plants - that is to say, they form new "land masses" with their root systems! They are important in many other ways as well, as you will learn by reading the Associated Content article on the red mangrove by Mark Woodford.

The other walking tour takes you around to see parrots, sea turtles, fish, nurse sharks, and various other sea creatures in small pools. Again, this is an opportunity for small children to get much closer to such creatures than they usually could in a zoo or large marine park. The only feature of the park that was disappointing was the boat ride. The boat has a large hole in the middle of it where the dolphins can jump through a hoop and ring a bell. But the ride itself is very short - probably not more than 5 minutes, and is really not worth your time. Perhaps this is a new feature that they are developing - but it needs a lot more work before it will be worthwhile. Just to be clear, when I say "boat ride", I am NOT referring to the Adventure and Snorkel Cruise!!

There are actually two separate areas of the park - one being the public shows and nature walks, and the second being the special interactive programs which Theater of the Sea provides. These interactive programs require an advance reservation. Without a reservation to one of these special interactive programs, the public does not see the area where the programs take place. These special interactive programs include Swim With Dolphins, Swim With The Sea Lion, Swim With Rays, Meet the Dolphin, Meet The Sea Lion, Wade With the Dolphin, and the Adventure and Snorkel Cruise.

The special programs range in cost from $165 per person to Swim With Dolphins, to $50 for the "Meet" programs and Swim with the Rays. These programs include an orientation period of about 20 minutes, and then 20-30 actual water time with the animals. There have been a lot of studies done regarding dolphins and their effects on humans. You can read some of these theories in the article Dolphins: Therapy for People with Disabilities and Injuries, Depression, and Human Fetuses in the Womb by Associated Content Producer Darlene Levenson .

The Adventure and Snorkel Cruise costs $69 per person for adults, $45 for children 3-12. It is a 4-hour boat tour that covers 13 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and Florida Bay, and provides opportunities for snorkeling. Before trying this sport, you might want to read the Associated Content article, Excellent Tips for Snorkeling in the Florida Keys by AC Producer Nicole Camaniti. You will visit Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, where you can tour the Mattheson House built in 1919, Indian Key Historic State Park, and stop at Robbie's Marina to feed the tarpon.

Theater of the Sea is located at Mile Marker 84.5 in Islamorada, Florida Keys. It is open 365 days a year. You can see more images from our visit to Theater of the Sea by looking at my slide show. For more information about Theater of the Sea, check out their website, which is included in the Resources section at the end of this article.