Looks small and somehow we were there all day! The park there towards the ocean was nice too! The staff was great especially a little lady that volunteered there forever pointing out the coolest little creatures that I would have never noticed. Manatee and sea turtles were cool, but my favorite was the squid. I highly recommend the kayaking at lido key mangrove tunnels. So check that out too.

I had a really awesome time at Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium. You actually get 3 different experiences for the price of one. The first is the aquarium, which is standard fare for an aquarium. The second is a temporary exhibit showing some fossils of old sea creatures, and the third is the laboratory itself, which has things like baby sea turtles, a rehab center, and manatees.For anyone visiting from out of town, there are a couple of cool parks nearby to visit, as well, including a really unique boardwalk. You can definitely spend upwards of 3 hours in the aquarium and the area. Highly recommend checking this place out. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Sarasota.

We had a very nice time at the aquarium. Plenty to see! 50 dollars for two people and it thankfully wasn’t very crowded. Some of the extra exhibits were closed which kinda sucked but there was still plenty of interesting sea animals to view. We saw sharks, otters, alligators, manatees, crabs, and lots of fish. Plenty of free parking available and they have a few vending machines along with a small cafe to purchase food/drinks. I would recommend this aquarium to anyone who loves sea creatures!

Best investment for locals is an Annual Pass to Mote Marine Aquarium.They have great facilities with numerous engaging attractions and knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Plenty for kids and adults to enjoy. We went on many dates here before having kids.Touch tank, shark tank, sting ray touch tank, lots of exhibits and factual snippets to enjoy. Great for the family.My favorite is the otter show at their other building across the street. Very entertaining for the littles and very cute.Along with the annual pass, we were able to get GREAT deals on other Florida attractions as well, so ask them about the perks when you sign up!A great place for tourists to visit. I’d say you could spend about 2-3 hours here and most of it is inside or under sun cover.

Lesser known aquarium in the Tampa Bay area, it offers a more intimate experience with a large portions of its exhibits outside and not terribly populated. Love the manatees and sea turtles.

Our family enjoyed a wonderful day at Mote! We were greeted at the front door and thanked for following the posted mask rules before entering the aquarium. There are hand sanitizing stations everywhere as well as social distancing reminders once inside. Throughout the day there were staff spraying and cleaning surfaces and door handles, it felt very safe and well planned.We enjoyed learning about many different plants and animals from knowledgeable staff members. Seeing some big sharks and petting some small sharks was great! Getting kisses from Buffet the Manatee was a huge hit, but the stingray touch table was the best! We spent about an hour hanging out with 3 rays and a guitar fish. The interaction was unforgettable watching the animals follow the kids around looking for a nice touch. We even came back to the rays again before leaving!There were a few other families throughout the day but nothing like a normal visit. Mote keep doing what your doing and well done. Well be back soon!

So much to see and learn! It was my familys first visit, but Id been 13 years earlier. Wow, how its grown. Read all about it on the website, and plan a trip. Even the grill is cute and serves good munchies like burgers and Nathans hot dogs .

Mote is the very best!! They have done some wonderful new exhibits and it never disappoints. Great social distancing and Covid precautions. You can’t come to Sarasota without visiting this fantastic aquarium- great for kids. I loved touching live sharks and sting rays. The sea horse exhibit was phenomenal.

If my 16th month old could rate this place she would give it 5 stars too. She had a blast and the volunteers were very knowlegable and patient. She did however think the seahorses were silly and needed more discipline.

Great aquarium! A few attractions were closed for covid, and it felt like it could use a few more hands-on experiences to hold younger kids attention.

Love love love this place. Perfect place to spend a few hours with the family. Very hands on, loved explanations about the marine life. We didnt see many of the areas of the labs being used except a couple areas when employees were preparing food for feeding which was super cool. We saw them feeding the jellyfish, so very interesting! Also the grandkids were sifting for sharks teeth,, and my graddaughter found quite a large one.. This is a place we will return a lot!. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

My kids enjoyed the various touch tanks throughout the aquarium, and especially enjoyed the sea turtle exhibit. It was great having so many volunteers throughout the aquarium, always willing to share info about the different sea creatures on site. We spent about two and a half hours here. We also appreciated how many hand sanitizer stations were installed throughout, as well as the social distancing guidelines, one way pathways and masks worn by all staff and visitors. We felt very safe here !

As with all great things in Florida it starts with free parking! There is so much to see if you dont mind walking to all three areas that were open. It was especially worth it with the 1/2 price tickets available to Florida residents weekends in September. All the exhibits were great and they did a good job with social distancing, requiring appointments for all guests.

Amazing place to visit! You need to go online and reserve time due to COVID restrictions, but you can see almost every native marine species.

Kind staff that all have a wealth of knowledge. You will leave learning something new each, even if youve been 50 times. The coral research and regenerating Mote does is amazing, as well as the marine life rehabilitation. Its just and all around positive place and youll leave feeling the hope for a future of clean and thriving marine environments.

My daughter had a blast. We went for her birthday. However, it seemed one of the exhibit teachers almost targeted or profiled us? He had managed to follow us from the turtle exhibit all the way to the shark petting tank where he snapped at my daughter about putting her hand.... in the touch tank. We would have enjoyed more of our time there but after he miraculously popped up at the opposite end of the museum it just seemed like too many coincidences and we felt unwelcome. Other than that experience we had a good time.

Aquarium with hands on exhibits. Growth in past 5 years has been impressive. Thoroughly enjoyed our 2 hr visit.

Really liked this place. A lot to do. 3 buildings staff were nice also.

Great place to go especially during this time. Amazing to see how they are taking care of the animals and fish. Spent the whole day there.. Has an awesome fishing park behind it that we visited when we were done.

Im not an expert or a marine biologist by any means but if you compare the Miami Seaquarium or SeaWorld or other for-profit organizations you can tell that the staff and the volunteers here at mote Marine laboratory and aquarium are very friendly Care tremendously about the animals under their ward And theres not one single animal that lives in tight living quarters the manatees the sharks the otters the alligators the caimans etc all had plenty of elbow room and seemed healthy and happy

What a great place! We even did the boat tour. Which was fantastic! Jill was awesome!! My 9 year old daughter loved every minute of it. We ordered chili cheese dogs for lunch. I was shocked at how good that was! We will definitely be back.

I purchased a membership for the Mote Aquarium. I love it!! Ive already taken my grandsons several times and we keep going back. Granted most of the sea life doesnt change but it doesnt matter because theres so much to see and learn. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They are there to help with general knowledge of the marine life around our area. Hope you all get as much enjoyment out of visiting as we have and will continue to!!

The Manatees, Octopus, and all of the exhibits are WAY better than I expected. Definitely worth the visit if youre in the area. The staff obviously cares about what they do.

Since reopening Mote has done an amazing job to make visitors safe! So many of the exhibits are in open air, masks are required (except under 5yrs I believe), spacing reminders all around, loads of sanitizer stations. Everyone is so kind and helpful. Felt like we had the place to ourselves on a late Tuesday morning! Great to be back! We love Mote!

Must see on the Gulf Coast. Very educational and interactive. Fun for all ages.

This is an amazing place to learn and enjoy with the family. There are several well maintained displays, and even touch tanks. I definitely recommend this aquarium, and cant wait to return.

Very educational and you can touch some animals. My 7year old loved it!

Lots to do...for all ages...beautiful location. Close proximity to Sarasota International Airport. Sharks, Birds, Turtles, Manatees and more

This place is perfect to spend the day with my 2 yr old son. He is Wowed by all the exhibits! Including the baby shark tank. All the staff are friendly, pleasant, and informative. This is my 2nd time in two months and I cant wait to come back.

My niece and I enjoyed this place. The otters seemed to be showing off for us.

A fascinating place to learn about our undersea neighbors and how our stewartship of the planet is so important.

Loved my visit to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium!!! Even though it was scalding hot and I had to wear a mask. The sharks, giant sea turtles, and the happy otters were my favorite, but the exhibit of the ancient seas was very impressive!!!

The interactive exhibits and all but one gift shop are currently closed. However, its still a very enjoyable experience. Plus, most of the exhibits are inside so you can stay cool until you have to go from the first building to the second.This was my first visit, but I know Ill go again.

We went on Wednesday and had a great time, touched a sea horse, and sting ray. The staff tell you how to touch the fish, so as not to hurt them. The whole aquarium was fantastic. Were really had a great day. It took about 5 to 6 hrs. to get thru the facility.

I have been to several aquariums, but I keep coming back to this one. They change exhibits often, have a membership program, are involved in ocean rescue, and have beautiful and exciting displays of sea beings. My kid loves it here, and so do I! Right next door is a bird sanctuary, and you get reduced price with your aquarium admission! The sharks and sting rays were so exciting!! There treatment and care of animals was touching.

My wife and I were looking for a fun activity out of the sun for the day and stumbled upon this place. It was absolutely awesome and we easily spent 3 hours there. Definitely check out all the exhibits when you’re there and partake in the stingray and shark petting. Oh and don’t miss the 27 foot long giant squid while you’re there either!

It doesnt matter how old or young, this place will fascinate you. Clean. Covid-19 safe .very beautifully set up for all to enjoy..the yearly membership is the best price.

We had a very wonderful day. Staff is very helpful and friendly. Everything at the facility is very well organized and the food is very delicious. And very clean. A very sophisticated atmosphere. We took 2 of our grandchildren.

This place is such a fun couple of hours, especially for children 6 and under. Went with family which included my twin grandsons; they enjoyed it probably more than any other aquarium that weve visited. The interaction with Buffett the 1800 lbs. manatee was the highlight, as he would come down to the glass and press his nose against it as to kiss the boys. Reasonably priced, but a long walk to see the outdoor part. Very hot in early August.

Very cool aquarium and rescue center with some really amazing exhibits. Very much enjoyed the manatees, rescue turtles, and otters swimming about and seeing the taxidermy giant squid!Getting a chance to see the sea turtle rescue was a very interesting experience for this time of year. An extremely pleasant way to spend the afternoon.Everyone there was very friendly and knowledgeable, happy to share their information with us.

We had a blast. The only tickets available were at 330 and we got thru half of the exhibits maybe before 5 oclock closing time.

A very tranquil experience. The exhibits are wonderful. I will post a couple of my favorite ones.

I love Mote! I have been coming here since they were really small in the 1980s and remember when they got their brand new touch tank. I have always rocked Mote Marine gear such as visors and t shirts. Great place for children and big kids too. The baby seahorses are always a highlight for me.

My grandson and I spent an afternoon there He was mesmerized by the many creatures of the sea that were in the aquariums. The docents were so kind and patient while he was asking them question after question.We had the most wonderful afternoon! When you visit there your entrance fee assists in the study of oceanic life and the researchers who pursue it. There is so much to learn there!

This is the first museum/zoo/aquarium outing we’ve had since March. Was happy to see the many hand sanitizing stations and arrows directing traffic. I think it took us about 2 1/2 hours to go through the entire aquarium. It’s a good quarantine outing since it’s a nice mix of indoor/outdoor spaces.My only complaint is not everyone was wearing masks. All workers were wearing them and most customers but there were two families that refused to wear masks. I know you can’t fix stupid, but we can try to mitigate it. I hope they make wearing masks mandatory for adults (and kids).

Amazing aquarium with great selection. The fish have great tanks and appear to be healthy. Plus, the diner is great. Would recommend this aquarium to anyone!

This is an amazing aquarium. They are very clean, interactive and informative. We originally visited the Tampa Bay aquarium which was far from impressive. Mote was a huge improvement. Mote had few people, and all of the animals seemed much happier. I would 100% visit them again. You can tell everyone there is passionate about their jobs.

Was really blown away by how excellent this aquarium was. Great exhibits, very educational, and there are even places where kids can see scientists doing real science. Very clean and well organized. Way more exhibits than we expected. 100% would recommend.

We love Mote! So many awesome creatures to check out and extremely handicap friendly! Very cool to see them working with corals and baby sea turtles as well. We loved rhe manatees and sharks.

Came on vacation to some tiny houses and rain so the beach was out of the question this was the perfect alternative absolutely amazing Aquarium

What to say about the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium?I love aquariums and anything related to sea life. It really was nice to visit this place in the spur of the moment to avoid the blazing hot mid-day Florida sun, and found how important the mission of preserving our sea life was and still is so important for the owners, founders, and operators.I really wish we could have been there earlier so I would love to see the hours of operations be longer, especially because many people were rushing to see as many exhibits as possible. And everyone is super nice but were very adamant at remind us that they were closing soon, and they were all volunteers.The explanations are really good but felt like they blended together except for the coral reef, manatee, turtles and shark sections. A special area could be designed for temporary exhibits to give a bit more excitement. Again, I really loved it and wish to come back soon!

Cool place, kind of pricey for what all is here. Really enforcing the mask policy and they are somewhat rude about it too. Like seriously wearing my mask but then telling me to pull it up over my nose. There mostly volunteers but taking it a little far. I would not visit again!

Great staff and well setup for social distancing and safety. We had a really good time with the kids and it wasnt stressful to navigate at all. Well definitely be back.

This place is great! I love the focus on sharks in the main building! There are five or six different species there! It was really neat seeing the staff feeding them and interacting with them!! They have a really nice habitat for them!!Secondly, the sea turtle, croc/gator and otter building was amazing!! The otter habitat is probably the best I’ve seen! They seem so happy there!

Great exhibits and helpful staff. Fun Halloween decorations.

Local marine life and beyond. Touch exhibits and friendly knowledgable staff. Must see for visitors and locals. Also supports marine rescue and research money well spent

Awesome place for kiddos. Still so much to do even with masks on at this moment.

Very educational and interesting! I loved the variety of animals, Ive been going to aquariums for years and they had several species/varieties I had never seen. My favorite was the manatees

WHAT AN AMAZING PLACE! We came here and had a great experience. The aquarium was really fun with a great variety of species. We really loved the shark tank! The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. We stopped by the Cafe and was really blown away! The Cuban sandwich was literally the best Ive ever had

Really cool exhibits with lost of stuff to see. Theres are inside areas, outside areas, a touch pool. The otter exhibit was nice and all the others are really playful. The also have a window into their burrow. And you have to check it the giant squid, mind boggling how big that thing is

This place is worth a visit. The aquariums and sea life is defiantly something anyone of any age will enjoy. They have an sharks, sea horses, turtles, otters, gators. They have an education area. Gail was amazing at sharing information in regards to the sea turtle and otters. We had a blast. And the little gift / souvenir shops are adorable as well. The staff are all very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Amazing, nice place. Turtles are so big, we can see how they were fed

Fun, upbeat people working there, very knowledgeable and so kind to the children. So much to enjoy! Clean, Covid conscious....a great way to spend some time

Everyone wore a mask. Amazing sea life to see and read about. Theres a couple touch exhibits and wash stations nearby. Its a good time, my 3 year old very much enjoyed himself.

Love the laboratory and aquarium however with the covid19 not much of the other stuff they offer not able to do, not their fault. Hammerhead sharks and turtles and all types of fish awesome place to visit.

A big thank you to Kailee who did an extraordinary job giving my family a tour of Mote Aquarium. She was very knowledgeable of the many different animals and very friendly and fun to my young children. I highly recommend Mote!

This is an awesome place to go to. It is a bit small but it more than makes up for it by being a really fun aquarium. They have all kinds of animals that exist around the Florida waters and they constantly do research on these species to preserve them and their habitat. I highly recommend going here for a great time with the family.

A beautiful place! I recommend to visit both children and adults!The most unforgettable impressions were left by manatees!

Great family destination for the afternoon... its nice with the slow down you get more one on one with staff and really learn a lot more. The new exhibit with the fossils is awesome.

I expected more. Seen much better but the otters and manatees were top notch.

This aquarium was awesome. Entry was $24 when we went, and its totally worth the price and more. When we got there, they were doing a lesson on the manatees. They have a separate mammal exhibit you walk to thats nearby. There was also sea otters in that area, along with other exhibits. Really cool to watch the manatees eat, and the sea otters swim around. They also had sea turtles you could look closely at. The volunteers and staff were knowledgeable and friendly. Theres a ton of different fish to look at, as well. On that side, youre able to get a high vantage view of the sharks, you can pet star fish and helmet crabs, and you can pet the sting rays, too. Theres also a little diner in there that you can eat at - we didnt, but it looked fine. Theres also really cute gift shops located throughout the aquarium, and everything seemed reasonably priced and quality. I would definitely recommend checking this place out - it is totally worth it and such a great time!

More was a fun stop to visit. It is a small aquarium. It also has a lot of outdoor exhibits. In the Florida heat it was a bit uncomfortable. Having been in lots of aquariums, the outside exhibits was unexpected. The staff was super helpful and the aquarium did a great job with social distancing. It was a fun couple of hours.

We always love supporting our local aquarium, gulf rescue and research facility. They have so much to offer here with a large variety of sea life, shark feeding, sea turtle rescues, manatees, otters, education programs and virtual reality chairs. Please visit and support them because they constantly lead in efforts to research ride tide and its origins and anything involving gulf beautification and marine rescue and rehabilitation.

Absolutely top notch. Make sure you visit both campuses on the opposite sides of the street.

There was a wide range of aquatic animals! And the crew was very informative and nice. There are interactive areas for kids and adults that are very cool! Overall a great and fun place!

Great fun for the family. Very educational. Theyve added some new stuff since the last time Ive been. They have otters here now and also a 3-d ride that you can pick which adventure you want to go on. The price is reasonable and the diner is good. I am happy to know that this is all for a good cause.

A wonderful place to visit and an asset to the community. One of the worlds top marine research facilities with many educational and interesting exhibits in a beautiful location on the water. I plan to go back many times whenever I am in the area. The hours are shorter than I would like as I was mostly In the area during the week for work so unable to make it there before the 5 PM closing time but they are also open the same hours on the weekends

Very interactive. Good place to visit. Can seealor of things. Cool

This place had pretty nice exhibts, but there is a lot to read and its very spread out. Id like to see more guides around sharing information on the native animals. They do have many petting areas to interact with small rays and starfish which is really neat. Definitely worth the money and great for a rainy afternoon, just take an umbrella because its a decent walk to the otter, manatee,and gator exhibit.

We’re new to Florida and had been told that the Mote was a “must-see”. We weren’t disappointed! The habitats are really well done both for the animals and for the visitors. We purchased a membership so we can go back again and again, as well as getting discounts at lots if other scientific attractions around the country.

A very lovely place to visit with the family or for a stroll. Helpful staff.

It was pretty awesome to see a lot of species! I look forward to when they add on another building to this! Just be mindful, to go see manatees, its is the last part of the tour and its a bit of a walk, so be prepared for the hot sun (depending when you decide to go) and maybe bring a hat.

Great aquarium ! Really enjoyed every part ! Got there at shark feeding time which was awesome! Went back after going through and bought an annual pass! Great for all ages and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable.

A fabulous place

Mote is one of our favorite local attractions. Great exhibits and nice volunteers who will explain them to you. Dont miss the river otter exhibit.

A must visit when in Sarasota, the children really enjoyed. Make sure to go online to check out any offers before visiting

Was down in Southwest Florida for a little vacation and decided to head into Sarasota to check out the Mote Aquarium.I can dare say that it was one of my favorite aquariums I have ever visited. I love how each tank was on the smaller side and very well done. Easy to see the different species and you didn’t have to play a game of “where’s the fish”If you are in the area, it is well worth the $24 to check out this amazing aquarium and help support all the research they do.

Mote Marine is always changing & adding spectacular exhibitions! Their education programs for students & teachers are incredible. Although their everyday existence is all about education & encouraging conservation anyway. We couldnt be more fortunate to have the aquarium here in Sarasota. If youve never been you need to see this place. Just the most amazing way to spend a day (even a rainy one).

If you are interested in marine life, this is an awesome place to spend the day. Make sure you arrive in the morning to allow enough time to see everything. The touch tanks, rays and otters are defiantly my favorite exhibits.There is a small retro dinner and squished penny machines so bring quarters (costs .50 per penny) and of course pennies.Bottom line exhibits are amazing, staff are very knowledgeable and helpful.

I guess this place is no longer doing weddings. We had our wedding canceled twice by Mote, each time with late notice. Think about the inconvenience that causes just not to us, but all of the guests as well. I understand the first time because of covid, but you gave us the reschedule date. We thought we were guaranteed safe, especially after 5 months have gone by... but they cancelled again and this time with no option to reschedule. I love this place, but what the owner did to us isnt right.

A nice experience. Nothing fancy, but nice exhibits of Florida sea life.

Just visited the Mote today, as Florida residents can visit for $7 each Saturday in September. I moved here 5 months ago, and this will definitely be on my list of places to bring visitors. The displays were interesting and interactive. I loved being able to see manatees, sea horses, sharks, sea turtles, otters, and a huge variety of sea life. Fun day!

Our first visit to Mote Marine but we had a great time there. Lots of Florida aquatics and native animals (fish, sharks, otters, alligators, manatees, caiman, etc). Lots to see and worth the visit. We didnt get to stop in the little town but that looked like an interesting place to visit.

The animals were so cute & even though interactive sites were shutdown due to the pandemic, it was still a good experience. The staff were super friendly and willing to answer any questions we had. Highly recommend!

We took our grandson and had a great time. Enjoyed both the aquarium and mammal exhibits. Some of the exhibits included sharks, manatees, sea turtles, otters and crocodiles to name a few. Almost all of the exhibits had a volunteer available to explain to you what you were looking at. There is also a cafe available if your hungry, though we didnt eat here. We also spent some time at the fishing pier and park. Beautiful views of the Sarasota skyline can be seen from the park.

Great place to visit and see all types of different sea creatures.Also went on an interesting boat ride along the bay.Elizebeth was a great host, very knowledgeable and entertaining.Thanks!

A great place to see so much. Do not miss the dinasaurs!!

This is truly a special aquarium. They are all about research and saving injured sealing and birds as well. We went on one of the rainiestdays as well as cold but still was an enjoyable experience. I made sure I became a member. Its the best way to go as many times as you would like for a year. Memberships are structured by amount of people you would like to be able to bring in at a time . Ill post a picture of memberships costs. Their is also a bridge sanctuary as well. And on nice days they have water skiing shows as well. Their are three buildings in the aquarium. 2 gift shops and a really awesome cafe . The prices for food and or ice creams is extremely reasonable. I highly recommend you all come and join . Two thumbs up.

Did the discovery tour and had a blast! We netted some cool sea creatures. The kids loved it. Great for 3-12 year olds but even my 40 year old self highly enjoyed it! The Biologist was knowledgeable and very relaxed around the children. She was an outstanding host and person.

Great kid-friendly place with lots of different animals and fish to see. We loved the sharks, the turtles, and watching the otters play! The staff is always pleasant and knowledgeable as well. Several clean bathrooms to use. And decent food available for purchase.