Dolphin Research Center

58901 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Grassy Key, FL 33050-6019

305-289-1121

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Cali, my Chihuahua and porpoise at Dolphin Research Center

226 visitor photos

Ranked #1 of 1 attractions in Grassy Key

462 Reviews

Type: Nature/ Wildlife Areas, Aquariums, Wharfs/ Piers/ Boardwalks

Activities: Swimming with dolphins

Owner description: Dolphin Research Center is a nonprofit education and research facility. Home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, we... more » Owner description: Dolphin Research Center is a nonprofit education and research facility. Home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, we offer fun-filled narrated behavior sessions and educational presentations every half an hour. During your visit you can watch and learn all about these amazing animals including dolphin maternity, social groupings, physiology, natural abilities and more. You'll see how we care for them, how we're working with them in cognition and behavioral research and more. DRC also offers a variety of interactive programs including the Dolphin Encounter swim program, Trainer for a Day, Researcher for a Day and Paint with a Dolphin. We are actively involved in programs for people with Special Needs, as well as veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project, Military families, and others.Most of our dolphins were born here. Others have come to us for a variety of reasons -- including those who were injured and rescued as youngsters and later deemed non-releasable by the government. We are deeply committed to providing all of them with a safe, healthy, happy home for life. The well-being of the dolphins and sea lions is our top priority. Your visit and participation in programs supports the care of our marine mammal family, the maintenance of their natural sea water home, and the rest of our mission to educate others about these animals and the importance of conservation.Thank you for your interest in Dolphin Research Center!

Useful Information: Activities for older children, Activities for young children

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462 reviews from our community

Theresa F

Dallas, Georgia

Contributor

14 reviews

8 attraction reviews

Reviews in 5 cities

4 helpful votes

“Wonderful experience”

Reviewed May 18, 2013 NEW

Took a family vacation to Marathon, FL the week before Mother's Day. My family surprised me with the Dolphin Encounter for Mother's Day (something I have always wanted to do). It was an awesome experience! The time went by entirely too fast. I have always had such a passion for these beautiful creatures that God has created & to get... More

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keysbreeze

Islamorada, FL

Reviewer

4 reviews

Reviews in 4 cities

1 helpful vote

“Mesmerizing!”

Reviewed May 17, 2013 NEW

This is More than seeing and learning about dolphin/porpoise behavior up close and personal. It's like walking through a beautiful quaint park with birds, mini waterfalls, and a small playground. Educational shows, swim with porpoise, have one paint your shirt. Learn about manatees too. And they are dog friendly which is what I always look for! The porpoise are curious... More

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MayorMcSteve

Boise, Idaho

Senior Contributor

39 reviews

6 attraction reviews

Reviews in 19 cities

20 helpful votes

“Great place especially if you have kids”

Reviewed May 16, 2013 NEW

My wife came here with her dad probably 14 years ago and when we stopped in the dolphin she swam with was still here. Its definately worth the entry fee to come in and look around. If you want to swim with the dolphins it seemed like most people really enjoyed it.

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Which dolphin did your wife swim with? Glad to hear that she saw him/her again on your recent trip. We appreciate you visiting again and telling others about your experience! Happy to know that you enjoyed yourselves! More

Kerri H

Edmonds, Washington

Senior Reviewer

6 reviews

4 attraction reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Unexpected value of experience”

Reviewed May 16, 2013 NEW

We visited the DRC expecting a typical marine entertainment venue and we were wrong! We ended up spending the entire afternoon at the center and learned alot about the dolphins from the trainers who work there. This is a great center to visit.

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Educating people about these amazing animals is an essential part of our mission so we're glad to know that you feel you learned a lot during your visit. Thanks so much for coming and then for telling others. We appreciate your support! More

Scottfire5

Reviewer

4 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Great place for kids”

Reviewed May 15, 2013 NEW

If you want to learn more about dolphins and only be 5-10 feet from them most of the day, then come here. The staff is always friendly and informative. The price of admission is cheap for this type of attraction. The price for dolphin interactions are also a great value compared to other places. They have dolphins, sea lions, birds... More

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We're glad that you enjoyed visiting and learning more about the dolphins and that you feel we offered solid value for your vacation dollars! Thanks for coming and for sharing about your experience with others. If we could, we'd spend all day watching the dolphins, too, but unfortunately many of us have "inside" jobs so we eventually need to be... More

GNRMatt

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania

Top Contributor

178 reviews

84 attraction reviews

Reviews in 72 cities

96 helpful votes

“Great place to stop on the way to Key West”

Reviewed May 12, 2013

In the Florida Keys, as well as many other marine areas, you can see plenty of Dolphin shows. However, at the Dolphin Research Center, on the drive to Key West in Grassy Key, FL, you can get much more up close with these marine mammals. General admission allows you to get in to see the dolphins and watch the researchers... More

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Thanks for spending time at Dolphin Research Center on your way to Key West. We're glad that you enjoyed your visit and seeing the dolphins, sea lions and staff in action. We appreciate your support and thank you for sharing about your visit. More

ajoelle76

Charlevoix, Michigan

Senior Reviewer

6 reviews

4 attraction reviews

Reviews in 5 cities

2 helpful votes

“Disappointing”

Reviewed May 10, 2013

The price to get in was fine it was just nothing was available to do for 2-4 hours or just wasn't available! Must go to the second cashier in the back & read the board of events cause if there is something you wanna do like meet a dolphin, just like the sign says by the road, you may have... More

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We're sorry to hear that on the afternoon of your visit, we didn't have any additional dolphin interaction programs available. That's rare, but everything is scheduled on "dolphin time" and it sometimes happens. Hopefully you enjoyed going to see the rest of the fun narrated behavior sessions going on at the different lagoons with the dolphin and sea lion family.... More

stephane_levesque

Quebec

Contributor

12 reviews

3 attraction reviews

Reviews in 9 cities

15 helpful votes

“Great afternoon with the dolphins”

Reviewed May 9, 2013

Great experience. For 130$, 2 adults had the chance to visit and see all demos plus 2 children had all that plus a dolphin encounter (petting, rubbing, etc.). Good value compared to other dolphin facilities in the caribbean. Trainers are closely bonded to the dolphins and they collaborate to offer spectacular shows in the different basins. Trainers have a funny... More

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We're happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit and were entertained while learning more about the dolphins. Thanks so much for coming and for telling others about your experience! More

Cynthia V

Whitesburg, Tennessee

Reviewer

4 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

“Informative”

Reviewed May 8, 2013

The facility and staff were great. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely worth a trip to. Can see facility in half a day.

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Thanks so much for spending time with the dolphins! We appreciate you visiting and are glad that you had fun! Thanks for telling others about your trip. More

TravelRanger87508

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Senior Contributor

41 reviews

13 attraction reviews

Reviews in 16 cities

8 helpful votes

“Great for the kids”

Reviewed May 8, 2013

Nice place to spend a few hours and learn about some of the research and care for dolphins. There was a school group present, and think it excellent educational experience...

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We're happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit and that you felt that the experience was educational. Our mission is to learn as much as possible about these amazing animals and then share that knowledge with the world. Thanks so much for visiting DRC and for telling others about your trip. Come back soon! More