FAQs

Our regular hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are open until 8 p.m. on select dates with extended hours. Please view our seasonal and holiday hours of operation here.

You can contact the Photo Team by calling 727-441-1790, ext. 286 or emailing photos@cmaquarium.org.

Our CMA call center is available to assist you with making changes to your order. We are open 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 727-441-1790, ext 0.

Our facility is both an indoor and outdoor experience. If you have purchased a boat cruise please remember it is cooler on the water than on land, especially during the winter months. Dressing in layers is best.

For the comfort of all Guests, smoking of tobacco, e-cigarettes or other products that produce a vapor or smoke are not permitted on CMA property.

All guests with pre-paid vouchers, and tickets for their daily entry wristbands. Please check-in at Will Call at the ticketing box office on the 3rd level entrance of CMA.

All guests will check-in at Ticketing, located on the 3rd level entrance of CMA, to receive admission to enter the facility.

The parking garage is directly connected to the entrance on the 3rd level.

Parking is available in the CMA Parking Garage, directly connected to the entrance on the 3rd level. Seasonal rates apply. CMA Members receive discounted parking in the CMA parking garage.

There are many benefits to being a CMA Member! View all of the benefits and more here.

Tickets are currently available online. Please call reservations if you have any questions or need help booking tickets. 727-441-1790 ext. 0. Tickets are also available on-site, but we recommend booking ahead!

Admission time slots are currently available every half hour from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can stay as long as you like until closing time. 

Yes, please call Reservations at 727-441-1790, ext 0. Be sure to bring a photo ID as your reservation will be under your last name. Or, you can make reservations online here.

CMA Members can reserve their admission tickets and select time slots and visit dates by selecting the Member Visit ticket online. Please call 727-441-1790 ext. 0 if you have any questions.

Educational presentations will be available throughout the day. Schedules may vary. Please check times and locations posted on digital signage when you arrive.

If you forget your face covering or need an additional one, face masks or face shields may be available for purchase at Ticketing before you enter. Additional masks are available for purchase in our gift shop.

Funding comes from admission and program fees, grants, and donations.

Yes, our full-time veterinarian is Dr. Shelly Marquardt.

We use frozen restaurant quality fish, which allows us to keep a high standard of food quality for our animals.

Yes, we can assist with the rescue of manatees, but we don’t have the space and permits needed to rehab them or care for them as residents.

CMA has about 600-900 volunteers and interns on the rolls at any given time. The higher numbers are during the summer, with our junior volunteers, and during turtle nesting season. We have many staff members who also volunteer in another department on a weekly basis! For more information on becoming a volunteer or intern, visit our volunteer section.

We can perform cytology, blood cell counts, hematocrits (PCV), total protein values, blood glucose, examine fecal samples and test gastric samples for salinity.

If you would like to learn more about our animal encounter programs, please visit our guest services office or book online. Our programs are not included with admission and are limited in quantity each day in accordance with each resident’s specific rehab plan.

Human food is very bad for our animals and there’s a possibility it could spill from a container and fall into one of their pools. Also, food often comes in packaging that could be harmful to our dolphins, otters and turtles if ingested. For these reasons, we ask our guests to enjoy their food on the first floor only, and away from the animal exhibits.

• Visit the membership page.
• We have different levels of membership designed to fit your individual or family needs, or become a Winter’s Circle member.

Yes. You may redeem your admission cost up to the value of the membership pass you purchase. Membership purchase must be made the same day of your visit prior to leaving CMA. Visit the Guest Services office or the admission window.

Tickets purchased through third-party ticket resellers are not eligible.

Yes, members receive discounted parking in the CMA parking garage.

• Member Car Magnet
• VIP Member Entrance – Skip the Line
• 30% discount on food and beverage
• 30% discount on retail & online retail
• 20% discount on Birthday Parties
• 10% discount on additional guest admission
• Additional discounts on boat tours
• Discounted Parking
• Early camp registration and Member discount for camp programs
• Thank you video – See how you are impacting our work in the field
• CMA insider e-newsletter and invitations to special events
• Discounts from local companies & access to partner attractions
• Commemorative holiday gift
• Birthday Club

Present your membership passes along with government-issued ID at Will Call/Member Check-in located at the ticketing box office on the 3rd level entrance of CMA.

All memberships are associated with the named individual(s) and are not transferable to another person. Each membership has a specific identifier/bar code. If additional Unnamed guest passes were added to your membership, those passes may be used when attending with a named member.

Yes. When you purchase your membership online or in person, your government issued ID and/or receipt will serve as your temporary membership and will allow you admission until your digital membership passes are emailed to you. For environmental purposes, we are utilizing a digital pass and discourage printing the confirmation. Once you purchase all you need to bring is your ID.

CMA digital membership cards are downloadable to your mobile device. After purchasing your membership, you will receive a confirmation email with your digital passes attached. The membership passes can either be printed out, or saved to your phone.

You can access your digital membership passes on your mobile device after receiving your confirmation email. If you are unable to access your membership pass, primary named members can simply show a photo ID at admission.

No. The membership is a digital membership. For environmental purposes, CMA has decided to transition away from printing and mailing paper cards/passes.

Lifetime memberships will be honored.

Digital membership passes can be resent to your email for download. Please contact membership@cmaquarium.org. CMA no longer issues hard copy or replacement membership cards.

Yes, just show your government issued ID.

To ensure appropriate use of membership benefits and privileges, CMA will require valid photo ID. Children are not required to present photo ID but should be accompanied by a parent or adult from their household or present their digital membership pass. Children under 13 attending with an adult outside their household may not be admitted for free if they are not able to present their digital membership or photo ID. We appreciate your understanding.

Individual and Pod memberships are non-transferable. Only the person(s) named on the membership may enter CMA using the membership. All named members will be required to show a valid photo ID. Unnamed Guests must be accompanied by one of the named members.

You can renew online here. Simply login to renew. If you do not have your login info you can use the lookup to search for you pass number. You can also call the CMA Reservations Center at 757-441-1790, ext. 0. The Reservations Center is open 7 days a week, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas Days from 10:0 am – 6:00 pm.

Yes, you can purchase a membership for an individual other than yourself. You will need to provide the gift recipient’s name, address, phone number and email. The link to download the digital membership PDF will be sent to the email provided. Passes are valid one year from the date of purchase.

We do not assign credit for those who have not used their memberships. Even if you have lost a previous membership card or are not able to access the digital membership, you are always able to visit the CMA by showing your government issued I.D. or email purchase confirmation/receipt.

We are unable to place temporary freezes or holds on accounts.

CMA members will receive our monthly CMA e-newsletter.  Exclusive updates may be emailed to members on occasion.

Yes. Visit our Tickets page here.

Please send an email to membership@cmaquarium.org.

Membership discounts on kids’ camps are offered to Pair, Pod and Winter’s Circle membership levels. Camp discounts do not apply to individual memberships.

She is a female dolphin, just like her best friend Hope.

Winter lives in an environment with Hope and PJ.

She was just two months old. Normally, baby dolphins, called calves, will stay with their mothers for one to three years, but Winter was all alone.

A fisherman found her, and cut the line and called a rescue team. She was close to the surface when she was tangled up – otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to breathe.

Rescue teams from Harbor Branch Institute and Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute worked with Clearwater Marine Aquarium to save Winter and bring her to CMA in December 2005. Five years later, they also rescued Hope, another famous CMA resident dolphin.

She was found in the month of December, so was named after the chilly season in which she was rehabilitated.

While no one knows her true date of birth, the team at CMA estimated her birthday to be October 10, 2005, as she was only two months old when she was rescued. When filming the movie in 2010, she was only five, making her the youngest movie star on set!

That one is a tie – she likes capelin and silversides, two different types of fish she is fed at CMA. She was still drinking milk when she arrived at CMA, so has never had to hunt for fish.

She loves floating around on her mat.

Winter enjoys the attention she gets from all the guests that come to visit her, as heard through her characteristic “tweety-bird” whistle! However, at times she will choose to rest in various locations of the pool, including underwater, or in a portion of the habitat where she is less visible. It is our goal to afford Winter, and all of our animals, an opportunity to make these choices as they see fit!

The limelight suited her well. The big cameras and lights were a change for her, but her trainers worked for a long time before the movie crew arrived to get her used to all that new equipment. Once filming began, Winter had a great time.

You can visit Winter every day at Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a great opportunity to learn more about her and her story. Following Winter on Facebook or signing up for our newsletter are other great ways to get the latest updates on her progress. You can also watch her online via her live webcam.

Her trainers worked really hard to make sure she was comfortable with the tail before they put it on. The trainers and Winter worked together to exercise and practice moving her tail stump up and down without the tail so that she would be strong enough to wear it. Then, once the first tail was ready, they allowed her to check it out and get used to the new and strange object before sliding it on.

The first tail was a lot smaller than the ones she wears today, because she was a lot smaller then too! As she grew, they kept making the tails larger, just like you might get new shoes when your feet get bigger. With each new tail model, they try new things, making it more comfortable and beneficial for her to wear.

Wearing the tail is hard work because it makes Winter exercise a part of her body she does not normally use. It is important for her to do this and it is getting easier with more practice.

Winter’s tail is for physical therapy – to keep her spine and muscles healthy by exercising and stretching them. She only wears the tail for about an hour or less every day.

Winter swims just fine without the tail. It is used for physical therapy to help reduce the curvature of her back area (the peduncle) caused by her side-to-side swimming motion. Also, dolphin skin is incredibly sensitive. Like other bottlenose dolphins, Winter sheds a layer of skin every two hours. If she wore the tail too long, it could actually hurt her skin and make the tail uncomfortable.

Yes, in a side-to-side motion. She learned how to do this by herself but she does need to wear her tail to keep her muscles and spine healthy.

• Whether you choose to modify an existing program or create something entirely new, we’ll help you plan an experience that meets your needs:
• Date and time of your program
• Areas visited in the aquarium, including behind-the-scenes
• Featured animals or exhibits
• Private tour guides
• Private boat tours
• Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
• Animal encounters, expert guest speakers and more

The price of your package will vary based on the customizations you choose. Our team will help create a program to fit your budget. To find out if a customized program is right for you, contact us at customexperience@cmaquarium.org  or call 727-441-1790 ext. 229.

We require a minimum of two weeks to plan your custom experience. However, all custom experiences are based on availability.

Yes! You’re free to explore the Aquarium during our regular hours before or after your custom experience.

Party guests will be asked to check in at Will Call located on the 3rd level entrance of CMA to be met by your party coordinator, who will facilitate entrance into the Aquarium. The coordinator will be outside the entrance 15 minutes before the party is due to start. To decorate the room beforehand, you may arrive an hour prior to your booked party time. Additional time will not be provided in the party room if the party is late. All parties must end on time to facilitate the next party.

Full payment is due at time of booking and is non-refundable. Fees for additional guests will be charged the day of party.

Date changes must be made at least three weeks before the scheduled party. All changes made less than three weeks of the party date will incur a $100 fee in addition to the total party charge, payable on the date the change is made. If a requested date change is unavailable due to party bookings by other Clearwater Marine Aquarium patrons, unfortunately, the request must be considered a cancellation. We will be happy to place you on a waiting list. All cancellations can be re-booked but cannot receive a refund.

The rooms are booked for set times to allow time to clean for the next party, therefore you can only book the room for the set time. If you would like a longer or larger party, you can book two time slots or two rooms if space is available. If you go over your time limit, you will be charged $75 per ½ hour. Contact us for additional space requests

Parents may bring additional, suitable room decorations. Balloons and straws are not allowed in the aquarium. Provided decorations include tablecloths only.

The aquarium has a NO BALLOON policy. For the safety of our animals and the risk posed to our waterways. Other items not permitted: noise makers, live animals (i.e. goldfish as favors or pets)

Some additional table decorations and party favors can be added by the parent. Please contact Events for approval before you purchase any decorations.

The aquarium allows outside food to be brought in.