Mote Marine Lab Aquarium

Mote Marine Lab Aquarium is a pleasant place to visit close to Lido Beach. Because it's an older aquarium, the architecture is uninspiring, made of heavy concrete. It is situated on a pretty bay so the drive there is charming. The aquarium is clean and the animals are lovingly cared for. The friendly volunteers will tell you anything you want to know. A fun part of the visit is the manatee exhibit where one of the manatees loves to kiss you through the glass! There is a rescued pantropical spotted dolphin (he can never be returned to the ocean because of injuries), and there are plenty of sharks. My favorite part of the aquarium is the area where babies are hatched. When we were there, we saw the tiniest sea horses imaginable, and even cuter, baby sting rays (called skates). I loved this!

If you love aquariums, there is a wonderful aquarium an hour away in Tampa called The Florida Aquarium.
If you love animals, another nice place to visit is Dakin Dairy, 41 minutes away.

Directions

Mote Marine Lab Aquarium is located at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota FL 34236, call (941) 388-4441.
Open daily 10-5.
Admission is $20 for aged 13 and up, $19 for seniors, $15 for children aged 4-12, free for children aged 3 and under.

Click on map for interactive view