🎡 Attractions

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium

Sarasota, FL · Tampa Bay

About

Mote traces its roots to Dr. Eugenie Clark, the marine biologist known as the Shark Lady, and that legacy runs through the Science Education Aquarium at University Town Center. Stand beneath the 400,000-gallon Gulf Coast habitat and watch sharks, rays, and sea turtles glide overhead, then meet manatees, a giant Pacific octopus, and Humboldt penguins across galleries that double as a working research lab. Touch tanks, daily feedings, and behind-the-glass conservation stories make it as much a field station as an aquarium.

Highlights

400,000-gallon Gulf Coast habitat with sharks, rays, and sea turtles overheadFounded by Dr. Eugenie Clark, the Shark LadyManatees, a giant Pacific octopus, and Humboldt penguinsTouch tanks and daily animal feedingsA working marine research lab you can walk through

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