🐬 Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park is launching a year-long celebration to mark its 70th anniversary, beginning August 10.
🎉 The celebration includes discounted memberships, throwback admission pricing, and upcoming community events.
🧑🔬 Recent park expansions such as Dolphin Oasis and Manatee Cove underscore the Gulfarium’s ongoing investment in marine life care and education.
FORT WALTON BEACH — Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a series of events and discounts aimed at honoring the park’s decades-long role in marine education, conservation, and tourism along the Emerald Coast.
The celebration begins August 10 and includes discounted memberships and admission, as well as special programming for guests. The park originally opened its doors on August 14, 1955, and has since grown into one of the region’s most prominent marine facilities.
“We’re incredibly proud to celebrate 70 years of inspiring connections between people and marine life,” said Patrick Berry, CEO of the Gulfarium. “This milestone is not just about our past—it’s about our future. We’re looking forward to a year filled with community celebration, conservation, and meaningful moments with our animals and guests.”
As part of the celebration, the Gulfarium will offer reduced rates on annual memberships from August 10 through August 17. On August 16 and 17, the park will lower admission prices to $19.55 in recognition of the year it was established. Additional members-only events and community engagement programs are planned throughout the year, with more details to be released in the coming months.
The anniversary comes as the Gulfarium completes major projects and milestones. In 2023, the park opened Dolphin Oasis, a $24 million expansion featuring modernized dolphin habitats and updated guest areas. The park also launched Manatee Cove, a $3.5 million facility developed in partnership with the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership, which now serves as a long-term care site for rescued manatees. One of the habitat’s most well-known residents, Romeo, is believed to be the oldest manatee in human care at more than 70 years old.
Since 2015, the park’s Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center has rescued, rehabilitated, and released hundreds of endangered sea turtles along the Gulf Coast. The facility continues to serve as a critical component of the park’s conservation mission.
The Gulfarium was one of the first oceanariums in the world and has remained a fixture on the Emerald Coast for seven decades. Park officials say the 70th anniversary is not only a chance to reflect on the past, but to continue developing programs that educate the public and protect marine life for future generations.
More information about the anniversary schedule and ongoing initiatives is available at www.gulfarium.com.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
