Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

Our family enjoyed a wonderful day at Mote! We were greeted at the front door and thanked for following the posted mask rules before entering the aquarium. There are hand sanitizing stations everywhere as well as social distancing reminders once inside. Throughout the day there were staff spraying and cleaning surfaces and door handles, it felt very safe and well planned. We enjoyed learning about many different plants and animals from knowledgeable staff members. Seeing some big sharks and petting some small sharks was great! Getting kisses from Buffet the Manatee was a huge hit, but the stingray touch table was the best! We spent about an hour hanging out with 3 rays and a guitar fish. The interaction was unforgettable watching the animals follow the kids around looking for a nice touch. We even came back to the rays again before leaving! There were a few other families throughout the day but nothing like a "normal" visit. Mote keep doing what your doing and well done. We'll be back soon!

It’s a very nice aquarium. It feels more like just a bunch of people taking care of fish with whatever supplies they could whip up than it feels like a normal public aquarium. Not the largest aquarium but very homey and cute. It’s always a great trip. Absolutely worth the trip

We live about a hour and a half away, and try to come at least once a year. They usually have a good to very good temporary exhibit. The range of sea and freshwater creatures is a nice one. Our favorite is always the trio of otters. if your kids love the book shark lady like mine do, this was her home base aquarium. They have quite a lot of info and photos about her life with Mote.

Really cool for littles but in the August heat with masks it got a little overwhelming.

An excellent place to get away from the other activities. Allow for extra heavy traffic. Fun, Educational and still working on future updates. Look for the additional parking lot near the secondary building. Purchase your tickets online for your time slot. We enjoyed the day here for a few hours. Memorable Photo opportunities, technology, hands on, knowledgeable staff