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Dolphin Research Center

Bring Fido and your family to meet the dolphins and sea lions at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, FL. Leashed or harnessed pets are welcome to join you at this dog-friendly destination. This 501(c)3 not-for-profit research and educational facility offers exciting daily presentations, from high flying athletics to dolphin encounters. Spend an hour or stay all day learning about these incredible marine mammals. Visit Website

Or call (305) 289-1121 or email drc@dolphins.org for more information.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Dolphin Research Center has received a rating of 4.4 out of 5 bones by 13 canine critics on BringFido and 4.5 out of 5 by 2,819 guests on TripAdvisor.


Visitors to the Dolphin Research Center generally report having a positive and enjoyable experience, with the facility being described as welcoming, dog-friendly, and offering an educational and unique opportunity to interact with dolphins. Some have mentioned the need for better trimming of shrubbery and disappointment with the brevity of the "Dolphin Dip" program, but these appear to be isolated concerns.

AI-generated from the text of reviews

  • William
    Sep 26, 2024
    Fun adventure for my Beagles

    The beagles like to see all the dolphins. The layout is open with quite a bit of covering. The discussions are spaced out by the hour so you can’t really attend them in sequence.

  • Mae
    May 5, 2024
    Great shady spot

    There was plenty of shade for my pups and benches to relax. We went on a Sunday and it wasn't crowded and our pups loved the stimulation.

  • Melissa
    May 30, 2022
    Had a great time.

    Brought Ace and he really enjoyed it. Staff was friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed them talking about hurricane readiness and the fact that the dolphins were free to go if they wanted to. The pinging demonstration (how they get them home after a hurricane) was outstanding. All of the dolphins in the lagoon practically flew to the sound. very heartening to know they can get back home, most would not survive in the wild. The only negative I had was that they need to trim their shrubbery. I’m short and missed a lot of what was going on in one of lagoons.

  • Edward
    Jan 30, 2020
    Great visit with pup...

    Enjoyed the dolphin feeding and then the enrichment session... Waited till after the session had ended and most folks drifted off and allowed our schnoodle charlie to get down to the water line without bothering other patrons .. Has a blast...

  • Kelly
    Jan 20, 2020
    Awesome Place!

    I’m so glad we stopped by! Our pup Faith had an awesome time seeing the dolphins and the dolphins really seemed to like her too. I’d definitely come back with her.

  • Laura
    May 31, 2019
    A Great Place Place To Visit!

    My GSD was welcome and the dolphins appeared to be very curious about her. Got to see the dolphins up close - they were chattering and whistling quite a bit! It was very relaxing just to sit and watch them.

  • Kimberly
    Feb 10, 2019
    Great time

    Brought my Weim here today and he had a great time. Not too many people and the staff was super friendly with him. He also got a very close look at the dolphins and they seemed to be super intrigued by him as well. Will definitely be visiting again!

  • Linda Silversten
    More than a year ago
    excellent

    We took our 2 dogs and they loved it. Our dog Buddy wanted to swim with the dolphins. The employees and dolphins loved our dogs. We were offered a bowl of water for our dogs. I highly recommend the very educational experience...

  • Kim
    Jan 17, 2018
    Fun and educational

    Very welcoming and dog friendly. A one of a kind experience. Our dog was great until the dolphins started doing jumps. Then she got a little too excited. ( Dolphins make noises that sound very much like squeaky toys).

  • Kelly
    More than a year ago
    Awesome Spot for fido

    Awesome spot for Fido! We are members of DRC and have been visiting for 20+ years but we never realized we could bring our dog Sandy so this was an amazing experience! Sandy LOVED it! She especially loved seeing the sea lions and even barked at them when they were "barking" - SO CUTE. She also was very curious watching the dolphins! Wonderful place with amazing staff. They were very welcoming to our dog and offered water. Very dog friendly place and so unique! I do not think there is anywhere else where dogs can get so close to dolphins and sea lions. Thank you DRC for a wonderful afternoon with our furry baby.

  • Joann
    More than a year ago
    One-of-a-kind!

    Dolphin Research Center has a unique charm that you don't find anywhere else. General admission gives you access to DRC for the whole day (and it's free with a membership)... and you can bring your pets! Each dog I've seen reacts entirely different to the dolphins. I've even notice a few go crazy for the sea lions too! Plus, the dolphins seem to be just as curious about the dogs. I have gotten so many dolphin photobombs in my pictures with my pups! If you want a great educational experience, and to really get to know the dolphins, go to DRC early and spend at least half a day there. There's no tour, but there are schedule boards that tell you what's happening and where to see it throughout the day. Then, you can watch the shows and walk around. I love to say hello to the animals, especially when they have baby dolphins! As a member, I can also ask where my adopted dolphins, Gypsi, Molly, and Summer, are and stop by to say hello too. Often, staff will come up and ask if I have any questions or just start a random conversation. Everyone is just so friendly. If you want to interact with the dolphins, I suggest getting there early as sometimes they sell out. My favorite program? Paint with the Dolphin! I love seeing the dolphins be creative and it's a cute little momento of your visit. Just make sure you have someone to hold your dog while you do the program, since they can't go down on the boardwalk or docks.

  • Allen
    More than a year ago
    Waste of money

    Rip off! Waste of money. Poor animals.

  • Susanne
    More than a year ago
    Dolphin Dip

    Although the Dolphin Research Centre is a friendly and informative place about dolphins, we were very disappointed with the "Dolphin Dip" we paid for $120 per person. As a group of 10 we were divided into 2 subgroups and each group had about 9 minutes of interacting (stroking the dolphin and giving instructions) with the lovely animal. And the staff was more concerned with taking professional photographs (of course you need to pay for extra!) than anything else. The experience is not worth the money!

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Dolphin Research Center