Theater of the Sea - Small Marine Park on Islamorada, Florida Keys

Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida Keys, is NOT Sea World! If you go there expecting to see shows on the same scale as Sea World, you will be very disappointed. But Theater of the Sea has a lot of unique features that you may not find in many other places and, especially for a family with small children, the time spent at this small marine park in the Florida Keys will be time well spent. The park is small, the shows are small, and the audiences are small.

On the day that we visited in mid-May, there were probably not more than 40 people at any given show, and pretty much every child who wanted to participate in the interactive portion of the shows got an opportunity. This interactive program includes such things as getting a kiss or a hug from a sea lion, or petting a dolphin. The photo opportunities abound, and the park also takes professional pictures of the interactive portions of the show, which can be purchased at a kiosk within the park.

There are three primary shows - a dolphin show, a sea lion show, and a parrot show. There are also a couple of guided walking tours - one through mangrove forests to the lagoon beach, where you can wade in a shallow pool with tropical fish, feed the fish, swim or simply lounge in beach chairs and get some refreshments from the snack bar. You should absolutely bring your swimsuit or shorts and towels, water shoes, etc. when you visit Theater of the Sea, in case you decide to participate in this area of the park. One of the most interesting things I learned about mangroves during this walking tour was the fact that mangroves are "pioneering" plants - that is to say, they form new "land masses" with their root systems! They are important in many other ways as well, as you will learn by reading the Associated Content article on the red mangrove by Mark Woodford.