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Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays and more, Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a working marine rescue center dedicated to inspiring the human spirit through leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation and release. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute conducts important global research focused on protecting manatees, North Atlantic right whales, and sea turtles. Come learn about CMA’s mission to preserve the environment and its marine life. This mission and its potential to change people’s lives differentiates CMA from any other aquarium in the world.

Tampa Bay CityPASS includes:

General Admission — Entry includes interactive exhibits such as touch tanks and short lectures at the animal habitats in the working hospital.

Highlights

  1. 01.

    Get up close and personal with bottlenose dolphins at the 40-foot-wide Window of Wonder at the Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex, with nine floor-to-ceiling windows optimizing the view.

  2. 02.

    Explore the Tales of Winter the Dolphin immersive exhibit, which features her prosthetic tails, props from the "Dolphin Tale" movie, and memorabilia from her life that illustrates the Aquarium's rescue work.

  3. 03.

    Learn about the Aquarium's mission of rescue, rehab and release while exploring the marine life hospital, where you can meet the rest of the rescued animals, including turtles, otters, a nurse shark, and rare rough-toothed dolphins!

Visit Clearwater Marine Aquarium with CityPASS®

CityPASS tickets offer a great way to see Clearwater Marine Aquarium while saving you time and money.

Tampa Bay CityPASS

Advice for Visitors

Tips

Best Time to Visit

For smaller crowds and shorter lines, please visit close to opening time or after 3pm.

Plan about two hours at the Aquarium to take full advantage of general admission, with extra time for upgraded animal interactions and educational programs if you choose to add them. If you're short on time, don't miss the Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex.

Don't miss the audio guide, included with admission. Available in both a children’s version and an adult version, the guide helps you connect intimately with the rescue stories of the resident animals and brings to life the important mission of rescue, rehab and release.

Some exhibits are outdoors and/or exposed to the elements (heat, rain, etc.). Please plan accordingly and note that outdoor exhibits may be closed in the case of inclement weather.

Award-winning Clearwater Beach has been named the best beach in the U.S. numerous times; it's definitely a must-see in the Tampa area. With the Aquarium located less than 1 mile from the beach, the two make a perfect day visit pair.

Learn more on the CityPASS Blog about what you'll see at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Attraction Features

Amenities

Dining: Shark Bites Cafe, Dolphin Terrace

Gift Shops: CMA Store

Accessibility

Visit CMA's website for detailed information on services for guests with specific needs.

Parking/Transportation

From Clearwater Beach, the Clearwater Ferry brings you directly to CMA with several scenic runs across the bay. Get directions and more information on parking and transportation.

Offers & Upgrades

Animal Interactions

Animal interactions and educational programs are available. Prices vary; check at Guest Services or visit cmaquarium.org. Reserve your animal interactions and educational programs prior to arrival as these sell out quickly.

Contact Information & Hours

  • Clearwater Marine Aquarium
  • 249 Windward Passage
  • Clearwater, FL 33767
  • Daily: 10am-5pm

Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.

The Aquarium is open 9am-3pm on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Year's Eve (Dec. 31); it is closed on Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November) and Christmas Day (Dec. 25).

Seasonal hours may apply; check the schedule before visiting.

Read reviews from CityPASS® travelers.

Tampa Bay CityPASS
Bargain!
Bought the Citypass for our trip to Tampa area! Did EVERYTHING there was to do, and we enjoyed all of them! Easy to purchase and use. Would recommend getting a Citypass to anyone visiting the area!
Awesome Deal
It's not rocket science - if you have the time to do and see the included attractions, the CityPASS is a absolute steal for the money!!!!
Tampa City Pass 5
Worth every penny!!! Do not tour the city without buying this first! It was a wallet saver and helped to schedule our week.
Amazing Deal!!!!
This was an absolutely amazing deal for us! We have a family of 7, and I can think of no greater way to enjoy Tampa!!!!
Good Value
This was a great value for so much to do. Very easy to use. Will definitely purchase again.
Tampa Bay CityPASS is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 2394.
Rated 3 out of 5 by from Extend time limit please The time limit to use the CityPASS needs to be 14 days or more. We were not able to use all of the pass in 9 days.
Date published: 2026-02-18
Rated 3 out of 5 by from Would like more options I bought CityPASS tickets for a visit to the Tampa area. I frequently travel and always make sure to see if CityPASS is available in that city because it's such an amazing deal and easy to use. The activities offered were good but not great. I wish they had more options for teenagers. My son loved Busch Garden and the Dolphin Encounter cruise but everything else was just ok. The Lowry Zoo and Florida Aquarium are not worth the price they were charging. I honestly expected the zoo to be better for such a large city. Thank goodness for the discount cost through CityPASS. The Clearwater Aquarium really should bill itself as a marine life recovery center rather than an aquarium because we went expecting one thing and were confronted with something different. We did enjoy the dolphin feeding time there but the rest was just ok.
Date published: 2026-02-18
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Great Deal! The CityPass is a great deal. My only concern is using it in 9 days from the first use. Taking poor weather into account I think 2 weeks, at least, would be more reasonable.
Date published: 2026-02-16
Rated 3 out of 5 by from Could be better I was really looking forward to being able to leave a 5 star review when I first purchased them but unfortunately I cannot. I purchased the CityPASS in December of 2025 so that my family and nephew could check out Tampa as we had plans to visit family in Fort Myers. The pass itself has a good price given the places you can visit with the majority of the cost coming from being to go to Busch Gardens, the Aquarium and the Zoo. At least for us, we were really looking forward to Busch Gardens after watching multiple YouTube videos featuring the different rides and all the great activities you could do at the park. We ultimately decided to go on 01-16-26 and given our research had a plan to take advantage of the park. Unfortunately, the day that we went, only 2 of the roller coasters were rideable and the third they had opened that day shut down two different times due to technical difficulties. It was a major let down for all of 4 of us that could ride the coasters (excluding the nephew as he is too young) as we were really excited. On a positive note, the nephew loved seeing the animals and that was really exciting for him. Due to scheduling we were also able to make it to the aquarium, before heading to fort myers quicker then anticipated, and that was a great experience and we all enjoyed our time there. Overall, I do like the idea of the CityPASS and it’s a good value if everything that is featured is available but had we known that Busch Gardens wasn’t going to have everything available, we would probably have skipped out on this and purchased tickets individually.
Date published: 2026-02-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from The absolute best value for a Tampa vacation! WOW! This was by far the best deal we found for our trip. While we loved hitting the beaches like Clearwater and Fort De Soto, the CityPASS was the real highlight. The boys ranked Busch Gardens as their absolute favorite—between the world-class rides and the zoo, you could easily spend two full days there. For me, the Florida Aquarium stole the show; it was so scenic and relaxing. Touching the stingrays was a highlight, and standing in front of the massive aquarium window with the sharks and sea turtles swimming by was just incredible. The displays are beautiful and the staff was so helpful. ZooTampa was another hit; the exhibits are great, and the safari tour is a must-do (plus, it’s a nice chance to sit down and see things from a new perspective!). The Dolphin Cruise in Clearwater was fantastic with plenty of sightings, and MOSI provided some great 'learning fun' for the family. All in all, I highly recommend the Tampa CityPASS. We’ll definitely be looking for CityPASS in every city we visit from now on. A+!
Date published: 2026-02-03
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All images courtesy of Clearwater Marine Aquarium