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Marineland leaps into future
Other exhibits could return, but for now the St. Augustine landmark is focusing exclusively on dolphins.
Claudia Zequeira | Sentinel Staff Writer Posted March 5, 2006
ST. AUGUSTINE -- Hundreds of animal lovers turned out Saturday to view -- and review -- the makeover of Marineland as the Florida landmark reopened its doors after a $10 million renovation.
"We love it. I don't care how old you get; this will bring out the kid in you," said Bruce Harmon, a neighborhood resident who visited with his wife, Jackie. Harmon, who waited in line for several hours, said he liked the modern look of the place.
"Change is good. You've got to go with the times."
Although the park opened in the early afternoon, visitors arrived at all hours for a chance to see the new facility -- a sparkling pool with large windows holding 1.3 million gallons of Atlantic Ocean water, flanked by a glassy administrative building.
Oohs and aahs could be heard from visitors as Marineland's 11 resident dolphins leaped in the air, twirled and shook their fins in exchange for fish.
"I wish I could rent the whole place and play with dolphins all day," said Tykeah Evans, 13.
"I love to see them jump."
Admission to the park on Saturday was $1, the cost of a ticket in 1938, but the price jumps to $5 sometime this week.
But the ticket does not cover "dolphin interactions," which park developers are promoting heavily at $65 to $150 a person.
The interactive programs allow visitors the chance to feed, touch and play with dolphins in small groups. One activity, Dolphin Designs, includes dolphin art -- painted with brushes held in their mouths on a canvas that visitors can hold and keep.
In its earlier form, Marineland offered a variety of marine exhibits including penguins, sharks and turtles. Amid the excitement generated by the opening, some visitors found the new focus as a "dolphin conservation center" puzzling.
"Is this it?" asked Nyra Sheehy, 33, as she stared as the old and rusted arches straddling what once was a performance pool by the park's entrance.
"I like dolphins . . . but if they [park developers] want to thrive, they need to have more exhibits," said Sheehy, who drove from Jacksonville with her four children.
Several visitors also complained Saturday the place was not "kid-friendly" enough and that viewing the animals was difficult.
"There's no place to sit anywhere, and if you're standing holding a kid, that's not easy," said Seth Walden, 27, as he carried his 5-month-old son. "We're having to chase kids around and it isn't comfortable. It's hard to see anything."
Park managers said they have not ruled out bringing other exhibits back. But they focused Saturday on the accomplishment of bringing the historic park into this century.
Created in the 1930s by two Vanderbilt heirs and the grandson of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, Marineland is the nation's first oceanarium and marine ocean studio. In recent years it struggled to survive against competition from SeaWorld and Walt Disney World, shutting its doors in 2004 after hurricanes damaged its structures.
Recast as a high-end ecologically sensitive destination by Atlanta-based developer Jim Jacoby, a dolphin fancier who purchased the property in 2001, the park is expected to create economic development in and around Marineland.
Following a ribbon-cutting that included politicians and heirs of the park founders, Jacoby said he planned for Marineland to include a resort hotel, condominiums, a spa and the expansion of the University of Florida's Whitney Lab.
"Marineland is going to be here for another 70 years," Jacoby said.
"This is a model that works."
Claudia Zequeira can be reached at czequeira@orlandosentinel.com or 407-931-5934.
Other exhibits could return, but for now the St. Augustine landmark is focusing exclusively on dolphins.
Claudia Zequeira | Sentinel Staff Writer Posted March 5, 2006
ST. AUGUSTINE -- Hundreds of animal lovers turned out Saturday to view -- and review -- the makeover of Marineland as the Florida landmark reopened its doors after a $10 million renovation.
"We love it. I don't care how old you get; this will bring out the kid in you," said Bruce Harmon, a neighborhood resident who visited with his wife, Jackie. Harmon, who waited in line for several hours, said he liked the modern look of the place.
"Change is good. You've got to go with the times."
Although the park opened in the early afternoon, visitors arrived at all hours for a chance to see the new facility -- a sparkling pool with large windows holding 1.3 million gallons of Atlantic Ocean water, flanked by a glassy administrative building.
Oohs and aahs could be heard from visitors as Marineland's 11 resident dolphins leaped in the air, twirled and shook their fins in exchange for fish.
"I wish I could rent the whole place and play with dolphins all day," said Tykeah Evans, 13.
"I love to see them jump."
Admission to the park on Saturday was $1, the cost of a ticket in 1938, but the price jumps to $5 sometime this week.
But the ticket does not cover "dolphin interactions," which park developers are promoting heavily at $65 to $150 a person.
The interactive programs allow visitors the chance to feed, touch and play with dolphins in small groups. One activity, Dolphin Designs, includes dolphin art -- painted with brushes held in their mouths on a canvas that visitors can hold and keep.
In its earlier form, Marineland offered a variety of marine exhibits including penguins, sharks and turtles. Amid the excitement generated by the opening, some visitors found the new focus as a "dolphin conservation center" puzzling.
"Is this it?" asked Nyra Sheehy, 33, as she stared as the old and rusted arches straddling what once was a performance pool by the park's entrance.
"I like dolphins . . . but if they [park developers] want to thrive, they need to have more exhibits," said Sheehy, who drove from Jacksonville with her four children.
Several visitors also complained Saturday the place was not "kid-friendly" enough and that viewing the animals was difficult.
"There's no place to sit anywhere, and if you're standing holding a kid, that's not easy," said Seth Walden, 27, as he carried his 5-month-old son. "We're having to chase kids around and it isn't comfortable. It's hard to see anything."
Park managers said they have not ruled out bringing other exhibits back. But they focused Saturday on the accomplishment of bringing the historic park into this century.
Created in the 1930s by two Vanderbilt heirs and the grandson of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, Marineland is the nation's first oceanarium and marine ocean studio. In recent years it struggled to survive against competition from SeaWorld and Walt Disney World, shutting its doors in 2004 after hurricanes damaged its structures.
Recast as a high-end ecologically sensitive destination by Atlanta-based developer Jim Jacoby, a dolphin fancier who purchased the property in 2001, the park is expected to create economic development in and around Marineland.
Following a ribbon-cutting that included politicians and heirs of the park founders, Jacoby said he planned for Marineland to include a resort hotel, condominiums, a spa and the expansion of the University of Florida's Whitney Lab.
"Marineland is going to be here for another 70 years," Jacoby said.
"This is a model that works."
Claudia Zequeira can be reached at czequeira@orlandosentinel.com or 407-931-5934.
