Gather the whole family to come face to face with many of the Sunshine State’s aquatic residents at the St. Augustine Aquarium. Located on State Road 16, the aquarium sits on five acres and boasts an 80,000 gallon Florida reef habitat. Guests can get geared up and jump in to snorkel with over 300 reef fish. You’ll be swimming with three Cow Nose Rays, Guitar Fish, Atlantic Rays and many other aquatic species.
Before opening, the founders of St. Augustine Aquarium, Shawn and Kathy Hiester, spent two years visiting aquariums across the country to get a better understanding of how they work. They hope that the Aquarium will allow them to share their passion for marine biology with the community, conduct future research, and carry out their mission of marine conservation through education.
The St. Augustine Aquarium caters to kids with behind the scenes tours, birthday parties, summer camps, and educational field trips. In addition to viewing the many marine habitats, children can dig for shark teeth and after identifying their finds, they can pick their favorite and take it home with them. Their gift shop that carries many local and Florida made souvenirs.
The aquarium does daily shark feedings for the guests to view at 11am, 12pm, 2pm, and 3pm and offers the opportunity to feed some of their nurse sharks or even do a hands-on experience too. When you visit, you can touch some of the animals without vertebrae like starfish, horseshoe crabs, and urchins.
Throughout the day at various exhibits, you’ll encounter marine biologists presenting a plethora of knowledge about the animals. It’s nice to have this attraction close to town for those days when you don’t want to take the more than 40 minute drive down to Marineland.
Their grand opening will be this summer. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for an exact date. The Castaway Canopy Adventure by Zipstream will be launching any day now. This zip line attraction consists of a guided tour with climbing walls, bridges and more.
Be on the lookout as well for future announcements about phase two. Some of the coming features include a new building with ecosystem-specific habitats and additional parking. Future plans for the park include an exciting shipwreck reef where you can be submerged in a shark tank surrounded by sharks.
The St. Augustine Aquarium is located at 2045 State Road 16 in St. Augustine. Regular admission for adults is $8, $5 for children ages 3-12. Visit their website at www.saaquarium.com.
Photography by Brian Miller
