- April 26, 2024
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Marineland Dolphin Adventure celebrated its 75th anniversary this weekend with the Beach Ball, a beach-style party at the oceanarium, with musical entertainment by Zebbhi Niyah Band.
Marineland was founded in Florida on June 23, 1938, as Marine Studios, a pioneering underwater filming studio and museum inspired by educational innovation, designed to house a myriad of sea life. Serving as the world’s first oceanarium, Marineland was conceived to provide its guests with a window to the ocean, creating a moving experience by showcasing marine animals and their environment’s.
Marine Studios was founded by W. Douglas Burden, great-great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt; Burden’s cousin, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney; Sherman Pratt, descendent to a founding standard oil partner; and Count Ilia Tolstoy, grandson of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. The cousins joined forces with colleagues Merian Cooper, the writer, director and producer of the original King Kong, a native of Jacksonville.
On opening day, more than 20,000 visitors entered Marine Studios to view a sight never before seen from dry land. In the decades following the opening, movies including “Revenge of the Creature (Of the Black Lagoon),” “Tarzan” and “Benji Takes a Dive” were filmed onsite, as were some episodes of the “Sea Hunt” television series with Lloyd Bridges.
Over the decades, Marine Studios evolved, becoming home not only to aquatic animals, but also to animal trainers, scientists and researchers. As Marine Studios transformed into Marineland of Florida, the world’s first trained dolphin – dubbed as Flippy – contributed to the park’s rise in popularity.
Marineland grew and evolved into one of the top tourist destinations in the country and remained so throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s.
As the years went by, guests began to express a desire for more unique, hands-on experiences with the animals. In the early 2000s, a plan was created to transform the aging, out dated Marineland into a modern facility focused on connecting people with dolphins. A destination where animals could be more easily observed by visitors and researchers, and guests could be inspired by a whole new level of connectivity with these amazing creatures.
In 2006, Marineland’s dolphins were relocated next door to a brand-new facility and the older structures, which had once welcomed hundreds of thousands of guest but were no longer functional for the care of animals, were demolished.
Now, Marineland Dolphin Adventure is specifically designed for interactive dolphin encounters. In 2011, Marineland Dolphin Adventure was acquired by Georgia Aquarium, and continues to offer a variety of interactive adventures, educating guests to gain a better understanding of the species and inspiring conservation efforts on their behalf.
Today, the modern 1.3 million gallon facility is designed with the behavioral needs of the animal, the viewing capabilities of the guest and researcher, and the logistical needs of the trainer in mind.
However, the updated park did not forget its history; tributes to the historic Marineland heritage surround the facility.
