Aquarium Encounters Summer Camps

Aquarium Encounters Summer Camp includes hands-on activities such as feeding and interacting with adult nurse sharks, assisting a marine biologist in a shark training session, and immersing in a stingray tank to hand feed stingrays. Campers also snorkel or dive in a coral reef tank, hand feed stingrays, fish, and sharks, and use touch tanks to safely touch rays, starfish, urchins, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, and other animals. The program includes feeding activities throughout the day, a free guided experience of the facility, Q&A sessions with marine biologists, and access to a tide pool touch tank.

• Schedule: Open daily, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, seven days a week
• Price: Children Ages 4–12 $20; Adults Ages 13 and Up $30; Annual Pass Individual $90; Adult $90 / Child $60

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters states that its mission is to provide the public with access to unique marine environments that inspire the development of more passionate marine conservationists. The entire park is set up as an interactive learning center with interactive aquatic experiences for all ages and family-friendly educational exhibits included with admission. The program uses a hands-on approach to introducing the Florida Keys marine environment and animals, and all gear is included for the Stingray Cove Encounter and the Coral Reef Snorkel Encounter.

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters reports community involvement that includes a coral reef restoration project in conjunction with Reef Renewal USA, a partnership with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and conservation initiatives such as coral reef restoration, manatee rescue and rehabilitation, great hammerhead research, and a Goliath grouper study. The organization also participates in the “Skip the Straw” campaign, conducts outreaches as a resource to educate more people about the ocean, and is working to become a regular team member of manatee rescues. Its coral reef restoration project includes thousands of new corals planted on local reefs, two coral nurseries in the waters of the middle Keys, rehabilitation of juvenile manatees at the facility, and tracking movements of 17 individual great hammerhead sharks.

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters has been voted “Best Place To Take The Kids” five years in a row. One Google review states, “We had such an amazing experience here and the memories this place can create will be with you for a lifetime!” A TripAdvisor review notes that visitors can see fish, sharks, moray eels, gators, seahorses, a 300 lb grouper, rays, turtles, tortoises, and more, and describes swimming in the reef tank to hand feed rays, angels, and sharks or eels through a passthrough hole. A Facebook review describes the facility as beautiful and very well maintained, and highlights the touch tanks and feeding activities through the day.

Last updated February 15, 2026.