Gulf World Marine Park, Marine mammal park and aquarium in Panama City Beach, United States
Gulf World Marine Park spans several acres with indoor and outdoor areas housing dolphins, sea lions, penguins, sharks, and tropical fish. The different sections allow visitors to watch these marine animals up close from viewing areas and platforms.
Gulf World Marine Park was founded in 1969 by five Alabama businessmen, who announced construction plans that September. Its first four bottlenose dolphins, caught in the Gulf of Mexico, were trained in a motel pool before moving to the park in spring 1970. It opened on Memorial Day 1970, was expanded in 2000, and was acquired by The Dolphin Company in 2015. It closed in May 2025 after the owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Daily shows here reveal how people connect with marine animals and teach visitors about protecting these species for the environment. Guests watch dolphins and sea lions work with trainers and learn surprising facts about how these animals behave in the water.
The park is easy to reach and has areas accessible for different mobility levels. Visitors should plan time to walk between different enclosures and find the best viewing spots for watching the animals.
Gulf World was one of only a few institutions in the United States to house rough-toothed dolphins; at closure, four lived in Dolphin Stadium alongside nine bottlenose dolphins, after earlier being kept in Sea Lion Stadium.
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