Discovery Cove in Florida: Sea World's Snorkeling Park in Orlando FL, with an Aviary and Old Anheuser Busch...

The Sea World family of parks in the Orlando FL area is really fantastic and it has expanded rapidly in the last several years to include a high end snorkeling paradise called Discovery Cove, and a water park called Aquatica.  The company that owns Sea World, Anheuser-Busch, also owns the Busch Gardens theme parks in the city of Tampa and Williamsburg, Virginia.  Discovery Cove is one of the most incredible parks anywhere, with its emphasis on swimming and snorkeling…

Discovery Cove is not your typical water park with thousands of guests getting in the way of your fun, because they keep a strict limit on the number of daily visitors there…  Instead of the typical $60 per person average fee for a central Florida theme or water park, they charge several hundred dollars per person in order to keep out the riff raff, which is a great idea!  If you’ve ever been to an otherwise incredible water park and had your visit tainted by way too many people in the park, then you know what I mean…

There are many different options and add ons when you purchase your admission pass, so make sure to look over the information pretty thoroughly to get everything that you want.  You can even be a trainer for a day, if interested!  Daily attendance is kept down to only about 1,000 visitors a day to avoid overcrowding, so your visit is sure to be incredible at Discovery Cove! 

One of the most popular attractions at the Discovery Cove Park is the Wind-Away River, where you can drift along with the current of a “river” that will take you through many varied environments including a tropical rain forest, sandy beaches, and rocky cliffs with waterfalls…  In fact, snorkeling is probably the main theme at this park, where you can relax and view tropical fish of all kinds as you explore the different nooks and crannies of Discovery Cove…

Enjoy swimming with sting rays in the Tropical Reef experience, where you have free rein to see many of these animals in an environment similar to what they have in the wild, and there’s a good chance that they will come up to you and interact!  You can feed them if you like, and they have a funny way of taking the food from your hand with a sucking motion…  It’s a fantastic experience interacting with all the animals at this park, including the dolphins!

The dolphins are trained to interact with you in the presence of a Discovery Cove trainer, and you’ll love all of the various antics and fun that they will have with you!  The “Trainer for a day” experience is an extra charge, but well worth it if you are interested in learning more about how these marine mammals are taught different behaviors.  These behaviors are important on learning to interact with guests, but also for various other reasons such as health care with veterinarians.  The dolphins are kept well entertained themselves, and it’s very important for them to not get bored in the park because of the same old routine…

If you like birds, then you’ll love the Explorers Aviary, where you can hang out with free flying birds in their own natural environment, where they frequently come down and land on your shoulder looking for a little food and maybe some loving…  This attraction at Discovery Cove is loads of fun, especially for the kids, and you will probably stop in several times during the day for more! 

Have fun in the wonderful “Serenity Bay” of Discovery Cove, where you can enjoy swimming in 80 degree water in this amazing pool!  It’s a great way to just relax and enjoy yourself with no time constraints and no worries or stress…  In 2011, the park is opening up the “Grand Reef”, which will have many more features and tropical fish in an environment where you can sign up for an optional underwater excursion with helmets on that pipe in breathable air from the surface.  It’s an amazing experience, and I’ve done it in Oahu HI before…  The Discovery Cove Park in Orlando FL is highly recommended, and I know you’ll have an amazing experience!

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