Marineland: The World’s First Oceanarium on Florida’s Coast

Long before SeaWorld or Disney, there was Marineland. When it opened on the coast south of St. Augustine in 1938, it was the world’s first oceanarium, and arguably the attraction that launched Florida tourism as we know it.

An Underwater Movie Studio

Marineland began life as Marine Studios, the brainchild of a group that included Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney and Ilya Tolstoy, grandson of the Russian novelist. Their idea was clever: build giant saltwater tanks where Hollywood could film ocean life up close, something no one had managed before. When it opened on June 23, 1938, more than twenty thousand people showed up. The novelty of seeing sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles together in one tank was a sensation.

A Cradle of Marine Science

Marineland turned out to be far more than a film set. Scientists there pioneered ways to keep marine animals healthy in captivity, recorded the sounds dolphins make, and helped lay the groundwork for the modern aquarium. A little town grew up around the studio, even getting its own post office. For decades it drew celebrities and carloads of tourists down old coastal highway A1A.

Visit It Today

Marineland is still open as Marineland Dolphin Adventure, about twenty miles south of St. Augustine on scenic A1A. The crowds are smaller now, but you can still meet dolphins up close, learn about ocean conservation, and stand where Florida’s attraction industry began. It is a quieter, more intimate experience than the mega-parks it helped inspire, and a genuine piece of living Florida history.