The Wandering Disciple

Move over Shark Week, there are better ways to get up close and personal to the predators of the seas.  At Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, you can come face to face with a several species of sharks as they swim all around you.  (Photo: June 9, 2016)

Sarasota, Florida: The Ann & Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Center at Mote Marine is a dual purpose facility. Part aquarium, part animal hospital the center is a leader in mammal care throughout the state of Florida. The public potion of the center is geared toward educating the visitors about the lives of sea turtles, manatees and dolphins. As you enter the center, you pass through the home of a collection of sea turtles; Shelley, Montego, Harriet, Edgar and Hang Tough call the center home. These residents of Mote have been nursed back to health but due to their injuries can not be released back to the wild. Next up is two of Mote’s more famous residents, Hugh and Buffett. The adult manatees were brought to Mote Marine in 1996 from the Miami Seaquarium. Today the pair of manatees are used for research and are the only research manatees in the world. A short trip up the stairs and through the gift shop, you will be able to view the third and final exhibit, the dolphins. He...

Bradenton, Florida: Three attractions in one, the South Florida Museum is a working history museum, aquarium and planetarium. The two story museum is home to historical collections from early Manatee county as well as the Parker Manatee Aquarium and the Bishop Planetarium. Founded in the 1946, the South Florida Museum was originally located on the Memorial Pier in Bradenton. The museum continued to grow and was later relocated to its current location in 1966. Upon the relocation, the Bishop Planetarium was added. The museum grew again in 1980 with the addition of the Spanish Plaza. Then in 1993 a 60,000 gallon tank was added for Snooty the Manatee and the Parker Manatee Aquarium opened. In 1998, the museum suffered a fire destroyed the planetarium as well as the administrative offices of the museum as well as causing severe damage to a newly renovated education wing. The areas were rebuilt and reopened fully by 2005. The museum takes visitor’s on a journey through the history of...

Sarasota, Florida: For more then 50 years, Mote Marine has been one of the premier research labs in the world in the field of marine biology. The facility on City Island in Sarasota is part laboratory, part marine hospital, part aquarium and part classroom, all geared to the conservation of marine ecosystems and their inhabitants. To help educate the public in species conversation, the laboratory opened the Mote Aquarium in 1980. Today the aquarium and the Marine Mammal Center welcomes over 400,000 visitors a year. As you enter the main aquarium building, you will begin your journey from the Rivers to the Seas. Here you will see what animal live in freshwater Florida. Here you will see crawfish, snails and even stingrays. Next you will follow the trail into the bay. This mix of salt and fresh water is home to many fish native to the coastal areas. In this exhibit, you will see cowfish, puffers, snook, crabs and more. As the water gets deeper, we next encounter our reef inhabitan...

Tampa, Florida: From deep underwater caverns to the depths of the ocean, the marine habitats are home to some of the most diverse creatures in the world. At the Florida Aquarium, visitors can witness many of these fascinating creatures without ever leaving Channelside. Come follow the trail of water from the underwater spring to the deep blue ocean and encounter all of their residents along the way on this journey through the aquarium filled with over 20,000 plants and animals. The journey begins as you enter the world of the wetland. Enter the water world through a cave in an aquifer and follow waters journey through Florida springs, streams, marshes, rivers, hammocks, swamps, forest and more on the trip to the tidal basin. The eight habitats found here are home to bass, gars, ducks, alligators, otters and many more. As you make your way through these freshwater habitats, the water becomes saltier until you reach the tidal basin. Here you will encounter the next collection of a...