Is the Miami Seaquarium open? No: what happened and where to go instead

What happened

The Seaquarium opened on Virginia Key, the island between downtown Miami and Key Biscayne, on county-owned land. Its operator, The Dolphin Company, went through bankruptcy, and the remaining years of the lease were sold for $22.5 million to developer David Martin and a subsidiary of his firm, Terra. WSVN reported the closing date of October 12, 2025, and on October 17, 2025 a federal bankruptcy judge approved the sale. Lolita, the orca also known as Tokitae, died in 2023, two years before the park closed.

The animals were moved out in stages. In December 2025, CBS reported that Children's Aquarium Dallas had taken in hundreds of animals, including nurse sharks, a green moray eel, fish and crustaceans. In January 2026, the advocacy group In Defense of Animals reported that four dolphins, Aries, Onyx, Ripley and Zo, had gone to Dolphin Life, a swim-with attraction in Key Largo. We could not confirm from a current source where every remaining marine mammal went.

What is planned for Virginia Key

Terra and The Dolphin Company said in 2025 that the new aquarium would be accredited and would not keep marine mammals. The rest of the plan is a marina, restaurants and shops in a Fisherman's Village, a public baywalk and a conservation center. WLRN reported in October 2026 that the plans include a 200-seat event space in the old geodesic dome and a University of Miami research center that could take years to fund.

The marina is the fight. The state permit application describes 325 wet slips, nearly 90 of them for boats 80 feet or longer, with more boats in dry storage. Environmental groups including Friends of Biscayne Bay worry about seagrass and wildlife, and on October 21, 2026 two residents sued the county and Martin, arguing that the county charter requires a public vote. WLRN reported that the draft lease lets Martin renegotiate if the marina is not permitted.

For a visitor, the short version is simple: there is nothing to see on the site in 2026, and no announced date for the new aquarium.

The closest replacement: Frost Science

If you wanted the Seaquarium for sharks and fish, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science at 1101 Biscayne Boulevard, next to Pérez Art Museum Miami, is the nearest substitute. Its aquarium runs over three levels. The top, the Vista, looks down into the 100-foot-wide Gulf Stream tank; the bottom, the Deep, looks up through a 31-foot oculus lens at the sharks overhead. There is a stingray touch exhibit too.

It opens every day of the year, 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Thursday and 10 am to 6 pm Friday to Sunday. Explorer tickets start at $29.95 for adults and $24.95 for ages 4 to 11, and prices change by date, so buy online in advance. The on-site garage is a flat $18, credit card only.

If dolphins were the point, one attraction with dolphin programs is Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, open 9:15 am to 5 pm, 365 days a year. It is in the Florida Keys, which the park describes as halfway between Miami and Key West, so it is a day trip.