The Aquatarium
Encyclopedia
The Aquatarium was a 17-acre amusement park
and tourist attraction
located in St. Pete Beach
, Florida
. It operated from 1964-1977, between 64th and 66th avenues.
, which sheltered the audience as they were seated around the world's largest circular marine tank (100 feet in diameter, 25 feet deep, containing 1.244 million gallons of seawater
). The Aquatarium shows were billed as "The World's Greatest Marine Show," or "World's Largest Marine Attraction," and starred a dolphin named "Floppy." Floppy was famed for her 25-foot leaps into the air, leading to her characterization as "the world-champion high-jumping dolphin."
shortages of the mid-1970s, tourism in Pinellas County
experienced a significant decline. In 1976, in order to combat the decling fortunes of the park, the owners (inspired by the popularity of the 1975
film "Jaws"
) attempted to rebrand the Aquatarium as "Shark World." Despite their efforts, the park closed at the end of the 1977 summer season.
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
and tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
located in St. Pete Beach
St. Pete Beach, Florida
St. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States famous for its status as a tourist destination. St. Pete Beach was formed from the Towns of Pass-a-Grille, Don CeSar, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach and unincorporated Pinellas County. At the time of its incorporation...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It operated from 1964-1977, between 64th and 66th avenues.
Aquatarium
The Aquatarium opened in 1964, with its main attraction being shows featuring trained porpoises, sea lions, and pilot whales. Shows were staged under a 160-foot, golden geodesic domeGeodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
, which sheltered the audience as they were seated around the world's largest circular marine tank (100 feet in diameter, 25 feet deep, containing 1.244 million gallons of seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
). The Aquatarium shows were billed as "The World's Greatest Marine Show," or "World's Largest Marine Attraction," and starred a dolphin named "Floppy." Floppy was famed for her 25-foot leaps into the air, leading to her characterization as "the world-champion high-jumping dolphin."
Shark World
Due to the 1971 opening of Walt Disney World, as well as the gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
shortages of the mid-1970s, tourism in Pinellas County
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
experienced a significant decline. In 1976, in order to combat the decling fortunes of the park, the owners (inspired by the popularity of the 1975
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
film "Jaws"
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
) attempted to rebrand the Aquatarium as "Shark World." Despite their efforts, the park closed at the end of the 1977 summer season.
