You Can Swim With Dolphins In Mississippi...And Here's Everything You Need To Know
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published June 07, 2018
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
Swimming with dolphins probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Mississippi, but it’s actually a possibility at the newly opened Ocean Adventures Marine Park in Gulfport. But that’s not all the new attraction has to offer. The enormous facility also offers the option to swim with sharks and sting rays – and that’s in addition to an interactive museum, touch pools, and more. Take a look:
Located in Gulfport, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) recently received a $15 million makeover, which included the addition of Ocean Adventures Marine Park.
It’s open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
In addition to a number of under-the-sea exhibits, the 30,000-square-foot facility offers visitors the chance to swim with dolphins, sting rays, and sharks.
Spend some time wading around with sting rays and sharks for $45. (You’ll even have the chance to feed them.) If you really want to get up close and personal, opt to snorkel and swim with them, which will cost $65.
Not interested in shelling out all that cash for an encounter? That's okay; general admission to the park also offers the chance to get intimate with creatures from the ocean.
With a general admission ticket, you'll have access to the Discovery Room touch pools, which are home to stingrays, sharks, horseshoe crabs, fish, blue crabs, sea stars, and sea urchins.
Prefer to be more of a spectator? Check out the Dolphin Presentation, where you'll see dolphins work with their trainers and interact with other guests.
Ocean Adventures Marine Park is located at 10801 Dolphin Ln., Gulfport, MS 39503. For more information, call (228) 896-9182 or click here for the IMMS website.
