Beginnings Marineland was first conceived by
W. Douglas Burden,
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney,
Sherman Pratt, and
Ilya Andreyevich Tolstoy (grandson of
Leo Tolstoy) as an oceanarium that could be used to film marine life. A site was selected on the
Atlantic Ocean south of
St. Augustine, eventually known as the town of
Marineland. The site of Marineland is within a grant given to
London barrister
Levett Blackborne in 1767. The well-connected Blackborne, grandson of Sir
Richard Levett,
Lord Mayor of London, never settled his grant (nor even visited Florida), and eventually Blackborne's plantation was regranted to John Graham, a Georgia Loyalist fleeing the
Revolutionary War.
Decline Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, who was the major stockholder of the private company opted to sell the marine park in 1983 to a group of St. Augustine businessmen during the summer of that year. These new investors brought some new ideas to the park, and some didn't work very well. Some of these new ideas actually did work and appeared to help the park. For a while the park held its own with fair attendance in the busier summer months with the ongoing traditional shows being complemented by a seasonal high dive show added in 1987 as well as other entertainment such a wandering magician to entertain guests and a sea lion show in Whitney Park. The show presentation order had been changed a few times during the mid 1980s in attempts to better accommodate visitors, with the first part still starting on the Top Deck then the stadium and ending underwater. There were a few experimental tweaks to this in 1985 and 1986 with one instance of the show starting in the underwater portion first. In 1987 the show schedule was changed completely. The first show now started 30 minutes later at 10:00 am, then further shows at 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm and the last show at 4:00 pm which cut out the sixth show. The show organization was also changed once again. Shows now started in the Stadium for the educated dolphins, then the jumping dolphins on the top deck of the circular oceanarium with crowds guided by the announcers. Then the show would move into the underwater feeding portions below deck at the circular and rectangular tanks as the hard hat divers would feed dolphins and marine creatures by hand. These new changes seemed to work well and actually helped visitors find the show easier. A sea lion show was also added in Whitney Park adding further entertainment to Marineland. For a few years a Fourth of July event was held with fireworks at the beach. The event actually would be fairly well attended as locals sought to find a venue away from the crowded events of nearby displays. These events started in the mid 1980s and lasted into the mid 1990s. Another large expansion occurred, the last one made to the original park, when a campground, affiliated with the Jellystone brand, was built on the southwest side of the property. The campground was equipped with a "ranger station" which served as a gas station and small store. Attendance began to edge upward from 1985 through 1987, but significant changes were on the way. An administrative decision was made at the end of 1987 to implement large and radical changes in an attempt to modernize the attraction. The new scheme included the merger of the stadium and the studios departments into a department of shows. Historically, this was significant because the studios department had existed since the park's inception and was the last entity in Marineland to carry the "Marine Studios" name. The modernization plan included the retirement of the Miller Dunn Style 3 Divinhood helmets that had been in use since the first day of Marineland's operation. Marineland was the only place in Florida, if not the country, where these were used regularly. They were replaced with the phasing in of modern SCUBA equipment, with the last use of the Miller Dunn helmet occurring in early November 1987. The older nautical themed uniforms were replaced, staff was shuffled around, shows and other items were changed. Following these changes attendance began to decline, and along with poor management decisions and expensive schemes which yielded no return on investment, the ownership group was unable to meet their loan payments and the attraction was again put on the market. Ownership change and accompanying uncertainty was the staus quo from that point. Into the 1990s, Marineland faced additional challenges from increased government inspections. New regulatory requirements were difficult to meet, increasing the burden on the cash-strapped park. In the later 1990s, because of the deteriorating financial situation many long-time employees were abruptly laid off leaving only a skeleton crew. The maintenance demands of the old park, due to years of neglected investment combined with damage caused by a series of hurricanes from 1999 through 2004, became too costly for the real estate investment group who owned it at the time. The facility began to sink into severe disrepair as the owners sought a buyer. The Skyworker unit used during top deck shows failed and sat useless, while the dolphin stadium also became unusable with large sections of it cordoned off. Finally, through a convoluted deal involving
junk bonds, the property was sold. The buyers planned to build timeshare condominiums on most of the ocean hammock land but were unable to finalize the plan. This effort resulted in bankruptcy for the buyers. In addition, the already-strapped oceanarium had been reconfigured as a non-profit foundation as part of the sale and was responsible for its own sustenance as well as repayment of the bond issue. Needed monies were not invested in repairs, and some features of the park deteriorated so badly they became safety hazards. Leaky portholes were sealed up due to unsafe leaks and even chunks of concrete fell off in a few places. Due to deterioration, all the portholes on the lower level of the circular oceanarium had to be sealed. With no direct ownership, no funding, and the financial burden of bond interest payments, employees were left to cope with equipment failures, safety hazards, no marketing, loss of credit, bounced paychecks, further government inspections and the custodianship of the marine mammals, fish and birds. During this era, many individuals and businesses contributed materials and services to help employees keep the place going. In the end, the foundation repaid the bondholders with pennies on the dollar, a large part of Marineland's dolphin population was sold off to Seaworld in Orlando, and new ownership took over the attraction's operation.
Rebirth Hurricanes Floyd and
Irene in 1999 forced the park to close for two months. Damage was extensive with the famous boardwalk destroyed and the walkways to Whitney park collapsing due to erosion, and the filtration plant under threat of falling into the ocean. Other buildings suffered damage including the iconic Marineland sign. In 2003, all of the park buildings west of Highway A1A were demolished leaving only the original structures along the
Atlantic Ocean, as well as the original administration building. In 2004, after being battered by three more hurricanes, the park closed completely for renovations as part of a development scheme by the Atlanta-based developer,
Jim Jacoby; it reopened in 2006 as the Dolphin Conservation Center. During the renovations the original 1938 Circular Oceanarium () and Rectangular Oceanarium (), along with the 1952 stadium and tanks were demolished as they were well beyond repair. The old Marineland lab was also demolished. Large new tanks which contain nearly of water were constructed as part of a structure built where Whitney Park once stood. This would become the centerpiece of the new Marineland. This facility includes modern buildings, pumping station, and other equipment, as well as a small museum featuring artifacts of the old Marineland. The location where the original oceanariums once stood became a parking area. The old main entrance, walkway and gift shop were preserved, being the only original structures left on the east side of A1A. Areas along the old main entrance walkway were repurposed with holding tanks for sharks and rehabbed sea turtles standing in the area where the flamingo pond once existed. Fresh water for Marineland now arrives from an expansion of the
City of Palm Coast utility system. A new water line was installed along A1A because of development in the area. The era of the original dolphin shows at Marineland ended as the park was transformed and reopened as a hands-on educational and environmental facility called the Marineland Dolphin Adventure. Guests can now interact directly with the dolphins in the new facility as well see other marine life. Future plans for the area included a condominium development on former park lands, but as of 2022, that has not happened. Western portions of Marineland have been redeveloped with student lodging for the Whitney Lab and other research entities. The former Marineland of Florida administration building was also repurposed, and now serves as offices for the Whitney Laboratories. A new Marina has also been built alongside the
Intracoastal Waterway. The rest of the old Marineland property including lands where the hotel and the campground once stood became the property of
Flagler County and now make up the River to the Sea Preserve, one of the county's many parks. With a gift from Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney of slightly more than of land, together with his donation of about half of the total construction costs, on January 30, 1974 the
University of Florida had opened the Whitney Marine Laboratory adjacent to Marineland. This laboratory's purpose was the experimental study of marine animals but it was separate from the lab that was once operated by Marineland. Marine Studios through their research facility contributed greatly to the understanding of porpoise and dolphin behavior thanks to Arthur McBride, Forrest Wood, David and Melba Caldwell and other marine biologists and scientists. The staff at Marineland had a "first responder team" for hundreds of stranded whale emergency calls along the southeastern Atlantic Coast during its existence. The old Marineland lab was demolished in the renovations of 2003. Whitney Hall which was used frequently for Marineland parties and events was demolished due to years of storm damages. A new cetacean rescue building was constructed in its place.
Modern Era On January 1, 2011,
Georgia Aquarium purchased Marineland of Florida for a reported $9.1 million. In 2019 the park was sold to The Dolphin Company. On March 31, 2025, The Dolphin Company filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to deal with its debt and financial challenges. On October 27, 2025 a hearing to approve the facility's sale to a Texas developer was denied by Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein, paving the way for a purchase from #1 Apex Association under Jon and Barbara Rubel of Clay County for 6.5 million. The facility is now managed and operated by Felicia Cook and Jack Kassewitz through the non profit organization Marineland Waves of the Future. Long-time historian Terran McGinnis returned to Marineland in a communications capacity while Kelly Fischbach remained as Zoological Director. The facility operates under the name Marineland Dolphin Adventure and has various dolphin interaction programs along with other marine life including cownosed rays, an elaborate collection of fish and marine invertebrates, and even a sea turtle. The facility also offers summer camps for ages 7-17 now supervised by Dr. Bruck and his students. == Dolphins ==