Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home to Winter the dolphin, offers special holiday events

Although I focus on Orlando’s unique family attractions, I’ve written about Clearwater Marine Aquarium and its most famous resident, Winter the dolphin, several times since I became a blogger for AllEars.Net. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know this is in part because CMA is a place that my family and I enjoy spending time together. But a bigger motivation for me is that I know my daughter is far from alone in her love of Winter, and I want our readers to understand what they can gain from squeezing in a visit to Clearwater when they are in Orlando for a theme-park vacation.

The release of the “Dolphin Tale 2” DVD this week has given me another opportunity to share with fans, new and seasoned, what is new in Winter’s world this month.

First, the DVD. It, of course, contains the cinematic release, but “Dolphin Tale” fans will be pleased to find a slew of bonus features, as well. (You can read my review of the movie here.) Viewers can see what real-life rescue and rehabilitation work at CMA is like, and it’s inspiring — just like a visit a CMA, which is a working animal hospital. Those interested in movie-making will find fascinating the bonus short that reveals how underwater scenes in “Dolphin Tale 2” were filmed. In another segment, Bethany Hamilton, the professional surfer who lost an arm in a shark attack, is shown meeting Winter. As with other meetings between the famous dolphin and people with disabilities, it’s touching to witness. Finally, there’s a blooper roll. Fans of Winter and the film franchise clearly will enjoy this latest DVD release.

But if you find yourself in Florida during the weeks surrounding Christmas, CMA even has some special events that will take you beyond simply watching Winter’s story on the screen. Holiday Mini-Camps are offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 21-23 or Dec. 29-31.

The official description of the camps is as follows: “Join us as we learn all about our Florida marine life and their cold water cousins through fun-filled interactions with some of Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s resident animals. Discover how blubber and fur work to keep animals warm, prepare treats to lift our rescued animals’ holiday spirit and spend time out on the water, seeing animal adaptations in action. Tour behind-the-scenes areas, participate in a fish feeding session, play educational games and make crafts, as we compare animal adaptations here in Florida and in the coldest regions of the world. Have a Holly Jolly holiday full of fun at Clearwater Marine Aquarium!”

The three-day price is $199 for members and $240 for non-members. Single-day prices are $75 for members and $90 for non-members. There is a waitlist for the Dec. 29-31 combo session. You can register on the CMA website.

As if that isn’t enticing enough, two of the “Dolphin Tale 2” actors will be visiting the aquarium, and visitors will have the chance to meet them. Nathan Gamble, who plays Sawyer, will be at CMA Dec. 27-30, and Austin Highsmith, who plays Phoebe, will be there Dec. 20-22. My daughter was over the moon when she met both actors during a visit this past summer. If the meet-and-greets work the same way as ours did, the actors had a limited time to meet fans, so no autographs were permitted. However, you could take photos, and CMA had one of its photographers there, as well. You have the option to purchase those images afterward.

During the summer, Gamble and Highsmith joined Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who played Hazel, for a question-and-answer session with Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO David Yates that we attended. You can view it here.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is just a 90-minute drive from Orlando. Whether you’re a local resident looking for a little different holiday experience for the family this year or an out-of-state visitor who has never been this close to Winter’s home, the holiday mini-camps and the actors’ visits are good excuses to take a road trip and experience one more mid-Florida attraction that makes this state so unique.

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