My family and I lived in Orlando, Florida for about four years and we spent many weekends enjoying the area’s world class attractions. That included SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You could say we’re a little spoiled when it comes to animal exhibits and we definitely have high standards for zoos and aquariums. So it was with a little trepidation that I headed to Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut this summer. How could a tiny facility in a little New England town compare to the House that Shamu Built?

Beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium

The aquarium was small, it’s true. But, as my 11-year old son keeps saying, they “made really good use of their space!” There wasn’t a lot of unnecessary walking or wooded paths meant to make the grounds look bigger than they were. Each nook and cranny was used to display a variety of sea creatures in beautiful habitats that provided ample space for the animals to move and play.

The Mystic Aquarium didn’t try to do it all, but instead focused on doing a few things very well.

Frogs in the swamp exhibit at Mystic Aquarium

The exhibits were clean and spacious and made it easy for large groups of adults and kids to watch and learn. You can see even more by paying attention to feeding times or signing up for animal encounters and engagement activities.

Bottom line: two thumbs up to this seaside aquarium!

Photos: Britt Reints

Discovery Cove is not your average theme park. It is not even the usual over-the-top amusement park we’ve come to expect in the Orlando, Florida area.

Discovery Cove specializes in once-in-a-lifetime, fulfill your deepest wishes and dreams experiences.

That is, if one of your deepest wishes is to swim with dolphin or scuba with tropical fish and rays.  For many people, the chance to interact with dolphin and other marine life is something they’ve dreamed about for years.  If you (or your loved one) spent your childhood fantasizing about becoming a marine biologist when you grew up, then Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to make those dreams come true – and there’s really no better place in the US to do it than Discovery Cove.

What makes Discovery Cove so unique from other animal encounter parks is the attention given to each individual guest experience.  Admission to the park is by reservation only and is very limited.  Dolphin meet and swims, which must be purchased in addition to a day resort pass, are done in very small groups.  Each dolphin is also limited to how many interactions they can do each day in order to make sure they aren’t over stimulated, which allows everyone involved to have the best experience possible.

It’s no surprise then that Discovery Cove has put together packages to celebrate Valentine’s Day, a holiday dedicated to making the ones we love feel special.  And if you spring for one of these sweetheart deals?  You’re pretty much guaranteed to get Valentine’s Day right this year.

Valentine's Day at Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida

Discovery Cove is offering 3 upgrades from their dolphin swim day resort package:

• Valentine’s Celebration Package – includes a buoy with personalized message delivered by a dolphin (can you say Perfect Proposal?!), 6×8 photo, souvenir frame, t-shirt, gift bag and boxed chocolates plus 25% off the Ultimate photo package. $129
• Valentine’s Sweetheart Package - includes all of the above amenities plus a private cabana and underwater camera. $229
• Valentine’s Romance Package - includes all of the above amenities plus a private animal meet and greet at your cabana, champagne, two souvenir toasting flutes and a dozen roses.  $449

A day at Discovery Cove, with our without the holiday upgrades, is not an inexpensive adventure.  One of these packages may not be the best use of your Valentine’s Day funds if the object of your affection is only lukewarm about animals or water.  But if she (or he) owns every Free Willy movie and the Flipper TV show on DVD, you will knock it out of the park with one of these experiences.

The romantic in me is desperate to hear about someone using the full Romance Package to get engaged.  (Really – how perfect would that be?)

To book a Valentine’s special occasion package or to make a general reservation, guests can call 1-877-434-7268).