Marineland Dolphin Adventure

On June 23, 1938, "Marine Studios" opened south of St. Augustine as the world's first oceanarium — built not as an attraction but as an underwater film studio. The name changed; the ambition didn't. After decades of expansion, hurricane damage, and multiple ownership changes, the facility reopened in 2006 and was purchased by the Georgia Aquarium in 2011. It operates today as Marineland Dolphin Adventure, an education and dolphin interaction facility that has been connecting people with marine life since that first summer.