Merlin Entertainments has announced an opening date for the new Sea Life aquarium at Legoland Florida in Winter Haven.
The newest Sea Life attraction will open to the public on 23 May. It features 25 interactive exhibits, including the main ocean display with an underwater theme park design.
This theming is unique to Sea Life Florida and includes coral castles, carousel hideaways and hotel-style spaces for the resident marine animals.
Underwater theme park design
Also at Sea Life Florida, which contains approximately 150,000 gallons of water, is a vibrant freshwater gallery, a colourful stingray bay, and an invertebrate touch pool.
Visitors will meet more than 3,000 animals representing 150 different species from Florida’s coastal waters and around the world.
These include blacktip reef sharks, bluespotted ribbontail rays, big-belly seahorses and more.
To celebrate the upcoming launch of the Sea Life venue, Legoland Florida is putting on a scavenger hunt to locate Lego marine animals from 22 February through 9 March.
Sea Life Florida’s opening date comes after reports that Merlin Entertainments is reviewing a potential sale of some of its Sea Life aquariums in the UK and across the world.
A Merlin spokesperson told Sky News: “Like any well-run business, Merlin regularly reviews its estate, to ensure it reflects the company’s long-term growth strategy.”
Merlin reviewing sale of Sea Life sites
“We continue to invest in our attractions globally – opening 24 new rides, attractions and experiences in 2024,” the spokesperson said.
Merlin owns more than 40 aquariums globally, with sites in the UK, Europe, the US, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand.
Images courtesy of Merlin
