Miami-Dade County

This theme park was once Miami’s Disney World. Photos show early days of the Seaquarium

Jim Turner serenades the killer whales, Hugo, left, and Lolita, at the Seaquarium. with Bach sonatas on his musical saw. Turner played for 20 minutes to the attentive pair, and tagged them “a great audience.”
Jim Turner serenades the killer whales, Hugo, left, and Lolita, at the Seaquarium. with Bach sonatas on his musical saw. Turner played for 20 minutes to the attentive pair, and tagged them “a great audience.” Miami Herald File/1979

If you visited Miami as a tourist in the 1950s and ’60s, the Seaquarium was on your must-visit list. Hotels put out brochures and even offered bus service to the marine attraction on the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Then came Disney World. And the star dimmed a bit for the Seaquarium, along with other Miami roadside attractions.

But the Seaquarium has marched on. It’s still a stop for many. A place for school field trips and summer camps. A rehab center for injured marine life before being released back into the wild.

At one point, the owners proposed a major expansion of the marine park. Community opposition and other challenges killed those plans. In addition to entertaining visitors with its dolphin shows, the Seaquarium also has been a hospital ward for injured or sick manatees and turtles and other marine life.

The Seaquarium, recently bought by a Mexican theme park company, also has been in a sea of controversy over animal treatment. And activists have demanded the release of its star attraction, Lolita the Killer Whale.

Let’s take a trip back to the early days of the Virginia Key landmark.

Here’s what the attraction looked like when there was a monorail circling the grounds, when Hugo the Killer Whale performed with Lolita before he died in 1980, what the dolphin shows looked like around the time the park opened in 1955 and into the ’60s and ’70s.

And surely you have heard of Flipper?

In addition to shows at the Seaquarium, the dolphin (actually, several dolphins who played the character) was also the star of his own network TV show. And the Seaquarium star even jumped from his own tank set up in the end zone during the Miami Dolphins’ first games at the Orange Bowl in the mid- to late ’60s.

Here are photos from the Miami Herald’s archive along with the State Library and Archives of Florida:

The theme park

An aerial view of the Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key in the 1960s.
An aerial view of the Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key in the 1960s. State Library and Archives of Florida

Flipper TV show

The “Flipper” series, which ran 1964-1967, employed seven dolphins to play the lead role with Tommy Norden, left, Brian Kelly and Luke Halpin.
The “Flipper” series, which ran 1964-1967, employed seven dolphins to play the lead role with Tommy Norden, left, Brian Kelly and Luke Halpin. Miami Herald File / NBC
”Flipper” star Luke Halpin greets Onyx, one of the dolphins who lives in the Flipper Lagoon at the Miami Seaquarium, in 2004. Halpin and fellow “Flipper” co-star Tom Norden returned to the Seaquarium in Miami to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their show, parts of which were filmed in the same pool.
”Flipper” star Luke Halpin greets Onyx, one of the dolphins who lives in the Flipper Lagoon at the Miami Seaquarium, in 2004. Halpin and fellow “Flipper” co-star Tom Norden returned to the Seaquarium in Miami to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their show, parts of which were filmed in the same pool. David M. Barreda Miami Herald File / 2004

The monorail

A monorail circled the Seaquarium ground through the 1970s. Unlike the monorail at Disney World, this one hung from the track.
A monorail circled the Seaquarium ground through the 1970s. Unlike the monorail at Disney World, this one hung from the track. State Library and Archives of Florida

The dolphins

Miami Seaquarium executive Andrew Hertz cuddles with Sundance, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin performing in the Flipper Show.
Miami Seaquarium executive Andrew Hertz cuddles with Sundance, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin performing in the Flipper Show. Candace Barbot Miami Herald File / 2001
The dolphins show in the early years.
The dolphins show in the early years. State Library and Archives of Florida
A dolphin flies high in the 1960s.
A dolphin flies high in the 1960s. State Library and Archives of Forida

The killer whales

Hugo and Lolita perform in the 1970s.
Hugo and Lolita perform in the 1970s. State Library and Archives of Florida

The sea lions

Salty the Sea Lion and friends at the Miami Seaquarium.
Salty the Sea Lion and friends at the Miami Seaquarium. Miami Herald File/1998
A camper gets up close and personal with Salty the Sea Lion.
A camper gets up close and personal with Salty the Sea Lion. Jeffery A. Salter Miami Herald File/1996

Rescue center

The entrance

The entrance during the early days at the Seaquarium.
The entrance during the early days at the Seaquarium. State Library and Archives of Florida
Flamingoes wade in the water near the front entrance of the Miami Seaquarium on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018.
Flamingoes wade in the water near the front entrance of the Miami Seaquarium on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Emily Michot emichot@miamiherald.com

This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 8:03 AM.

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Jeff Kleinman
Miami Herald
305-376-3561
Consumer Team Editor Jeff Kleinman oversees coverage for health, shopping, real estate, tourism and recalls/scams/fraud.
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