Clearwater Marine Aquarium scares up Halloween fun with mini camps and Winter the dolphin costume contest

Fearwater Marine A-Scare-ium — um, Clearwater Marine Aquarium — home of Winter the dolphin, is gearing up for its holiday camps, beginning with its Sea Monster Mash on Oct. 29.

Kids ages 5 years and older can learn about vampire squid, goblin sharks, ghost shrimp and other deep sea creatures, visit the goo-station and make “fish” slime, create an icky “bioluminescent” fish anatomy picture, get entangled in a food web, play ghoulish games, and feed creepy crustaceans.

The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. and costs $10. Children are invited to wear their Halloween costumes.

My daughter dressed her Winter plush up as a Florida tourist for this contest.

Even if you can’t make it to Clearwater Marine Aquarium to see Winter, you can participate in Winter’s Costume Giveaway. The contest, which goes through Oct. 31, asks fans to dress up their Winter the dolphin plush animals for Halloween. Then post a photo of the costume on Winter’s Facebook page or on their own Instagram account with the hashtag #WintersCostume. You must have a public profile to enter via Instagram.

According the the aquarium, the winner will be the costume that is judged most creative. A prize package worth more than $75 will include an array of Winter, Dolphin Tale and Clearwater Marine Aquarium items. The winner will be announced at 4 p.m. Nov. 1 on Facebook.

Be sure to read the official contest rules here.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium also offers full-day “Sea of Thanks” camps from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the first half of Thanksgiving week. Families can choose just one day or a three-day package:

Nov. 21: Wonderful Whistles. Learn about charismatic Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and how they communicate with one another. Discover your inner dolphin by designing your own signature whistles.

Nov. 22: Home Sweet Home. The Clearwater Bay estuary is home to many residential dolphins. Learn about the wild dolphin population that call the estuary home and their home on a boat tour of the bay (weather permitting).

Nov. 23: Funny Family. Much like people have different family members, so do dolphins. Learn about CMA’s resident dolphins and other animals that are related to them and make a family tree to take home. After a day at camp, tour Clearwater Marine Aquarium with your family. (Enjoy free admission for up to three family members after 4 p.m.)

A single day costs $75 for members and $90 for non-members. To attend all three days, the price is $175 for members and $195 for non-members.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Holiday mini-camps return on Dec. 21-23. Campers also can choose to attend for a single day. Times and pricing are the same at the Thanksgiving camps.

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!”

All animal activities are included in the three-day combo package. When purchasing a single day program, activities will vary by day, and Clearwater Marine Aquarium does not guarantee a specific activity on a specific day.

At the time this blog was published, there was availability in all of the camps. You can register on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium website.

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 are good reason to take a road trip.

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