Mote Aquarium Guide: Visiting the New Mote SEA in Sarasota

If you visited Mote Aquarium years ago, or you're reading an older travel guide, here's the most important thing to know: Mote's public aquarium has moved. The longtime aquarium on City Island, near St. Armands and Lido Key, closed to the public in July 2025. Its replacement, the much larger Mote Science Education Aquarium, or Mote SEA, opened in October 2025 on the mainland next to Nathan Benderson Park. This Mote Aquarium guide explains what changed, what you'll see at the new building, and how to plan your visit.

Mote Aquarium at a Glance

• Where to go now: Mote SEA, 225 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota, FL 34243, next to Nathan Benderson Park and visible from Interstate 75.
• Opened: October 8, 2025.
• Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• Tickets: Mote recommends buying online in advance to guarantee entry. Check mote.org for current rates.
• Size: a 146,000-square-foot building on a 12-acre campus, about twice the size of the old aquarium.
• The old City Island aquarium: closed to the public on July 6, 2025. That site is now focused on Mote's research and animal care, not general visits.
• Phone: 941-388-MOTE.

What Happened to Mote Aquarium on City Island?

For nearly 50 years, Mote's public aquarium sat on City Island, at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, just across the water from Lido Key. Many visitors combined it with a beach day or a stroll around St. Armands Circle.

That changed in 2025. The City Island aquarium welcomed its last public visitors on July 6, 2025, and the animals were moved to the new building over the following months. The 2024 hurricane season delayed construction of Mote SEA by nearly a year, which is why the opening slipped from late 2024 to October 2025.

City Island is still home to Mote Marine Laboratory, the research side of the organization. Mote lists it for behind-the-scenes research, education programs that require an RSVP, and venue rentals, but it no longer has general public hours. Mote is redeveloping the bayfront complex into an expanded research campus. If your map app or an older guide sends you to City Island to see the aquarium, head to University Town Center Drive instead.

What to See at Mote SEA

Mote SEA is spread over three levels, with about a million gallons of animal habitats in total. Highlights include:

• The Gulf habitat. The largest exhibit holds 400,000 gallons of seawater and stands two stories tall, with sharks, rays, sea turtles and Gulf fish like tarpon, snook, red drum and snapper. A 17-foot-tall acrylic window gives you an underwater view, and a second-floor deck lets you look down on the surface.
• Manatees. Florida manatees have a large, dedicated habitat.
• Florida Waters. On the top level, reached by escalator, this gallery features river otters, turtles and manatees.
• Humboldt penguins. Look for the low viewing window that kids (and some grown-ups) crawl to on their knees.
• Indo-Pacific gallery. Blacktip reef sharks, rays and spotted garden eels in a colorful reef setting.
• Giant Pacific octopuses, jellyfish and seahorses.
• A stingray touch tank, and a virtual reality experience available for an extra fee.

What makes Mote different from a typical aquarium is the science. The building includes working STEM teaching labs and workforce training labs with wall-to-wall glass windows, so you can see the education and research side of Mote while you visit.

Mote SEA Tickets, Hours and Timing

Mote SEA is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's been popular since it opened, and Mote advises reserving tickets online in advance to guarantee entry, especially on winter weekends, holidays and rainy beach days, when everyone has the same idea. We don't list prices because they change. Check mote.org/aquarium for current rates.

Our tip: go early. The first hour after opening is usually the calmest time to see the big habitats without crowds at the glass. A rainy or windy day in Sarasota is a great aquarium day, but book ahead because tickets go fast on those days.

Plan on about two to three hours to see everything at a relaxed pace, longer if you have curious kids or grandkids along. Mote also lists special programs, like behind-the-science tours and eco boat tours, on its website.

Getting to Mote SEA from St. Armands and Lido Key

This is the big change for beach visitors. The old aquarium was a few minutes from St. Armands Circle. Mote SEA is on the mainland in the University Town Center area near I-75, so it's now a drive across town rather than a stop on the way to the beach.

From St. Armands, cross the Ringling Bridge into downtown Sarasota and head east toward I-75 and University Parkway. Leave extra time in season, when traffic in and out of the keys is heaviest. Check mote.org for parking details before you go.

Because it's on the mainland, Mote SEA fits nicely into a day with other mainland stops. It also pairs well with an arrival or departure day if you're flying through Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).

Tips for a Better Mote Visit

• Double-check the address. Older maps, hotel binders and guidebooks may still point to City Island. Put 225 University Town Center Drive into your phone.
• See the Gulf habitat twice. Watch from the big window on the ground level, then go up to the second-floor deck to look down on the surface, where you can spot fins breaking the water.
• Check the events calendar. Mote runs programs such as Sensory SEA, Shark Pups & Grown Ups and lifelong learning workshops. Some need separate registration.
• Use it as your weather backup. If the morning is gray, do the aquarium first and save the beach for the afternoon if it clears.

Mote Beyond the Aquarium

Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent nonprofit research institution, and the aquarium is its public window. Your ticket supports its work on sharks, sea turtles, coral reefs, red tide and more. If you're curious about beach conditions during your trip, Mote's Beach Conditions Reporting System is a useful resource, and we cover it in our Lido Beach guide.

Souvenirs for Young Ocean Fans

Coming home from Mote with kids or grandkids? A few ideas from our shop:

• Kids' tees from the island you stayed on. The Lido Kids Key Tee and the Longboat Kids Tee are favorites, and the Longboat Onesie covers the littlest ones. Shop kids and baby.
• Something small for the suitcase. A Lido Key Sticker or Sarasota sticker magnet is an easy add for a water bottle or the fridge at home.
• For the grown-ups. The Keys Tee has a map of Sarasota's islands, handy for showing friends exactly where you were.

Come Say Hello

We're at 410 St. Armands Circle, open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pair your aquarium day with an evening on the Circle: our St. Armands Circle guide covers parking, dinner and what to see. Not in town? You can shop the Keys online anytime.

Top photo: Florida manatee and calf, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain.