We ventured over to Panama City Beach for Spring Break and had the opportunity to visit GulfWorld. (Disclaimer:  I partnered with the Panama City Beach tourist center for this post and they gifted us with park tickets, but all opinions are my own.)

This wasn’t our first trip to GulfWorld, but it had been several years since we have been.  We enjoyed our last few trips, but there have been lots of new animals and shows added in the past few years.  GulfWorld is like SeaWorld’s little sister.  It has all the ocean animals and several amazing shows, along with awesome interactive programs.  It’s just a smaller park than SeaWorld, which actually helps add to its charm!

My girls are major animal lovers, so this was right up their alley.  We arrived at Panama City Beach’s GulfWorld just in time for the sea lion show.  Libby happened to be picked to participate in the show with Otto the sea lion.

She was able to feed Otto.  (Which totally cracked me up.  She is such a girly girl and she grabbed that fish without a seconds hesitation!)  She even gave him (well, showed him) the command to jump, and they did a few exercises together!

I was so amazed at the relationships between the animals and their trainers.  With just a simple hand movement, the animals knew what was expected of them.  The sea lion was amazing, but it was also hilarious.  We all stayed after the show to soak up some sea lion kisses.

Following the sea lion show, we spent some time exploring the other animal habitats.  GulfWorld is home to penguins, sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays.  They also have a large exotic bird habitat and several other animal areas.  Our last show of the day was the dolphin show.

Justin was chosen to do a little pre-show entertainment. GulfWorld does a great job of including the audience in everything they do.

GulfWorld is located in Panama City Beach, Florida, and is open 7 days a week, rain or shine.  I would recommend allowing at least three hours to fully explore the park.  There is a snack bar (with some really great nachos, in case you are wondering) with drinks and snacks.  General park admission is $29 for adults, $24 for seniors 55 and over, and $19 for children 5-11.  Children 4 years and younger receive free park admission.  GulfWorld also offers several interactive programs (that my girls begged to participate in!) for additional costs.  These interactive programs typically book quickly, so be sure to call ahead if you are interested in that!

If you are planning a trip to Panama City Beach anytime soon, we definitely recommend setting aside an afternoon to visit GulfWorld!