CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater Marine Aquarium was hard hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, suffering more than $1.5 million in damages.
This included four feet of floodwater, electrical malfunctions and a broken water filtration system that closed down the attraction's brand-new Manatee Rehabilitation Center.
The manatees have yet to return — they're still hanging out at ZooTampa.
But after being closed for three weeks, the CMA has finally re-opened most of the attractions, including a new nighttime spectacular called "Aqua Lanterns: A Chinese Festival of Light" (which is also enjoyable during the day, to be honest). Some 200 artists spent 900 hours creating an ocean's worth of glowing sea critters.
For information on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, including admission and hours, go here.
