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What kid doesn't like animals? A summer family vacation that is definitely kid-friendly is anything that involves seeing exotic animals. This could include zoos with lions and tigers and bears (oh, my!), or getting up close and personal with exotic marine animals. And what better place for kids to do that than visiting SeaWorld. There are three SeaWorld parks in the U.S., one on each coast, and one in the middle. Take your pick: rent an Orlando timeshare in Florida, a San Diego timeshare in California, or a San Antonio timeshare in Texas, and visit SeaWorld!SeaWorld is a marine mammal park, an oceanarium, and an animal theme park all rolled into one. The parks feature killer whale (orca), sea lion, and dolphin shows, along with zoological displays featuring various other marine animals including graceful rays, slippery eels, sharks and even penguins.
SeaWorld was the brain child of four UCLA graduates who originally set out to build an underwater restaurant in San Diego. When the underwater restaurant idea proved unfeasible, they decided to build a marine park instead, and the San Diego Sea World opened to the public in 1964.
Today all three SeaWorld parks also feature a variety of thrill rides. Sea World Orlando has the Kraken and Manta roller coasters; Sea World San Antonio offers two rides called the Steel Eel and the Great White; and a "splashdown ride," Journey to Atlantis, can be found in all three parks. Because the giant beer brewing company, Anheuser-Busch, owned the Sea World parks for a number of years, each park also keeps some of the famous Budweiser Clydesdales as an additional non-marine type attraction.
SeaWorld has made many contributions to wildlife conservation, including scientists and zoologists who participate in research and marine wildlife preservation. SeaWorld rescue teams routinely save stranded whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions, and have helped raise the awareness of Florida's endangered manatees. SeaWorld's commitment to conservation, research and animal rescue was recently formalized with the creation of the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. SeaWorld is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which means that the parks have met and exceeded the Standards in Education, Conservation and Research.
A family timeshare rental vacation near one of the SeaWorld parks will not only give the kids the unique opportunity to see and learn about marine wildlife, and even have fun on some amazing thrill rides, but your family will also be participating, in a way, in marine conservation efforts the world over.
(Photo provided by seaworld.com)
