{Florida in February} Dolphin Tale

I took my kids to see "Dolphin Tale" last summer when a theater not far from our house was showing already-released movies on the big screen for $1 admission. Of course, the three of us combined for more than $3 at the concession stand, but, still, I love going to the movie theater and jumped at the chance for a family-friend movie. Remember, I'm kind of picky about what I let my kids watch.

"Dolphin Tale" is one of just a couple non-animated movies my kids have seen. To say they love it may be an understatement. Cate talked about it for months. She recounted the story, asked questions about Hazel and embraced dolphins when she saw pictures of them.

Winter -- the dolphin on which the movie is based -- lives in Clearwater Marine Aquarium. One night this winter when we were putting Cate to bed, she asked me to tell her again where Winter lived. Tampa, Florida, I said.

Then I realized we had plane tickets to fly to Tampa for four days one long weekend in February so we could be at my cousin's wedding on St. Pete Beach. I don't know why I hadn't put together our trip south and my kids' beloved movie hero until this moment.

I made the mistake of telling my kids we could go see Winter when we went to Tampa in February. I think this was in December. And my kids talked about it until we got there. At least Cate, at 5, has some concept of time. Three-year-old Ben, on the other hand, asked when he got up, randomly throughout the day, and before he went to bed each night, "When we go see Dolphin Tale?"

Meanwhile, we had to show Greg the movie so he'd be in the know of Winter -- a dolphin whose tail was caught in a crab trap and permanently damaged. The movie is inspirational and my kids were happy to sit through it again!

Well, folks, we went to see "Dolphin Tale" a week ago. My only regret is letting my kids -- especially Ben -- know our plan so long before it became a reality.

Along with their cousins, my kids were glad to see Winter. They also got to see fellow dolphins Panama and Nicholas {who performed during a brief show}, Bailey the turtle, and some stingrays. While walking through the rescue marina, Cate talked about scenes she remembered from certain spots. She had a notebook with her too. 

Honestly, I'm not an animal lover. But I was impressed with this marina. They rescue marina animals and release them back into their natural environments if possible. If not, they give them a home. 
Take Nicholas -- his momma died of pneumonia a few days after the two dolphins were found one Christmas Eve. Because Nicholas was so young, he laid by his momma's side and ended up sunburned, which left scars that interrupted the way his skin would otherwise be camouflaged. Plus he didn't have a chance to learn survival skills from his mom before she got sick. So he puts on shows to Clearwater Marina Aquarium visitors like us. 
The kids got stuffed dolphin souvenirs. Cate's is winter and currently named Winter. Ben's is gray and named Nicholas. These names are subject to change, but both dolphins will remind them when they saw the real dolphin who learned to swim without a tail. Winter has a prosthetic tail that she wears sometimes and helped her learn to swim with the proper up-and-down motion. My kids stuffed versions even have a different colored tail so they don't forget what makes Winter special. 
Although I'm pretty sure they'll be able to tell Winter's story for years to come. And it's one worth telling.  ________
Disclosure: That's a compensated affiliate link for the movie, but, really, my family obviously thinks it's worth owning. And, yes, there are more Florida stories to come. 

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