Sea World Travel Guide

, at Sea Harbor Drive, near the intersection of I-4 and the Bee Line Expressway, the cream of Florida's sizable crop of marine parks, should not be missed; allocate a day to see it all (daily 9am-7pm or later; longer hours in summer; $50.83, ages 3-9 $41.29; tel 1-800/327-2424, ). The big event is the Shamu Adventure show - beginning with a pre-show film attempting to justify the twenty minutes of tricks then performed by killer whales. The Wild Arctic complex, complete with artificial snow and ice, shows off beluga whales, walruses and a couple of claustrophobic-looking polar bears; the experience is topped off by a thrilling simulated helicopter flight through an Arctic blizzard. The park's first thrill ride, Journey to Atlantis , is part fantasy, part waterslide, part roller coaster, and has a sixty-foot drop. You will get drenched - by the ride and by other tourists who pay for the privilege of spraying you. With substantially less razzmatazz, plenty of smaller tanks and displays explain more than you need to know about the undersea world. Among the highlights, the Penguin Encounter attempts to re-create Antarctica with scores of waddling birds scampering over an iceberg; the occupants of the Dolphin Pool assert their advanced intellect by flapping their fins and soaking passersby; and Terrors of the Deep includes a walk through a glass-sided tunnel, offering the closest eye-contact you're ever likely to have with a shark and live to tell the tale.