ORLANDO, FL -- "Key West at SeaWorld," SeaWorld's newest attraction, magically transports visitors to a festive faraway land where wacky performers, close encounters with enchanting sea creatures and sunset celebrations deliver the ultimate theme park vacation adventure.

Inspired by the alluring tropical mystique of America's southernmost city, the expansive "Key West at SeaWorld" destination attraction immerses guests amidst a lush tropical landscape of themed gingerbread architecture, native animals, exotic taste treats and wares, funky street-style entertainment and nightly sunset celebrations.

SeaWorld has taken a region of the world and themed a whole section of the park -- from entertainment to animal experiences -- around it to create a distinct destination. And, in a way that is uniquely SeaWorld: Whimsical banners. Weathered sightseeing signs. Breezy, Florida jazz. Sandcastle sculptures. Madcap street performers. Trained tropical birds. New England Victorian architecture gone South. Key lime treats. Sloppy Joe's T-shirts. This treasure chest of "Conch Republic" sights, sounds, smells and tastes offers a unique vacation experience that's fun for all ages.

Close-Up Animal Attractions

Here, a trio of innovative new animal attractions brings popular marine species indigenous to the Florida Keys' waters closer to guests than ever before.

"Dolphin Cove sm," the centerpiece attraction, is a huge naturalistic lagoon featuring a vast underwater viewing panorama, 2-foot-high waves, a sandy beach and a man-made coral reef. The 700,000-gallon facility -- which covers more than 2 acres -- is the home for a large community of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The state-of-the-art habitat was designed with a guest-friendly focus that allows visitors to feed, touch and interact with the marine mammals both above and below the water's surface.

Expanding the dolphin experience, the new whale and dolphin show, "Key West Dolphin Fest sm," also provides guests the opportunity to see these fascinating sea creatures interacting with SeaWorld trainers and performing incredible behaviors -- all within a funky "Key West at SeaWorld" setting.

Relatively few people encounter sea turtles, which are less familiar along Florida coastlines because of their endangered status. At neighboring "Turtle Point sm," SeaWorld visitors come face-to-face with such endangered or threatened species as green, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley and loggerhead sea turtles -- previously seen only on SeaWorld's special guided behind-the-scenes park tours.

Averaging 300 pounds each, these prehistoric-looking reptiles now reside in a natural lagoon-like habitat complete with a contoured beach, sand dunes, rock clusters and indigenous plant life such as sea grapes, sea oats, palm trees and scrub oaks. SeaWorld guests see the lumbering animals up-close -- some more than a half-century old -- sunning themselves, swimming and eating (no guest feeding or petting, please, due to their federally protected status). Dedicated to saving the plight of these incredible animals, SeaWorld has for years rescued and cared for injured or sick sea turtles, rehabilitating more than 100 in the past few years alone. Some remain permanently injured and become life-long SeaWorld residents because they can no longer survive in the wild.

"Key West at SeaWorld's" 40,000-gallon "Stingray Lagoon sm" is nearly twice its former size and now features a mini-cove nursery for newborn rays. One of the world's few such exhibits dedicated exclusively to stingrays, the habitat showcases up to 175 Southern, cownose and bluntnose species -- some spanning 5 feet in diameter -- and their guitarfish cousins. Here, guests may feed and even touch these graceful cartilaginous fish, who can sometimes be dangerous when encountered by accident in the wild.

Entertainment Around Every Corner

In the carefree "conch" tradition, colorful street performers in quirky, tie-dyed costumes mingle daily with park guests along "Key West at SeaWorld's" main street and throughout "Sunset Square." Impromptu sidewalk variety acts -- exuding all the local color and charm of street performers -- include a unicyclist juggler, mime, "devil stick" juggler, sand sculpter and faux-tour guide. Live, breezy musical entertainment, from Jimmy Buffett-style party tunes to Florida jazz and contemporary calypso, wafts through the air.

But as lively as the attraction is during daylight hours, every true "conch" knows that the fun really begins at dusk. So in the spirit of Key West at sunset, as the sun goes down, the park celebrates daily sunsets in its own inimitable style.

Eccentric street entertainers cavort simultaneously with a tightwire walker performing 8 feet above the ground; the park's popular costumed characters and the hilarious, famous SeaWorld mime sign autographs and pose for photos; and live music celebrates the joyous occasion in a giant street party atmosphere.

"Two of the attraction elements that really say `Key West' are the distinctive architecture and the entertainment," said Art Freeman, vice president of entertainment. "We've created a fun, light-hearted family atmosphere where guests will feel like they really are experiencing a taste of the Keys' famous personality."

Spanning 5 acres, "Key West at SeaWorld" is part of the marine life adventure park's ambitious master expansion plan for the 1990s, joining 19 other new shows and attractions, including "Wild Arctic," introduced to SeaWorld Florida guests in the last six years. These attractions are designed to reflect the ongoing commitment of SeaWorld's parent company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., to environmental conservation and education through entertainment. And, with exciting plans for future years already on the drawing boards, SeaWorld Florida will remain the leader in providing unique and thrilling marine life adventures and experiences.