From the original SeaWorld Corporation to the present owners Anheuser-Busch, a basic philosophy of management has guided development: guests should experience the animals and gardens with as few restrictions as necessary for their safety.

Guests are able to touch and feed many animals, walk or stretch out on the lawns and experience plants at close range. They can even hug a tree if so inclined!

Whenever possible, barriers combine wire fences with hedge material, such as the Natal plum (Carissa grandiflora), that grows in and around the wire to create a green hedge effect.

Winding paths, interesting waterways and sculptured mounds add to beauty of the plantings, help hide the crowds and lend a more relaxed feelings to the Park. In addition, the mounds provide substantial areas of prepared soil for deep-rooted plants, enriching the original salt march soil.

The large amount of dissolved salts existing in the soil and the usage of local water which contains on average 400 ppm of salts has created an ongoing problem for many of our plants. In addition, the SeaWorld Adventure Park sits on a land mass of heavy, impermeable, clay-silt river bottom; a major obstacle to work with. One way to improve conditions is to add amendments to break up heavy soil. Another method was to drill holes 12 inches in diameter every ten feet off-center down to the original bay bottom and fill these holes with coarse sand or fine gravel.

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