Georgia Sea Turtle Center Reviews

This is a must see! From turtle journeys to the gift shop, the whole experience is excellent. Knowledgeable staff. Stellar customer service. 10/10 highly recommend.

Enjoyed the exhibits. Especially interesting to watch vet extending care to kemp with a hook brought in. The cashier was virtue signaling by saying “I prefer paper” when I asked for the bubble wrap on a piece of fragile glass I purchased “it is better for the turtles” but yet they still have bubble wrap and I am driving 1000 miles? When I politely requested the wrap again she never made eye contact and was quite contemptuous. What is interesting to me is that the boats coming out of the Jekyll River run extremely fast endangering the turtles and manatee. If this woman is so worried about turtles why don’t they work on slowing them? Hypocrisy really and rudeness. Okay thing especially for families

Love that you can get up close up to see the sea turtles. We even got to see some hatch. So glad they are places like the Jekell Island Turtle Rescue . That way you can see what all they do for the turtles.

As another reviewer mentioned, this place is for a good cause but it is kind of pricey at $40 for a family of four to visit, when there isn’t a ton to see.

The rescue turtles are super cute but there are only an about six to eight tanks to see. A couple of the tanks were empty because the turtles had been released, which is a good thing, but means less to see. Almost all the turtles on display were green turtles or Kemp Ridley.

The other building has some exhibits about sea turtles and a glass window for the turtle hospital. There is also a large gift store.

Should take less than an hour to visit. You’ll have to decide if it is worthwhile spending the money or not.

Expensive and spent 15 minutes in there. Look at it as a donation. Half the tanks were empty. Much better as a family activity with young children. Nice charity but thought I would see more than 6 turtles total.

Informative behind the scenes look at coastal conservation efforts. The center is equipped with a fully functional reptile treatment center & OR. The hatchlings were adorable. The center also has a gift shop with a wide variety of turtle & coastal themed gifts, including many children’s books.

Took the self guided tour and just happened upon an employee Bob that was so knowledgeable about Sea Turtles I was stunned. He really explained so many things about all the kinds of turtles and their habits. Also, he shared about things that the center do to record facts and learn more themselves about the turtles and their ancestors. Enjoyed the tanks too.

Watch the turtles in their hospital environments as they recover for release back to the wild. Great place for children to learn about our responsibilities to the earth and its creatures.

Learning about not just sea turtles but the entire coastal environment is definitely worth the trip. We enjoyed the entire outing but had a real treat as we got to watch them wrestle one of the larger sea turtles out of its tank and transport it to the "clinic" for lab work. Try to visit during feeding time and watch some of the turtles who know exactly when they are to be fed start to raise a ruckus demanding their food (one was swimming around and returning impatiently to the area of his tank where he knew he would be fed and splashing water every which way demanding attention (read food). Our visit was cut short due to an appointment but that did not stop us fr/ returning and spending another hour or so visiting the center.

This is an amazing experience. Sea turtles are rescued from various illnesses and injuries and brought here to regain their health. Extremely interesting and plenty of interactive exhibits for young and old. The turtle tanks are so interesting and carers are there to help explain everything to you. All the turtles are given names and it helps to make you relate to them in a cute way. There is a lovely gift shop also.

Great place to visit, especially for kids. Learn all sea turtles and the efforts to preserve them and rescue turtles that are hurt or sick. Lots of good exhibits and very knowledgeable interpreters.

It was smaller than I expected, but crowds were small. We were able to visit all of the areas more than once. We all got great views of the turtles (even our toddler) & the educational area was so cute & interactive. We learned a lot from it, even while chasing a toddler.

Nice museum, sea turtle rescue aquariums and gift shop. Interesting to learn about sea turtles and you can view the animal care team working on helping rescue animals. Staff/volunteers were friendly. Great for kids...maybe a one hour visit. We spent most of a day on the island visiting the sea turtle rescue, historic village, Driftwood Beach and getting dinner. A+ visit.

I will be honest. At first, 12.00 seemed a bit much for one little room with a view of the examination room though a glass. But when you go through the door in that room, it leads to a pavilion with turtles recovering on display. But the person who rang up the admission didn't even tell us about that. We might have left thinking that one room was all there was to see. That said, it is worth the money to support the center. There is a behind the scenes tour, but 50.00 per person was a bit much.

It is small but fun for a visit. The talk it the rehabilitation area was very interesting. There weren't any turtles in the hospital area when we were there.

Great place with great people doing amazing work! Highly educational and only $9 to get in. Can be a really quick tour if you don’t read everything or over an hour if you immerse yourself in all their educational posts.

The Sea Turtle center is doing some great work helping injured sea turtles rehab. You will be able to see them in the tanks and they have educational displays and a nice gift shop. Really worth a couple of hours for a great cause.

We visited the Georgia Sea Turtles and saw lots of different turtles being rehabilitated. We learned a great deal from the exhibits and they were well set up. A fun opportunity to learn about the plight of all turtles and how human impact them.

Pleasant activity, especially on a rainy day. Informative and interesting for anyone, the Sea Turtle Center offers important insight into these endangered species. Learn all about these majestic creatures, how you can has protect them, and visit with some of the turtle hospital's patients.

When we take our grandchildren to Jekyll we always go to the Turtle Center. It’s unique, educational and very interesting. Where else can you see huge turtles up close and watch them
actually taken care of and examined by the staff?

Passing through Jekyll Island, we decided to stop and see this amazing facility that helps injured turtles and get them back into the wild. It’s very educational and very informative on what you can do to help the environment and help the turtles Live a longer and healthy life. I highly recommend going and encouraging the kiddos to do their part in keeping these amazing animals alive and well.

Stopped in here and caught the last half of the hospital visit of the turtles.
Too many people in the tour and couldn’t see or hear the biologist talking well.
Turtles are in tanks so you aren’t close and can’t see them very well.
Thankfully the admission price goes to help the turtles
Definitely geared toward kids, nice gift shop.

The turtle hospital does a wonderful job of educating young and old felt sea turtles and turtles in general. Every age enjoyed this tour!

This sanctuary and rescue for all kinds of turtles is located on the island. You can visit/tour where they have turtles in recover from being hit by boat props to cars. Everyone is super friendly and will answer all your question. There are stations for the kids to emboss the paper they receive when entering the center. You can also view turtles being given their meds for the day or being fed. My daughter and I actually adopted a sea turtle named Glitter Mittens. She got the name from her green glitter wrap around her fins while in recovery. We get emails with updates on her progress and her release date.

Cute and educational. I like the information provided on varying levels. I feel this is an experience anyone can enjoy. I also appreciate that proceeds go to rescue and conservation.

This place is fantastic!! We learned so much. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. They really care about these sea turtles and it shows. Highly recommend especially if you have a love for sea turtles or just want to learn something. We got to see them working with the turtles. They have an educational presentation they offer at certain hours. They are doing great work here!

We have been here several times. Always a chance to learn more about the amazing sea turtle. Loved seeing the little loggerhead turtle swimming in a large container. Enjoyed seeing and learning how the Center is saving sick and injured sea turtles as well as other turtles.

So we were sure what to expect and we did enjoy our time but I imagined it as a much bigger place. Because of covid we went early to beat the crowds. The gift shop is about as big as the educational center. We loved the baby seaturtle in the tank and watching them help hurt animals. Sadly in the other area, it was extremely hot, humid and we were uncomfortable with so many people unmasked crowding around to listen to the speaker. It would be nice to see the turtles closer up. It was hard to really get a good view of them. We still enjoyed our time but it didn't fill up as much time as I hoped for a rainy day.

Cute, small but dedicated to sea turtles. Everyone wore masks so it was great to see the precautions. Nice place to get souvenirs.

Love this place, everybody is friendly, and willing to answer any questions. It’s a great family place! You learn about the turtles, their habitats and pretty much anything you want to know about them. You get to see rescued sea turtles that they are nursing back to health, and learn about each and everyone of them. I can’t say enough good things about this place. They also have a turtle hospital, or you can watch them Wayne measuring and doing what they do to turtles on there exams. Well worth the visit, and the money goes to help with the turtles.

its small but they do good work, and who doesn't want to see a baby sea turtle?! they have a window that looks into a treatment area where you can watch them do different things with the turtles. they have a lot of information, and you can do a self guided tour of the building where they have the intake tanks and keep thier turtle patients. and twice a day you can do a behind the scenes tour of the hospital. its not a very big place but they are doing a lot to help the turtle population there.

Very small exhibit!
Gift shop had a terrible smell!
We made a quick trip, bought a few things and left.

We weren’t there for very long, but the kids enjoyed it. The small museum was very interactive for the kids and was interesting for both the kids and adults. Watching the staff work was an added bonus. Going into the hospital space with the sea turtles was very interesting to learn about how they got there and how they are treated and ultimately released. They’re doing good things there.

As a scuba diver I am so thankful there is a place helping and saving turtle's. We all need to do a better job recycling and stop killing the ocean with all this plastic and trash!!! Please recycle and do not liter the beaches. I have seen a difference in the ocean in the past 30 years. If we do no start taking care of our planet we will wipe out ocean life and there will be nothing for future scuba diver's to see. Watch Doctor Sylvia's story about her ocean.

Grand Kids, 2 & 4 were able to See the Turtle pools with help of the titled mirrors. Didn't spend over an hour there, just enough time for them to enjoy

The Georgia Sea Turtle center has a room where kids can learn lots of information about turtles. It has a large window where you can watch a turtle being cared for by a veterinarian if they are doing so at the time. We watched a small turtle being cared for and they brought him over close to the window after they were done. You then go to another room with 8 or more pools where they have recovery turtles swimming around. We got to hear a live presentation describing the turtles in the tanks! I’m not sure it’s worth the admission for adults but the kids enjoyed it!

The people here are doing important work. These animals would not survive their illness or injury without the help of this center. If you are visiting the area go visit this place. There is lots of educational information and you can watch them conduct treatment and daily care of the turtles. There is also a wonderful gift shop.

This is a very small but impactful sea turtle sanctuary. We spent several hours there learning about each of the turtles in their care, watching the hatchlings swim about after their meal, learning about their nesting habits and journey to the ocean. The gift shop pricing was very reasonable with a great variety of items and knowing that your purchase helps fund them is a bonus!

We visited in July of this year and it was a great experience for our 8 year old, and the adults alike. The displays inside the education center are very interactive and there was a lady explaining things about a turtle on display that is getting ready for release. We learned a lot of things we never knew about sea turtles. After that, we went into the hospital area where the current turtles are being rehabilitated for release. It was definitely a highlight of our trip.

Really enjoyed it. Lots of information and was not over priced. If doctors are helping the turtles you can watch. Good to see those they have helped and the tiny babies too.

This is a great place to take young children. It's set up well and very educational. It's not a large place, you can see the whole place in an hour. Out on the grounds there's plenty of space for the kids to run and play. There's food and snacks nearby.

This was my second visit; they desperately need their volunteers in the hospital area to answer questions, but I still enjoyed seeing the turtles again. This is a great place for families with children.

I think this place is very indeed educational but I think it's very pricey to get in and see a few turtles. We went to this place because of my toddler but don't think would do it again next time.

Good for family fun, our 5 year old loved seeing the live turtles. It is a small place because but the outside turtle reserve made it worth it.

Really love this. We go here every year. My brother adopted a turtle last year for my birthday! It is an awesome fun educational trips. Kids don’t even realize they are learning. Cool!

We loved Georgia Sea Turtle Center! We were there a couple days ago with our 8- and 5-year-olds and they loved the interactive displays, learning about the sea turtles and the current patients rehabilitating at the center. We will come back for sure!

Visiting the Sea Turtle Center was a worthwhile educational experience. The most interesting aspect was the rehab facility where injured and ill turtles are cared for by dedicated staff who are passionate about their work. Several of the turtles had been flown in from Massachusetts for care after experiencing hypothermic injury off Cape Cod after rehab facilities in New England were overwhelmed by the large number of cases. We our visit lasted 60-90 minutes.

Do not miss this Museum. We spent all afternoon watching surgery on severa turtles. The exhibit is very interesting. Keep in mind this is not a zoo. The turtles are rescued and rehabilitated. It is interesting to see how this is accomplished. Admiration goes out to the surgery staff and doctor. My brother is an Entomologist and watching him I appreciate all the patience it takes to work with animals and insects.

The museum area is small but the staff are very helpful and give great information so you can spend at much or as little time as you desire there looking around. The admission fee is very reasonable and goes toward helping the turtles. There's a window into the hospital area where you might be able to see a sea turtle being given medical treatment. The tanks outside with the rehabilitating turtles are very clean and set up with mirrors so you can see the turtles no matter where they are in the tank. It's obvious they receive exceptional care. The staff were very accommodating and happy to share information about any of the turtles there as well.

Good 60-90 minute walk through, very educational including for young kids, about sea turtles, the sea, the impact of pollution on the sea and it's wildlife, common health problems of sea turtles and their treatment, including surgery, laser therapy, etc. They have a large window into their treatment room, and you may well get a chance to see the staff rendering treatment for some of the injured or sick sea turtles they treat there before releasing them back into the ocean when healthy enough. It is one of the few sea turtle hospitals on the continent.

We visited here while vacationing on Jekyll Island, it is a must see everyone at the turtle hospital were polite and answered any question you may have concerning the turtles !! Very Educational !!

The Sea Turtle Center is a wonderful place where sick or injured sea turtles are lovingly cared for. We got to see a young turtle getting his shots and breathing medicine. Kelsey spoke with us quite a bit and then was the person presenting the meet the patients. She was wonderful! I wish my granddaughter had been with us on this trip to meet the turtles.

This is a great place to go for an hour or two. Kids enjoyed themselves. Plenty of turtles to see. Employees were sure helpful and made experience fun for our first time!

Went with two teenagers. We learned so much about the see turtles. We saw many of them too since the center just got some new ones come in. Did see the surgery performed on an Owl. Great great visit. The staff there are the best. They’ve answered all our questions and helped to get the most of our visit.

My daughter and her family were visiting from Michigan during Christmas week so we decided to take a day trip to Jekyll Island. Our first stop was the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Like most places, the pandemic has adversely affected the experience. There are limits as to what’s available to the visitors. We were able to watch through a window while the staff treated one of the injured green turtles by applying antiseptic to its shell, then drawing a blood sample. Interesting to be sure, but difficult to understand all that’s being said by a person with a face mask on through a microphone. Still, it was an interesting side trip. I’ll go back when life returns to normal.

Worth a visit. Great guides who are very informative. They are doing some good work on not only turtles, but many other sea creatures. Take mosquito repellent with you!

Wonderful to see the turtles and how they are caring for them and helping them survive. The guides and workers were so helpful and informative they really made a great visit.

Kids and adults will love seeing the turtles and exhibits. We saw baby terrapins and huge sea turtles. Well worth the $8.00 admission

It is not a large place. There is a room with a gift shop, then another room with exhibits and then an outdoor area to see some of the turtles in large water tanks. I think most people would spend an hour here. If it is busy, it would feel very cramped and be annoying to visit. We went when there were people but it certainly wasn't crowded.

The greeter inside the exhibit area was very friendly and informative. The exhibits had interactive portions, which were educational but also fun for the kids. The exhibit area also gave you a chance to watch the vets at work (the entertainment value here depends on when you catch them), but also had a TV showing recorded pet interactions.

The outside area with the tanks - you get to see why the various patients are there and how they're being treated. It's really sad to read the circumstances of how they end up there. Visibility of the turtles in these tanks isn't great - although with a few they tried to place mirrors to see them better - so this was be disappointing. There were a few smaller turtles in an area you could see better. Some of the tanks and habitats were empty, which I guess is a good thing.

We loved our visit to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. There's a fantastic gift shop that you walk through first, then into a small exhibit area where you can spend some time interacting and learning about sea turtles, before heading outside and then into the hospital area. The hospital area was the most interesting part of the center for my family because we were able to see various sea turtles who are rehabbing, learning some basic facts about them, and there was a brief talk made by one of the staff members, who also answered questions afterwards. There were even adorable baby turtles climbing all over each other. This group is doing important, amazing work with these animals. If you're a nature and animal lover, highly recommend.

This was really neat for all of my kids! We even got to see the care for an injured owl! Staff was very knowledgeable!

The Sea Turtle Center was a great way to spend a couple hours on a rainy day on Jekyll Island. We learned a lot about sea turtles and got to watch an actual "operation" of an injured sea turtle that the center is caring for. All of the workers at the center were extremely helpful and explained things so well. Seeing all the work they do to rehabilitate injured sea turtles and return them to the wild was amazing. Highly recommend.

Love seeing the turtle hospital and the successful recoveries. Very nice facility, with live turtle treatment if you happen to catch the veterinarians at work.

I was a little nervous because I read someone’s review about it being a waste of time. However, total opposite feelings. My husband & I came to Jekyll Island for an anniversary trip & stopped here. There’s a gift shop, a room full of information & then an outside building where you can go see the sea turtles that they are still caring for. I believe we were there for about an hour to an hour & half. Great time!

The sea turtle center is a wonderful place to visit. Seeing all the turtles they are helping to be well and to be able to go back into the wild.

An excellent educational place to bring your family and learn so much about sea turtles. Make a difference, support this facility and its great work.

Amazing! They are doing amazing work and everyone is so knowledgeable. I cannot recommend this more

This place is small but done well! We did the stamp trail and had a good time learning. We enjoyed our time! Staff was very kind

Very small place. Fun learning experience. Took us about 30 minutes to go thru. Must wear masks. Great gift shop. Friendly staff

Very informative. Loved to see how the patients are rehabilitated. It’s a must see for anyone who is interested in conservation and marine life.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center turned out to be my favorite destination during our entire trip to Jekyll. The staff is friendly and genuinely excited to share their knowledge. One of the caretakers even went out of her way to show us a sea turtle that was hatching. I will never forget seeing that little miracle with my own eyes.

We saw around a dozen turtles in the rehab center who were recovering from various injuries and illnesses. In the museum portion, there are several interactive exhibits that kids will enjoy.

I was in a group of four adults, and all four of us were awe struck by the experience. It's a working rescue facility, so you feel good knowing that you're supporting an amazing cause.

My wife loves turtles so this year for our anniversary, we traveled to Savannah and made a day trip to the Sea Turtle Center. When sea turtles are injured, this is one of the places where they are brought for rehabilitation. All of the profits from merchandise goes directly to maintaining the hospital and rehabilitation as well as protecting turtle egg nests of which there are many.
Great visit and great work.

It is small and we did the visit in under an hour, but in that hour, we learned much about these gentle creatures. Lots of interactive exhibits for children, and the staff in the hospital taught much about their patients. It’s not really an exhibit center but a working hospital, so don’t go expecting zoo displays and giant turtles . Expect to learn and hopefill your kids will be occupied and develop a sense of care for the world around them.

This is well worth the visit on Jekyll. Lots of sea turtles they’re taking care of, and some interesting facts inside about what they do. It was about $20 for the two of us. It doesn’t take long to go through at all but was a highlight of our trip!

It is more like a small sea turtle hospital. But, our kids enjoyed closer look of turtles and more intimate interactions with staff. The surrounding area is beautiful and good for walking.

On our way home from Florida to Canada we stopped by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The Center was nice but I wouldn’t try to make a quick stop there as it took a long time to get on to the island with many cars trying to get through three gates. Jekyll Island was nice though and I would consider spending a few days there.

If on the Island, I think this is a wonderful place to spend a couple of hours. There was a nice gift shop and educational display in the first building and then a bunch of turtles in large tanks in the second. I enjoyed the talk given by one of the workers and my kids enjoyed looking at all the different sized turtles and watching a baby turtle try to swim against the current in its tank.

We visited Georgia Sea Turtle Center during our day on Jekyll Island. It was a highlight! The front portion contains instructional displays about the five species of sea turtles and their land cousins. The back building is the hospital where injured and sick turtles receive care and rehabilitation. The explanations during the feeding season and from the workers generally were very interesting and informative.

Don’t miss the Georgia Sea Turtle Center!

Eh, it was okay. I realized it is a working hospital but we paid for the behind the scenes tour and only got to see fresh water turtles. Did not get to see any sea turtles up close. Was disappointed in that and honestly not really worth the amount of money for the tickets.

Husband and I are both scuba divers and big turtle fans. This is a great installation for educating the population about caring for turtles. A volunteer was very helpful in telling us what we were seeing and exhibits were terrific if you spend the time to read them. It was marvelous to see a turtle being medicated by one of the vets before going into the area with HOSPITAL tanks for about 14 to 20 turtles at a time.

A great place to learn more about sea turtles. There is much information, mostly geared towards kids, but we enjoyed seeing the turtle care in the hospital.

Although small, the presentation given was quite informative and the "hospital" very interesting to see. The work they are doing here is so important and deserves your support.

This is such a fun and great learning experience. Although there is some reading, it is interactive and short enough that it keeps your attention. They have a hospital where they show how the work on the turtles to heal them and explain what they are doing. I would definitely do this again!

We were ready to get out of Dodge after the Covid lockdown. Jekyll Island is a comfortable three hour drive from our home in Hilton Head; we were particularly interested in the Gilded Age and the lives of the Jekyll Club members. Little did we know that JI is the home of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, "the coast's premier marine life facility, offering a unique blend of interactive education, research and rehabilitation programs."

The center opened in 2007 and has rehabilitated and released over 1,500 sea turtle patients. It is housed in the island's red brick historic power plant dating to the Gilded Age era. In the age of Covid, we were surprised, yet pleased, to see the number of operating interactive displays. (Other museums we’ve visited during Covid have disabled their interactive displays).

The center does an outstanding job of educating the public about the lives and ecology of sea turtles. School-aged children would find the center fascinating with its numerous exhibits. We were fortunate to see a veterinarian and his assistants perform a procedure on a turtle through the observation window. Pictures and videos are encouraged.

Once we explored the display area, we moved to the hospital area of the center. We have lived on Hilton Head Island for several years but have never seen a sea turtle although we are acutely aware of the dangers facing these majestic animals. When you enter the hospital, you are able to see the patients currently being treated. They are rescued for many reasons: boat strikes, debilitation, fish hook ingestion, etc. Markers outside of each tank identify each turtle by name and condition. Opportunities are available to sponsor a turtle.

The gift shop has a wide variety of turtle-related souvenirs. There is lots of parking and the restrooms are very clean.

Great facility with knowledgeable staff. Very educational and great for kids to learn about sea turtles. Gift shop was amazing and all proceeds benefit the turtles.

Nice series of informational plaques and things inside the main building. The back building where they keep the turtles that are being rehabilitated was the highlight. There's a write-up on each turtle including the treatment they're receiving. I wish we could have joined one of the beach walks to see nesting or hatching turtles, but it wasn't the right season.

As a sea turtle enthusiast, this was my favorite stop on Jeckyll island. They have a very interactive and informative museum that the kids enjoyed. We got to see the sea turtles get antibiotics from the viewing window, which was so cool! They also had the rehabilitation center where you can see the recovering turtles. All in all, a great way to get educated on the effect humans have on the sea turtles.

Seeing the rehabilitation center was great. Majority of the turtles were released and there were 5 juveniles just swimming around. There were so many baby turtles and the center had a galore of interactive educational activities.

It’s amazing all the things you can learn and see at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. It’s full of education and informative and interactive displays that work for any age group.

The best part is seeing the cute turtles who are being rehabilitated. You can learn so much.

They have a great gift shop!

The Georgia sea turtle center is an awesome place to learn about sea turtles. There were several titles (loggerheads, green and kemp rigley) that were in the rehabilitation area.

If you are visiting Jekyll Island you should definitely visit this place! You get to see the sea turtles up close. Lots of learning/education stations. It’s a wonderful place!

I was disappointed that so many displays were missing or not working. Some displays had missing pieces other's just didn't work. The building out back that had turtles was cool, they even had babies. The only reason worth even going.

Not exactly what I was expecting, but still very nice. Also, as a side note, we came during the (ending, hopefully) of the COVID-19 pandemic so I'm sure the experience would have been better before it. You enter into the gift shop which has some very nice selections. Then there is a nice interactive area for kids and a viewing station where you can watch the doctors and techs work on injured sea turtles. In another building are tanks in which sea turtles that are being rehabilitated before they are re-released into the ocean. Everyone was super friendly and helpful.

This is such a fun way to spend your afternoon and contribute to saving the sea turtles! They have many sea turtles that are actively being rehabilitated and they have saved hundreds. If you want to see them be fed, I would say be there around 9:30-10:00. Their gift shop is lovely too. Really fun for kids and adults alike.

I have seen turtle rescues on TV but to visit and see what they actually do is interesting. Great information provided on tour and seeing the rescued turtles was worth the visit.

Our family of four adults spent almost two hours in mid-March touring the museum, gift shop and listening to guides explain the case histories of the dozen or more turtles in the rehab tanks. We were deeply touched to learn that the Sea Turtle Center has a 98.5 to 99 percent success rate rehabilitating injured or ill turtles of various kinds. When we were there most were Loggerheads and Kemps Ridley suffering from boat inflicted injuries or cold shocking.
I cannot understand how some visitors thought the center was not worth the price of admission. Looking at the inlaid bricks on a walkway outside, the Center obviously has hundreds, if not thousands of financial supporters and is respected as one of the most preeminent, if not the best rehab facility on the Atlantic Coast.

We had a cloudy/overcast day while we were visiting Jekyll so we decided to make reservations at the turtle center. We had been to one in the Keys, so we are kinda turtle fans. You enter the building directly into the gift shop, then go through the exhibit. The exhibit seemed to be older, had hands on things for people to move, touch, turn and listen to. We didn't feel comfortable doing too much of this due to the current Coronavirus. At the back of the exhibit room, they have a large glass wall where you can see them working with sea turtles. This was really cool!! It was like watching an operating room situation but with sea turtles as patients. They have tanks with turtles in all stages of healing out back. It is outside, but is covered. There were staff members walking around answering questions and talking about the turtles who were currently in care. We really loved our visit. The BEST part was the red turtle flashlights that they sold in the shop which we used on our night walks (it was turtle egg laying season). The night after we purchased our light, we went on a walk and actually got to witness a sea turtle laying her eggs in the dunes. INCREDIBLE!!!!

What a special place! So glad we made the trip here. Truly enjoyed learning more about sea turtles and watching the team provide health services to the turtles, alligators, and snakes.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Sea Turtle Center. Lots to look at and do for all ages. Great “facts” laid your for children, good hands on activities, and hearing about the “patients” in the hospital was very informative. Highly recommend!

Very cool place to see. We were at Jekyll Island for the day and saw the Sea Turtle Center. Very educational. If you get the change so stop you wont be disappointed.

Originally only planned to take the 17 mile scenic drive along highway 17 but noticed the Sea Turtle Center on the map. Modest admission fee and plenty of information at the different stations.
Going in back to the "Hospital" information about each turtle was listed and an employee gave a very informative talk and answered all questions. There also is an extensive tour in the afternoon for an additional charge that we were not able to fit in our schedule.

Great little tour and fascinating information. See the operation in action and learn about how they help in preserving the area for the turtles. Well worth the visit.

Nice turtle rescue place, this is the 3rd we have visited, not many turtles in the tanks when we went

Between the virus and limited time on this trip, we decided to choose one touristy thing to do on Jekyll and this was it. My mom and I spent a couple hours at the Turtle Center and really enjoyed it. Most people probably don’t spend that long but my mom loves animals and wildlife, so we stayed in the outdoor turtle rescue area for a long time going between the exhibits and chatting with the employees who were all very friendly and knowledgeable.

The coolest part of the Turtle Center is probably the way they have the veterinary care area set up where you can see everything through a viewing window. You may have to wait a little to see anything if they’re not working on a patient when you arrive but it’s worth doing. I’ve been to quite a few zoos and animal sanctuaries and I’ve never seen anything quite like that.

They limit the number of people due to COVID-19 so we had to wait outside for a few minutes but not long. Definitely recommend as a fun/educational vacation activity for all ages. Doesn’t take much time in the admission price goes to a great conservation cause.

Very informative and well done display of the life of sea turtles and the dangers they face. We were fortunate enough to see the intake of a newly saved turtle, being examined by doctors and getting some life saving treatments. The staff does an amazing job of treating each turtle as a valued living creature and giving us background story on each turtle plus why they were at the center in the first. Very interactive experience. I learned so much! Thank you!

We went here to have something to do on a rainy day. It was kind of interesting, but way overpriced for the size of it. Was almost $40 for literally two small rooms.

Tons of hand on experiences and a great place for children. Saw surgery getting performed on a turtle and thought this place was interesting and the mission is great

Such amazing work they do here, there love for the turtles really shows. You get to see them treat them behind the glass, go into the hospital and hear why they are there. They really do everything they can do release them back into the ocean.

Very good center for learning about Sea Turtles. You also get to watch them treat sea turtles and is a great place for families and children. This is a must when you visit Jekyll Island.

There are interactive areas for children but adults can participate also. You can also view actual turtles in the observation deck. There is an admissions fee of $12.84 for an adult.

We went here expecting to be blown away by this turtle center. We were very very disappointed. There wasn’t much to see and they were only about half the tanks with maybe just a few turtles in it. Definitely not worth the $12 each to get in.

We took my 9 year old to Jekyll Island for his birthday. We went to Jekyll to enjoy the water park, but found this little gem also. It was a wonderful experience and well worth the visit. Not only would I recommend this, I can't wait to go back!

Come to see a turtle feeding and to learn so much about sea turtles and our environment. This is an outstanding sea turtle hospital that needs your support. Think about adopting a sea turtle....great gift idea!

We loved this sea turtle center. Tickets were reasonably priced and such an awesome place. Cool little museum to learn about the sea turtles and you could see into some kind of laboratory. Then you walk into the rehabilitation center where you can see sea turtles in many pools below. There were information charts of what happened to the turtle before they were there. An employee was around to answer questions. Gift shop was wonderful, many selections including shirts, jewelry, and little knickknacks. Bonus was the beautiful spanish moss trees to take pictures near. All staff were wearing masks and they only let in a certain amount of guests due to Covid-19. Would attend again!

Our granddaughter loved seeing the sea turtles and the little activities center. We plan on taking our other grandchildren.

This amazing facility is staffed with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The docs were treating an osprey when we were there. We enjoyed every minute of our tour and considered the entry fee to be money well spent as a contribution to this worthy project.

We enjoyed a nice tour of the sea turtles hospital area and the information the educator shared, also liked the indoor education center with all the videos and area to see the doctor's at work so to speak. Gained a lot of knowledge about sea turtels. Thank you so much for keeping a watch on how many people were coming and going into the center, we appreciate that and that everyone was wearing face coverings so we all can feel safe. Glad we could help support the Sea Turtles and your research.

Excellent hands on exhibits for young children and the ability to see turtles being rehabbed in the hospital.

Just echoing what everyone else has been saying, the center is very interesting and the staff are amazing. Beside all sorts of museum like information you can visit the sea turtle rehabilitation area and see sea turtle rehab first hand. The most interesting thing for us was a literal wall size window that looks into the veterinary area where you can watch the staff [vet and nurses] taking care of various animals in their care, really fascinating [more active in the morning the day we visited].

Excellent way to learn something and have a quality experience while visiting Jekyll Island.

We enjoyed learning about the various turtles and their habits.

The cost of admission directly supports rescue efforts, which I found out after entering, so I felt guilty about the military discount they gave us. This place is a great experience for families.

It was so cool getting to see the sea turtles up close and seeing how they were being cared for with an eye towards releasing them back into the ocean. Bandit was our favorite and my daughter "adopted" her by making a small donation. Definitely a worthy cause!

Please understand I know these people mean well but if you want to see sea turtles then don’t waste your money here....
They drape covers over half the tank ...... no turtle views.
I get it they don’t want anyone gawking at the turtles....
But don’t charge admission to see nothing.
I’ve been to other places that have turtles.... way different.
Here zero turtle interaction all tanks half empty....
If u want to save turtles on your own please do but don’t rip my 6 family members off in the process.
Biggest waste of time and cash I’ve had in years .
Love turtles but don’t play it as if it’s a turtle interaction when it isn’t in any way shape or form.
Keep saving the turtles on your own .... stop ripping off the eager to learn public .
Zero stars.

A friend had recommended this stop and we enjoyed it. We got the most out of the hospital “introduce the patients” session/tour as our “kids” are not teens but young adults. Reasonably priced tickets for a good cause.

The website was confusing, very geared to children, but for adults not that much to see - the presenter was very entertaining, but they could have done so much more - many in our party got bored and we left earlier than expected

We loved visiting here and getting to learn about the sea turtles. It was neat how you could actually see them working on the turtles through an observation window. We loved it.

Very interesting place where the staff saves, protects and rehabilitates sea turtles. Museum exhibits and huge window to watch staff operate on sea turtles. There's a large building with about a dozen large tanks sea turtles live in while recovering. A worthy cause!

We stopped by to support this good cause and were lucky enough to be able to watch the Vet doing a repair to the shell of a turtle that had been injured by a shark bite the day before. There is a lot to read and learn in the main building but if that is not interesting to you, walk over to the hospital to see the rescues and read about them. They did not have too many when we were there but they were fun to watch. I would have given 5 stars but you are supposed to be able to ask the staff questions in the hospital area and although there were folks there and we were the only 2 visitors, no one came over to see if we had questions and there is not a way to get their attention really. Also, there were others there visiting in the main building without masks which is apparently not mandated in GA and we were a bit uncomfortable with that.

Small, but big in its important mission of rescuing and rehabilitating injured turtles and snakes too!. Popular with the kids. Hands on activities are nice. The room with the rescues is fascinating. Very warm inside, but it has to be. Loved how they named the creatutres and had a fact sheet of the injury and recovery for eacg animal. Attended the feeding session and enjoyed it. The lady presenting the feeding did a fantstic job. The gift shop had nice mechandise.

Very nice
Very good value for the money
Very good cause

It's a tiny museum, but depending on when you go they'll like-as-not be doing veterinary procedures on the turtles (you watch through a window), and they have patient turtles in tanks to watch. A top-tier small attraction for Jekyll Island.

We loved visiting this Turtle center and had a fabulous volunteer docent who explained how the "patients" were cared for and how many of them found their way here. She told us all about how the turtles laid their eggs. The turtles were so special. It was inspiring.

Had a great time reading all about the local turtles. The Hospital was even better! Took about an hour.

Great outing while on Jekyll Island. The visitor center was very informative for both adults and kids. The hospital had several turtles and the guides were very interactive and answered all of our questions.

1-2 hours
Great gift shop with proceeds going to help the mission

My children thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Sea Turtle Center! I have two girls (ages 10 and 11) who were really into watching a procedure by the veterinarian while we were there. A poor turtle was struck by a vehicle and they were working on his shell. They also enjoyed learning about all of the turtles in the hospital and what the staff is doing to get them ready to be released. We spent about two hours at the center and wish we went earlier in the day to be able to see and do everything.

Very informative. We saw them tagging a few turtles that will be released soon. Also the "hospital" where several types of turtles were rehabbing. Was a great place to learn. Bring the kids!

There was a short wait (about 15 minutes). I assume this was for social distancing inside. Appreciate all they do for the sea turtles!

The day we arrived on Jekyll Island was rainy and cool, so we decided to grab lunch and then visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. This made for a great rainy day activity. The museum and hospital itself was a lot smaller than I expected. I’d visited the big one in Marathon, Florida earlier this year and this was nothing like that. They did have some nice displays in the museum part. It wasn’t a formal guided tour—you wander through on your own, but there were staff around to answer questions. There were only a couple of turtles in residence in the hospital, which I supposed is a good thing…but it meant big crowds around the couple that were there. The tiny hatchlings were very cool to see—so little! They do have a really nice gift shop that you enter/exit through, as well. Overall a must-visit activity on Jekyll Island, just not exactly what I expected.

the general admission to the center is $10 for age 4-12 and $12 for age 13+
they offered different tours for people to join, we joined the sunrise turtle walk, and see the nest dig, but if you want to see live turtle, you will be disappointed as they dig the nest after the live hatchlings have left the nest, so you can only see the broken turtle shells (which the hatchlings came out already), or un-hatched turtle eggs, i.e. the baby turtle died inside the egg, unable to come out or dead hatchlings, for the un-hatched one, they will open the egg to see what stage they are. The tour is educational, it costs $35 per person. There are other tours which may be more expensive, you can go to their website to see the price and book the tour, or you can just go to the center for general visit.

This was a nice visit while in Jekyll Island. Cool to see turtles outside of aquarium setting. Our guide was very informative in telling how these turtles ended up at the hospital.

This is a small but very interesting place doing wonderful work. It is well worth the stop to take a slow tour to learn about sea turtles and what they are doing to rescue and protect them. They were doing a turtle exam when we were there which was very interesting. They did not have many turtles there to see, but said it just because of the time of year. The staff were all very friendly and informative. We learned a lot and enjoyed the visit.

We loved the Sea Turtle Center. People with big hearts take wonderful care of the turtles there. Great exhibits and it was interesting to see the recuperating turtles in the hospital. Want to come back!

We took the behind the scenes tour with Kristen. We were given a tour of the hospital area and introduced to the staff. They were busy working on a sea turtle and a small alligator both had been hit by cars. It was a fantastic tour so interesting. I can’t recommend this tour enough, worth every penny.

This was an incredible experience took my son and niece they both loved it will most definitely go back again great and friendly staff and all the money goes towards a good cause

We were sure initially that we were going to go to the Sea Turtle Center, as we had read some mixed reviews. The fact that all fees collected went directly to upkeep and research, care, etc to the island and the turtle center made it a bit more worth it! They had some interactive activities that kids would enjoy, but we participated too! Very educational. Next door was the "hospital" with information about the turtles that were there. Had all different sizes. One of the "keepers" came out and did an educational talk about feeding the turtles so that they did not get accustomed to "human feeders" as they will all be released back to the waters. It was interesting to get her information. Volunteers were very helpful and informative. Didn't take a long time to go through the center (maybe about 1 hr), but should not be missed. Not crowded while we were there. Raining at the time, so good use of the rain shower!

We were a group of two adults and three teens. The facility is not very large but a lot of turtles have been rescued.
It was amazing seeing staff working on a turtle. I learned so much from reading about the various turtles currently in residency.

This place is awesome. They take such great care of the animals, rehabilitating them to be released back into their natural habitat. Informative and fascinating.

This was a nice experience, I think all children would enjoy it, it was interesting enough for adults. It’s a good rehab center for injured turtles.

Really enjoyed the experience. I learned a lot about turtles. I am so happy that this place exists. The center is so good for children. Keep up the good work!

We visited while staying two nights on Jekyll Island. It was touching to see how they helped turtles who were hurt by fishing nets, wire or by boats. It is not that big, but a good program is presented explaining the procedures taking place in saving turtles. It is hard not to give it a five star review. You can take extra trips, in the morning, night or behind the scenes tour in the medical area for extra money. Well worth the visit and a contribution. It is warm and humid when touring the pools of turtles. The gift shop is nice with many choices, but I wanted to make a contribution there when checking out, but was told I could not make it in the gift shop which I thought would have been convenient. It was in another part of the center.

The Sea Turtle Center is very educational for people of all ages. This is not a high energy experience. Take your time going through the center; read the info kiosks to understand why protecting turtles is important. Also, take the time see the turtle hospital to "meet the patients" You'll need about hour to experience it all.

This is a hospital for injured sea turtles. It is not a big attraction. See it as an educational place that shows some turtles as well. When we were there, only a few turtles were around. it is not a zoo. so don't expect any shows or showing of the turtles. There is a small educational center and a gift shop that is just as large. If interested go around, donate by being there and don't expect too much

We took an overview tour of the island and then returned to the Sea Turtle Center. The museum portion is very interactive- great exhibits and interactive things for kids of all ages. I loved the little sea turtle journey paper with the stamps. What a fun and tangible souvenir for visitors to retain.
The area where they are treating the turtles in large and gives lots of space for visitors to observe the turtles without feeling crowded.
The facility is beautiful and well laid out.
Check out the t-shirts in the gift shop. They really are above and beyond the usual gift shop tees. They have great designs.

The place is really pretty cool. Great info area with games for kids. The hospital area is under cover with large above ground pools. From the platform you can see the turtles pretty well. The OR has a big screen so you can watch up close if you are not squeamish.

Great experience for everyone! Lets the kids know how important it is to preserve life.. We loved seeing the Turtles.

So sorry to hear of the sick and handicapped turtles, but hopefully this place with help them live a better life.

We took the behind the scenes tour and it was great. I think our visit may have been a bit boring if we hadn't booked that tour.

We have been multiple times and it is a must-do for my 6-year-old. Gives great information. The treatment room observation window is wonderful if treatments are happening at the time of your visit. Staff is very knowledgeable and is great at answering questions. My favorite part is the hospital where you can view the current patients and learn about their treatment plans and also all of the interactive parts of the hospital exhibits. Excellent for visitors of any age!

Knowledgeable and welcoming staff! I really enjoyed the hospital part of the facility the staff member answered all of my questions with many details.

Our kids loved seeing the turtles and learning about them. We got to see the doctor work on a small sea turtle too!

This is an absolute must-do while visiting Jekyll Island! We have five-year-old twins and they adored our visit. Although the center is relatively small, there are so many interactive exhibits and our kiddos kept returning to their favorite ones over and over again. While we were there, we got to see baby Terrapins being weighed and numbered, a loggerhead sea turtle being fed, and 18 turtles recovering in the hospital tanks (most of which were Kemp’s Ridley turtles recently arrived from New England after being cold-stunned).

The educators there were incredible and patient, answering our kids’ countless questions and providing fascinating information and stories. It is clear that they are very passionate about the work they do. That enthusiasm is contagious and inspired our kiddos to want to learn more—which is always a win!

This is a highly interactive place, and really good for families with kids. What really intrigued us was the docent explaining about the newest turtle "resident" - a Loggerhead turtle. Then be sure to see the turtle "hospital" adjacent to the museum. Fascinating up close look at various types of sea turtles. We were there when one of the staff gave a fantastic overview of one of the turtles. Definitely worth a stop

Nice facility. Features gift shop, hospital and rehab/ viewing tank area. Recommended visit. Friendly attentive staff.

This is fun and informative for all ages. Being able to watch 'procedures' on the turtles was very interesting.

Very cool place to stop and visit on Jekyll Island. Your admission is good all day and they had a window where you could see them caring for the turtles. The gift shop was very nice and reasonably priced. We had so much fun we were in the area and stopped back in again since our ticket was good all day.

Such a cool little place. O love how educational that it was I learned alot about sea turtles in my time there. It is a small center so it doesn't take much time to go through but totally worth it.

Love the mission, small but nice.The staff were friendly. Nice activity to do when it's raining. Great interactive activities for kids

You won't spend a lot of time here and I viewed the admission as a donation, however, it is for a very good cause and you learn a lot about what they are doing to help the sea turtles.

This smallish facility has a very good gift shop, some interesting exhibits, but rather a lot of reading. When we were there it was fairly crowded, making it hard to see all of the small exhibits. The outdoor area was somewhat more interesting to the kids we had with us, but they enjoyed the stuffed animals from the gift shop more than anything else.

My wife has a thing for sea turtle since we visited the turtle rescue center near West Palm Beach FL last winter so we HAD to visit here. It is a very nice facility doing great work rescuing sea turtles. It is a smaller facility than FL and a short tour but we felt good that the admission cost and gifts purchased were supporting them. Well worth the visit!

Ignore the negative reviews based on admission price. For what this organization does to help these sweet creatures, it's a small price to pay! My children enjoyed seeing the rescued sea turtles and other terrapin. They have an area where you can watch them treat and care for the injured animals. When we were there they were carterizing the wound on a box turtle that had been run over. They were also treating a bird. Not sure what it's injury was. Definately worth a visit.

If you like turtles stop here. They have a nice gift shop. Then you enter a large area with interactive displays and a big window in which you can see the treatment room where vets treat turtles. We watched the vet operate on a large sea turtle. From there you can enter the hospital where patients are being cared for and treated.
Very informative

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a place that both kids & adults will enjoy. They have an interactive museum portion, that also includes a window into one of their vet tech areas. If you’re lucky enough to visit while they’re working on a Turtle, you can watch right through the window!
They also have certain times where they offer an opportunity to watch some of their turtles swimming in their tanks, along with a presentation on how the turtles get to the center & what they do to treat them.

Highly recommend this stop while on Jekyll Island.

If you love sea turtles this is the place for you! It’s a small up close & personal place to enjoy these beautiful creatures! See live surgeries, rehab pools, feedings, and learn some interesting facts in the education room. All proceeds from entry to purchased items goes right back to the turtles! ☺️

We just happened upon this center while looking for an art fair and it turned out to be one of our favorite sites. So much to learn about the area's sea turtles and next door you can visit the turtle hospital where they are helping turtles that have been found injured or sick in the wild. I was part of a group of adults but children would also enjoy this center. Cute gift shop too. The people working there were all so friendly and willing to answer all our questions.

This is a really great place to learn about sea turtles and how they live. This place is essentially a sea turtle hospital, and not only do they treat turtles, they educate the public about the affects of garbage pollution, and light pollution. You get to see several species of turtles and watch them swim and eat. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and love talking to kids about the turtles.

This was a fun place to visit on a rainy day. We enjoyed learning about the different types of turtles and seeing the ones in the hospital area. Definitely worth the visit. Don't need to spend a lot of time since the display area is small. They have a nice gift shop. You need to pay to get on Jekyll Island ($8 for a day pass). The Sea Turtle Center is $10/$9 for Seniors over 61.

While it was a bit sad to read about some of the injuries to the tutles, it was uplifting to read the stories of what is being done to help them and hopefully return them to the wild. In the exhbit area, it was nice to be able to see them taking care and fixing turtles. The vets were very friendly and took time to talk to us about what they were doing.

The exhbits were well laid out and informative and they had something for all ages.

If you are interested in gifts where the profits help the center, they have an abundance of items to choose from.

We loved being able to help the turtles. I loved learning how many have been returned to the wild and the percentage of release rate

There were quite a few sea turtles to view and an educational session was given. If there is an operation going on you can view it from the little museum. You can save a dollar on your ticket by booking online.

We just visited the center but there are opportunities to ride with the team at night to look for sea turtles.

My wife and I visited this place one afternoon this week during our stay on Jekyll Island. It is pretty small, with one interior room with displays and an outdoor area with tanks containing sea turtle patients they are working to rehabilitate and release. The value for us was watching a surgery on a terrapin that had been hit by a car through the large window into their animal hospital while a staff member explained things on a headset. Another staff member was happy to share the story of each turtle in the hospital tanks and fed one of them while we were there as well. The center is really set up as a rescue and research center with visitors helping to support the costs of its mission. We enjoyed an educational hour and a half or so. I am not sure if most children would enjoy the visit unless they are particularly interested in sea turtles or veterinary science.

This was a really fun experience to see all the turtles and the staff here are nice. They also have little activity’s for kids.❤️

It’s a neat place to see the turtle hospital and museum. We were able to be there when they introduced all the sea turtles which was great! So many different kinds of sea turtles. I would go back. I love sea turtles. They also have a great gift shop.

Not just a mission, but an amazing education for everyone! From the standing exhibits with multiple interactive facts and pictures, then to the window to watch the staff giving aid to turtles and then, THEN going to the hospital next door; this facility is awesome! Something for all ages.

I really liked that part of the admission and purchases in the gift shop go to the turtles. Very informative and worth the money.

Super educational, staff amazing with explaining what they are doing. Saving 60% of sea turtles that are rescued. Great gift shop too! Definately worth a stop.

We were so glad we stopped to see the turtle sea rescue. We were lucky enough to see them feed one of the Loggerhead turtles. They explained lots of information and answered our questions.
We are grateful to have such a great group of people rescuing our turtles!

Super great time today! I opted to do the Behind the Scenes tour since my son is interested in studying Biology/Animal Science when he begins college next month. Olivia was our guide and Taylor assisted, they both did wonderful. Even though we previously visited years ago (when my son was 5 yrs old), the tour was still very informative and educational for all ages.

Best visit yet! I loved the limited amount of visitors. We could actually get close enough to see the turtles. The staff was very friendly. Keep up the good work!

This is a great place to visit. You get to see different kinds of sea turtles up close. There is a self-guided tour also and a gift shop. We loved it!

The boys enjoyed seeing all the different size turtles and reading about why they were there. They also got to see them work on making a turtle health again. It is a great place for children and adults to learn.

This facility is doing very important work. Their attention and expertise in caring for the sea turtles is obvious. It is nothing short of miraculous that they are able to heal and release injured or ill reptiles back to the wild. There is a lot to learn about making our environment safer for all creatures. At the sea turtle center you can explore, observe, and engage in a variety of activities that will increase your awareness. Don’t miss it.

Took the tour and learned about the turtles currently in rehab and all the things they do there to help them. Great experience and kids would love it.

I have been here a few times and it is great every visit. We love seeing all the sea turtles. The work they do to help these beautiful creatures get better is incredible!

I visit the Sea Turtle Center every time I visit Jekyll Island, which I think sits at 4 visits. I can't think of another establishment on the island that I'd rather support and give my money to. It is very educational and I enjoy seeing the "patients" get the care they so desperately need.

Observed injured sea turtles in rehabilitation, as we listened to presentations about each turtle. Even witnessed a veterinarian (through a glass) operating on a turtle. A number of interesting interactive displays, in addition. Entry price reasonable. Learned about watching for turtles on road and calling if come across an injured turtle.
Extra nice gift shop with something for everyone.
All staff friendly and responsive to questions.
Beautiful grounds.

So informative. Great hands on activities for kids. Loved seeing all the turtles and learning what had happened to them. Staff is very caring. Kids will love this place. Great learning experiences.

Very small place but interesting with plenty of information about sea turtles. The meet the patient and feeding were educational. It’s much too crowded to really appreciate.

The placards inside the center are loaded with interesting facts about turtles and the center itself. Beyond that you will find a turtle rehab center where injured turtles are cared for and made healthy or whole again. Details of each animal, its injuries, and its treatment are provided, and an attendant is there to answer questions. Occasionally you will see veterinarians working on a turtle. This is a great place for all ages -- and it has a lovely, large, well-stocked gift shop.

We went on July 18th, 2021. Lots of interesting exhibits, and you can even watch them providing care to rescued sea turtles. In an adjacent building you can see tanks with the many "patients". Kids and "big kids" (adults) will love it!
Nice gift shop, as well!

Terrific place. Highly recommended. Be there at feeding time and you will see the dead come to life! Lol.
They are doing a great service here. The Jekyll Island Club is within walking distance, don't forget to walk around that place and take in the beautiful architecture, ambiance, etc. Love Jekyll Island.

Loved learning and seeing the turtles. A great way to see them close up and know they are being cared for and released after they are better!

My teen daughter and I stopped by to see this sea turtle center. As scuba divers, we have visited many "sea turtle hospitals" over the years, and we always learn something new. This facility has a large picture window overlooking a procedure room so that you can see the employees actively working on a current case (if there is one in progress). Ask questions and read the displays to learn much about these special creatures. There is also an excellent gift shop--I bought a lovely sea turtle platter that makes me smile every time I use it.

A small local Museum & animal center to see small & large sea turtles recovering. A viewing window in the museum allows kids & adults to view the animals they are actively working on. A unique experience worth a stop to support what they are doing here!

Well worth the stop. Learned several things. About the Sea life, interesting tour. Enjoyed watching a few Turtles, swimming in their recovery tanks.simple nice setup to hear and observe. Recommend for families with children. 2 yrs old granddaughter enjoyed her self.

Fun activity for an hour in a well-designed center. Lots of learning how the center cares for turtles, and any sea life that needs help. Loved seeing the tanks for rehabbing turtles and their stories for how they ended up at the center and how long they’ve been hospitalized. Would love to have seen a little more of the rehabbing going on.

The Georgia turtle center is a great place to visit with children. Great for adults, too. There is an interactive exhibit area with loads of information. You can also view the hospital area if they have injured animals at the time you visit. There is also an area to visit turtles who are recuperating. Great souvenir shop. Friendly staff. Great mural/drawing in the women's restroom.

So much information!! And learning about it was fun. Enjoyed the hospital and the presentation about the turtles.

This place is great if you're just 1 or 2 people visiting, but my family of 8 paid nearly $100 to get in, and while I understand this is a rehab facility for turtles, I wish I would've known how small it was before I paid so much to get in. Some of the adults could've waited in the car while I took the kids in for 10 minutes. Don't go if you have a large group. Not worth the money!

We were really looking forward to seeing the turtles. And we did see a few turtles and read their stories as to why they need to be rehabilitated but it was very crowded and tiny. We maybe spent 30 minutes there.

Rescue turtles is what they do. Make sure to visit the rehab center and meet some of the sea turtles currently being rehabilitated. There is also a chance to watch a turtle being treated while in the discovery center. Really nice work done here.

This is not a sea turtle breeding facility.

Great place to learn about sea turtles and see care given to the injured turtles by a wonderful group of people. Great place for kids!

Just be aware from the start, this place is small. Its not the Ga Aquarium.....its very small. 1 deck of outside exhibits of turtles, and 1 room of indoor exhibits. There is a big gift shop with reasonable prices and lots of stuff. Im not a turtle fanatic either. It does seem to be legit conservation/research though. Glad we went but we won't go again for sure. If you are busy during your trip, skip this.

This wasn't quite what we expected from the reviews or the price. There is a small exhibition in the main brick building and then a smallish room with about 8-10 water pools in with some turtles in some of them and some of them were not in use. Nobody was around to talk about anything - except when one turtle was taken away for a scan. They are doing a good work but it would be helpful to have a talk about what they are doing as part of the visit. We booked in advance but on the day we went this was not necessary.

This was a small, but nice place to learn and view live sea turtles.
It was neat to see live feed of them helping the turtles.
We loved watching the turtles swim.
They are beautiful creatures.

Took the behind the scene tour. Was able to go into the treatment/operating room to see actual treatments. Very educational. I did think of more questions after we left. A good excuse to go back!

We love the turtle center. Great turtle hospital at this location where you can see the turtles being cared for by the volunteers and workers. They have informational sessions a couple times a day which are very interesting. $20 adult admission goes directly to the non-profit to save turtles. Great for little kids.

Our timing was off. There is a large gift shop and a few turtles in tanks with a short note on the reason they were there. Most were listed as cold stunned. They were actively swimming so that seemed good. There was more than an hour until the next talk by staff. We don't regret our entrance fee and hope it is a good cause but there was nothing to do so we decided not to wait.

My family and I went on a lovely low budget trip to this amazing center. The children in my family had an amazing time learning about turtles and how to take care of one of there own. We went for an hour and us adults had just as much fun feeding and interacting with these turtles. I truly couldn't ask for a more family friendly experience for the kids and us. As much as i dislike paper straws I would now do absolutely anything to save the turtles.

The staff is so knowledgeable about the turtles and very willing to answer any questions you may have. The kids learned a lot and enjoyed seeing all the live turtles in the rehab pools. Great gift shop too with lots of options.

I am glad they were open for a visit. The exhibit area is pretty small but explanations are good, and the best part is that their treatment room is on display. We watched a little bird getting its broken wing treated. The turtle area is ok, but there is no chance to view turtles close by or interact with them. I understand that they are sick, recovering animals, but would be great if once they recover they could be a bit more interactive. They also have a large gift shop.

This is a great place for all ages. Very informative. Saw quite a few of the turtle patients. The talk was a little crowded, but we still enjoyed it.

Not worth the hype at all. It’s a good cause but so small. It should be free and donations accepted for the turtles. Big let down for us. We were done under 30min

You must go and help with funds to keep this work going. They are doing great work taking care of these guys. Adopt one and when they release the turtle you can track it. The building is the old power plant.

Staff is very knowledgeable. Programs ever couple of hours on turtles in the care center. Nice gift shop

Well laid out exhibits, several interactive. Interesting to see the careful attention they give to the turtles during the rehabilitation process. Admission fees really go to a good cause.

This is an informative center to learn more about the life of a sea turtle, conservation, and human impact on the life of a sea turtle. It features a turtle hospital and the stories of what caused that "patient" to be there. Good for about an hour for a visit.

The staff was wonderful and explained things very well. We had the opportunity to see a turtle being operated on to hopefully restore it to no paralysis. This procedure was fascinating.

Highly recommend a visit to this facility to see and learn so much about the many turtles in this area. We were interested to see turtles being cared for from Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra, FL where we are from. The hospital area was extremely interesting. We love these amazing creatures!

Such a wonderful place to see all the help these w beautiful creatures receive! Very educational and sad to see the harm 'us' humans do to turtles and other sea animals! I pray we learn and end this harm!
Thank you for caring for them!

This was the best part of our vacation to JI! The staff are amazing and everything was super clean! The gift shop was also wonderful. I was not expecting to learn so much and how cute these sweet animals would be. What a treasure!

Our visit to the island was during an uptick in the Corona virus. When you approach the front door, they have a person set up under a tent to take your name and phone number. They will text you when you can go in. Our wait to get in was an hour. You can pay then or when they text you to come back.
This is a great, informative place. A little on the small side so don't expect to spend the day there; but they are doing some really good, rehabilitative work there. Inside the museum, the exhibits are geared toward children but there is an area with a window where you can see a surgery suite. There is also a gift shop.
The best part of the visit for me was going into the Rehabilitative Center. It is located outside and they have these large pools set up where turtles are rehabilitating after being injured.
The staff do a wonderful job of taking care of these turtles and nursing them back to health. I am so proud of what is going on here. If you feel led, you can also adopt a turtle and help sponsor its care.

We were supposed to do the behind the scenes tour, but due to Covid it was canceled. We still decided to go to the center anyway, I'm glad we did. This center is small, but very informative and interactive (keep in mind, due to Covid some of the interactive stations were disabled). I like that they have a viewing window where you can see the staff doing some minor medical procedures/treatments on the turtles.

Personal preference on the rehab "pools"... would have been helpful if information about the turtles was posted.

Building is a beautifully refurbished horse stable. Staff were very informative and I learned a lot after they spoke to crowd - by staying behind and asking questions one on one with staff, they were all nice and knowledgeable. Gift shop is so cute with lots to choose from. We ended up getting up at 6am two days to see if we could see turtles hatching. Ends up we did see about 50 tracks from a nest, we may have missed it by a day or hours of them hatching and crawling to sea.

Smaller than we anticipated, but we were still glad we went. Not cheap, but we hope the money goes towards turtle rehabilitation. Our two teens seemed to enjoy themselves. Definitely take time to walk around the historic area next door. Free and DEFINITELY worth it!

The GA Sea Turtle Centre was amazing. It’s very kid friendly and informative. There are interactive things for adults and kids.

Educational rehab facility for sea turtles and other reptiles. You will see live animals that staff are rehabilitating to return to the wild. Offers tours with the staff to learn more about conservation.

You are able to see the turtles that are "in the hospital" there is information on each turtle, why it is at the Rescue and the steps being taken to nurse the turtle back to life.

Great introduction to sea turtles for young and old. Was educational and fun.
learned about the life cycle of the sea turtle; enjoyed our visit and learned a lot.

Did you know that seas turtles don't reach sexual maturity until their mid 30's ??? No wonder they're endangered.

Fascinating visit

I enjoyed all the information and how it was presented, seeing the live turtles and learning about them from the workers.

This is worth the ticket cost. It doesn’t take long to go through and the cost is justified by what it goes to. Cute little gift shop and informational area. They have turtles on-site that vary in size from hatchlings to larger adult turtles.

Definitely worth a visit. Spend time in the exhibits - very hands on and engaging. The hospital tour is a must. Up close & personal with the turtles.

Great learning experience for adults and children! Love the work they do to Rescue, Rehab, and Release turtles.

Very busy but they controlled number of vistors going in. 99.9% people wore mask ( customers & workers). Small & dedicated to sea turtles.

Went with husband. A lot of interesting turtle facts. Plan about 30-45 minutes to walk through. Is best to go when they first open. There weren’t many other people there at that time. Was interesting to see and read about the turtles

Chelonian fans will “turtley” enjoy the “behind the scenes” experience. Note that the center works to rehabilitate both land and aquatic native turtles and tortoises as well as other indigenous animals. The behind-the-scenes tour includes observing a portion of a treatment session-regular guests can observe the same thing from the large observation window. The important benefit of participating in the behind-the-scenes tour is the opportunity to ask questions of the friendly and knowledgeable rehab staff. We also toured the radiology area and the tanks holding species ranging from Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings to a variety of sea turtles. Every guest has access to the tank area, and all guests observed a narrated sea turtle feeding.

The center has several educational exhibits and a small gift shop. If you are a conservation advocate or turtle fan, the behind-the-scenes tour is probably worth the advanced planning and price.

Worth a quick visit. Would be nice if there were signs at each pool with turtles dxs, estimated age,etc. There is a ten minute “meet the patients” that one of the employees does that really helps explain why each turtle is there. We just lucked into this- so if you visit ask for next meet the patients talk.

What a hidden gem this was. The cost to get in was well worth it. You do have to take some time to read the displays they have to really get the most out of this center. The staff and turtles were amazing. Learning about the efforts that Georgia has made to save the sea turtles was uplifting.

These people do great work! Fun place to visit, but it's a short stay, you can go through it in 20 minutes.

Good for kids - lots of info on sea turtles, interactive learning, and good presentation about recovering turtles.

I enjoyed my brief visit to the center. Geared towards younger children, guests were able to see turtles being cared for in the clinic, as well as those turtles recuperating after their rescue. They seemed well cared for, and the docents were knowledgeable.

This is a good rainy day activity. Doesn't take too long to go through the exhibit and then the hospital / tank area to see any turtles being treated. No procedures going on when we were there, but it was a nice, relatively short take in. I would find it kind of pricey for the length you are there, but it's worth it to donate to the cause.

It's a small center, but interesting and informative. We enjoyed being given the opportunity to watch turtles being treated by staff, as well as seeing all the turtles in the tanks. The baby turtles are adorable! The staff are all very friendly and there's a cute gift shop too. Our group ranged from 15-70+ and we all would recommend a visit here.

This wildlife clinic for turtles is well worth a visit. Several turtles in various stages of medical care can be seen, and we also saw two groups of baby turtles!

Enjoyed the time at this educational and informative place to visit. we were impressed with the staff their knowledge.

we saw 4 turtles. This is a fun place to go. takes about an hour. we stayed for one of the feedings and there is lot of interactive things for kids. it was interesting.

It was a very nice museum, but kind of pricey for the length of time spent there. But glad the proceeds go to helping the turtles. We really enjoyed seeing the turtle hospital and learn interesting facts about them. Lots of interactive things for kids to do.

Jekyll and St. Simon's were fantastic!!! My girls and I had a blast at the Sea Turtle Sanctuary and the Summer Waves Water park. The shopping and restaurants in the area were amazing and we enjoyed our short trip to St. Simon's for seafood at the Crab Trap and Barbara Jean's (highly recommend both). The beaches at Jekyll were secluded and pristine. We found many shells and caught shrimp and crabs when the tides were going out. I am a history fanatic and the historical sites in the area were amazing!!

One of the reasons we went to Jekyll Island was to go here. Our daughter loves sea turtles and this place it awesome!! She got to see them do a surgical procedure in Rixen, who was one of the patients there when we came. The staff told us a lot of educational things and they were professional and nice.

Loved this place! Small exhibit area with everything you ever wanted to know about turtles then a live rehab clinic where they talk about the turtles they have in care. Never been any place like this!

Love this wonderful group of dedicated workers taking care of the turtles. Amazing to see all the behind care to rehabilitate them turtles

We went on a busy Saturday morning, I would recommend a less busy time. However there were fun hands-on exhibits for kids and by far the best part was seeing the turtles in the hospital and reading about how they are being treated.

My husband and I came here with high hopes, but left sorely disappointed.

The admission for the two of us was around $25 and it took us 15 minutes to walk through the place. There is a tiny museum with some displays to read, and then you head outside to the rehab area. This is where the turtles are located. The area consists of 10 to 12 oversized baby pools that are used to house sick turtles. You can’t see the turtles very well, and they have mirrors that hang over the tops of the pools to give you a better view.

There is nothing engaging or informative in the rehab area. You just stand there on an elevated platform and stare at sick turtles in a baby pool…and think to yourself “wow I paid 25 bucks for this? “

On the plus side, I think they really are helping sick turtles, so at least I feel like my money went to a good cause.

Very educational. We LOVE what this place is all about - helping turtles and other wildlife. What a joy to see people doing positive, wonderful things for the right reasons. Turn off the news and go visit this place - you’ll feel better about people

The Turtle center has 2 parts to visit--the hospital area and the museum/gift shop. In the hospital area, staff give tours just about every hour, going over the case history of all the patients in the various tanks, and they have mirrors over the tanks to help you see. They also have binders if you want to flip through to see the successes of previous patients.

The museum is great for kids--updated hands on activities (ex: you track "yourself," as if you are a Turtle, you make life choices, and you see if you make it to adulthood). The gift shop has 50+ T-shirts & sweatshirts to pick from, along with everything Jekyll--you won't need to shop anywhere else, and it further supports the hospital.

Love this place. Our second visit. We would never miss this. Small fee to enter. Great gift shop. Wonderful displays. Love visiting the tanks outdoors to see the turtles. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Our 2 year old granddaughter even loved it !!!

We were here at the end of the day and there wasn’t much to see. We were disappointed. Being there for feedings would probably be more informative and interesting.They were attending to a “patient” in the hospital, so we could watch that, but if you are squeamish, it may not be for you.

Lots of great info and fun to see the turtles that are being helped. Staff was friendly and answered our questions. Very nice gift shop

This is a great family visit. Watching the staff work on the turtles. Learning about sea turtles throughout their facilities with staff teaching us how they get to the facility and their rehabilitation. We would visit again.

This place is taking care of turtles as far away as Maryland. It is a hospital and recovery center for sea turtles. Great educational place.

Educational experience for families with hands-on activities for kiddos and opportunity to view rehabilitation of injured turtles.

I thought there would be a little more to this, but it was pretty fun. There is a large gift shop then a room of "museum stuff". There is a viewing window to see if the vets are working on any turtles with someone talking about the patient. Then you can go back to the little rehab center where the injured turtles have a kind of baby pool.

We visited Georgia’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center on Jekyll Island in December on a slow weekday. The historical building has a large gift shop and the “barn” outback houses the hospital. We joined a tour and the docent gave a educational informative lecture. There were only three turtles recovering so most of the hospital tanks were empty.

The admission is nominal and all proceeds support the turtle recovery program. GPS directions were confusing but we eventually located the center. We were told summer crowds are huge so definitely pre-schedule your tour in summer to avoid the long wait. Winter tours were easy.

Fun place for kids.

We really enjoyed touring the sea turtle center and learning more about sea turtles and their rescue/rehabilitation program. It was nice to see the sea turtles up-close and witness their care. It only took 30 minutes to tour the whole center. They have a nice gift shop. It was worth the trip!

Not worth the price. Very very smelly. Social distancing not being enforced. Wish we had not gone. Not worth it right now. Seemed like a gift shop with a gimmick.

This turned out to be the highlight of our trip! I was so surprised. They really have a wonderful education center. You get to go into the turtle hospital and rehab center where they teach you about their process and you get to observe a feeding. It was inspirational.

This is a small but information packed center. They have kid friendly exhibits and have a hospital were you can see the turtles and learn the story of why they are there. This hospital is passionate about saving the turtles and they also have a cute gift shop.

Admission is only $10 and money spent there goes to help rehabilitate sea turtles!! The gift shop is the same size or bigger than the room with interactive displays. There is also an outside hospital where the turtles are housed in tanks while recovering. They offer a couple talks throughout the day, stay for one so you get to hear about the injured turtles there and also how they receive them and release them.
You can also watch, through a viewing glass, helpers and a vet give therapies or do a checkup on the turtles.
It’s small and doesn’t take much time to go through it but glad to have seen it and donated to a great cause. Plenty of cute souvenirs in the gift shop to take home!

Seriously worth the $10. I drove all the way from Jacksonville just to visit the turtles that are recovering from care. Lovely staff and the gift shop was super nice.

This is an important service for the island and for the sea turtles! It is very educational and interesting! We truly enjoyed our visit! The cost was very affordable as well!

Loved seeing the rescued turtles. They were limiting the number of visitors so there was a short wait, but it was well worth it.

Our second time and amazing to see turtles injured and reading how they got there , we saw turtles about the size of quarters you need to see this it’s so great what is done

Thought we would see a few turtles in tanks so welcome surprise to see all the displays, listen to a short talk explaining what the centre was all about and do the turtle game (great for kids of all ages). Then take a walk through the turtle hospital, what fun! Lots of turtles in tanks and we were fortunate to be there when the vet was doing some work on the ‘patients’. Very pleasant young woman held the turtle up for us to see, then we proceeded to watch the vet’s examination. Staffed by enthusiastic knowledgeable people, well worth the admission, which helps pay for the facility.

So informative and great to have the opportunity to see and learn about the turtles close up in the hospital. What a great program they have!

Will continue to support this wonderful cause!

We had time to kill before an evening cruise, so we decided to go and see turtles. All of us were so glad that we went. The guys was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and fun to be around. While we were there, they brought in a rescue turtle they had just received that was really large and started working on it. Our guide said it was one of the largest he had seen. We got so much more out of this a ticket cost. They also have a great gift shop.

Incredibly interesting, you get a deep insight into how these gentle giants are rescued, operated on and later reintroduced. All local workers are there with heart and soul and are happy to answer any questions. A great experience for the whole family

Great visit! We learned so much about sea turtles. The staff were all friendly and helpful. The gift shop was nice. We saw the sea turtles in the hospital and learned about their situations.

Nice place, not a LOT to see but great for learning for kids. PLUS your price of admission is basically a donation. Great store with great items! The staff was great as well!

This place is awesome! I love that people have the opportunity to learn about sea turtles and get to see them and the care the receive. Anyone can walk through the turtle life experience, watch a veterinary checkup in the large picture window, and view and learn about the “patients” swimming in the tanks. The big bonus is the ability to use the pass all day so that if you miss a talk or have a cranky child, you can leave an come back for a later session. I love this place beyond the great work they do!

Very informative, great learning experience for EVERYONE. Reasonably priced and all proceeds go to the center!

These volunteers are working so hard to treat the injured turtles from Georgia beaches. We even watched a surgery being performed. A great treat for children!

It's always great to see the turtles and the work done to save and protect them. This trip they had some very, very young turtles that were very interesting.

I appreciate the work they are doing and the turtles are cute. But despite having paid our admission, we left before we felt ready because two families came in without masks and then didn't keep social distance. Staff apparently can't or won't enforce a mask rule. I guess when the state won't mandate masks, this is what you get - the rudest and most selfish people get to enjoy the amenities.

Too much of this down here, sadly. I'll be canceling the week-long return trip my family had planned for March.

The viewing window into the Sea a Turtle treatment center is awesome. Here you can observe the turtles being treated for various things. With Covid-19 restrictions you might have a short wait, but it’s worth it.
The staff was super nice.

My granddaughters aged 9 and 14 really enjoyed learning all about sea turtles. I was very impressed with all the interactive educational activities they could do in the center. We also enjoyed seeing the turtles in the hospital, they take such good care of them for rereleasing into the ocean. A worthy cause to donate and/or sponsor a sea turtle.

This place made me feel as though my in our 70’s husband and I were on a field trip. We were there when they first opened and the docent was very lovely about letting us know what we would find and how we might approach the exhibits. The first part is informative (and has the gift shop) with impressive huge skeletons. Outside through the gardens is the hospital. It was fun to see a shot being administered to a dinner-plate sized turtle through the clear windows into the infirmary. I also enjoyed seeing on the tanks what the resident turtles were recuperating from and from how far away they had been rescued. The building itself is historic as the island’s former power plant. What a great site this is when utilized for this purpose. The admission price is a bit dear but one can’t help but know it’s going towards great work. It was definitely worth the time and I would hope that anyone with small children would take them there .

Talked to a family member who visited a couple of weeks later and they also were impressed.

We enjoyed our visit to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. It’s a great educational experience for all ages. We got to see them work take care of Coco...a turtle that was injured by a boat propeller. 🙁 They have a large gift shop that has something for everyone.

Learned so much about turtles and tortoises. I'm 52 and visited Jekyll since I was a kid and never knew about the relationship that Georgia has with out shelled friends. The people working here are dedicated to their work and doing a great job.

A bit disappointing for the one hour wait. Very little going on there because of the COVID. Watched a turtle have a toe removed due to an accident. Very little to engage the young people.

Marine Center was smaller than expected. Admission (essentially) a donation, get you into the information side plus entry into the hospital/observation tanks. They rehab several sea turtles at one time. Gift store is extensive.

We stopped by the Turtle center at the end of the day and were not disappointed. We got to see the turtles being fed and spoke at length with one of the caregivers. This enthusiastic employee was a world of information about the turtles and conservation. She was very knowledgeable and took time to answer our questions. The museum was very informative. I would definitely go back and encourage others to visit.

For the price, this modestly sized hospital and education center is a good value for a great cause. There are discounts for seniors, military, and teachers. The gift shop has nice items but the prices are high, typical for any attraction. I recommend it if you value sea life, especially marine turtles.