Marine Science Center Reviews

This is a small aquarium and nature center with a limited number of exhibits. Even so, it was one of the best experiences we’ve had at an aquarium. We got to pet *and feed * stingrays and watch the seahorses be fed. We also got to hear some highly informative presentations about both species (and the other species that share the tank). We learned quite a bit!

The many staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. They answered our questions enthusiastically and gave us lots of helpful tips.

We loved that there were stepstools at the touch tank (as well as the bathrooms). This is a big deal for families with young children.

The various tanks were all interesting. Our family’s favorite was the adorable pufferfish. We took a walk on the nature trail and enjoyed the view from the observation tower.

My 9 year old and I really enjoyed our visit today! The center is small but very inexpensive and the staff were all extremely nice. It felt like they really loved the animals in their care and really enjoyed teaching us about them!

Very friendly and helpful staff
Our grandson fed the rays .
We also had a walk around the nature trail

Very nice Science Center with numerous animals to see, touch & learn about. Volunteers to explain the habits & problems of the animals on display. Computers to help you better understand the animals food, needs & surgeries.

This is a wonderful facility that helps turtles and some other help to rehabilitate so that they may be able to go back in the ocean. A great way to spend the afternoon, next door the the Ponce Inlet lighthouse so it is very easy to find. A small fee for entry but they have a lot of mouths to feed and attendants that are always working on their "guest".

This volunteer run rehab centre for marine and bird wildlife is small but manages to cram alot in. The "classroom sessions / presentations " are upbeat and interesting. The guides managed to engage the children and involve them in the talks. Very informative and informal !

This is not a tourist trap, but rather a working hospital for turtles and birds. Great volunteer staff. They have 7 or 8 tanks with different fish and ocean life inside. Outside there is the sea turtle rehab center where you can see a handful of sea turtles. The bird rehab is also great, with raptors, owls, sea birds and even a pair of bald eagles. For the nominal fee, little kids especially will love this.

The center was mentioned to us at our hotel and we decided to go. We enjoyed the center. They have small touch pool with sting rays. They are happy to answer questions for you. Also take advantage of the walking trail.

If you like to take it slow, there is plenty to see at this small facility. The staff and volunteers are very friendly and informative

This is our second visit to the center, I just love going there! They have a touch tank with stingray and just happened to arrive at feeding time which was fun to see.
They have a viewing station where you can watch the vets treat the sea turtles that are there for rehabilitation which was very interesting to watch especially if you love turtles as much as I do!!
There is a nice tank with colorful fish and a huge eel that surprised a few people when he came out for a swim!
The staff/volunteers there are amazing. They went out of their way to find out about a sea turtle that we had seen being picked up by the lifeguards and assumed it was taken there. It made our day to find out he was treated and sent to another place for a little rehab before he would be released back into the wild.
Great place to go for a few hours just plan for a busy place if you go on a rainy day.

Visited at feeding time...great experience! Also, listed to the turtle talk...the docent was so very informative. Both of these experiences encouraged me to join for an annual pass so I can return every time I visit the area!

If you go be sure to be there when they are feeding the rays. This was the highlight of the visit. They only had a few turtles in the hospital section....which is good. One of them was huge. A lady was ververry interesting as she talked about their illnesses and how they cure them. There is an outside area with birds. This is a very small facility and you can see everything in under an hour. They have beautiful jewelry in the gift shop.

This place is amazing! My initial reason for going was to see and learn more about the rehabilitation program for injured sea turtles. We learned so much! The types that are in the area, size, diet, lifespan. You can see into the rehab area. Turtles are named and have detailed information as to their injuries and where they were found. They are there for months to years depending on the extent of injury, infection and malnourishment. There is a very informative film about the lifecycle of a turtle from a hatchling. Also! A large area with fish, sea horses and rays. Outside there is a bird rehabilitation area. Pelicans, eagles, hawks and whatever else needs help.
We were honored, at a later date to witness the release of three turtles back into the ocean. It was thrilling. They do such wonderful work here.
Did I mention the great gift shop??

Kids were excited to fed stingrays, but not big enough to do much more. They should expand. Should be a donation or flat fee to cover operational cost.

This place has a hospital for turtles that they rehabilitate and return to the ocean when possible. They also care for many species of birds. Inside you can see and touch sting rays, and I was able to enjoy a presentation about owls, complete with a Great Horned Owl with huge yellow eyes. Fascinating place!

Always having a love for all animals, but especially turtles, I dragged my husband to see this wonderful place! They are doing such wonderful things to help injured animals, and it is well worth the price you pay. I only wish we could have seen the turtles a little closer up.

Got to see all kinds of marine life! There is a room where you can hold some of the different sea life... and my fave part, the sea turtles! They have a baby turtle just a few weeks old and the size of a small potato chip! Too cute!

A very interesting and educational place to visit for every age! And for the Turtle lovers among us, there exists a Turtle Hospital here and recovery tanks for injuried turtles. I had heard of this marine science center and have wanted to visit it for quite awhile! As soon as we entered the center, there was an owl educational program in progress that had standing room only. The staff is very well educated and freely passed on their knowledge to visitors. One member of the staff informed me of the status of several recovering turtles and the circumstances that caused the turtles to be at the marine center. There’s also a very nice yet small gift shop to browse through before leaving. Outdoors there’s a small area for presentations that include benches. Also out on the back porch was a lot of information re: gopher turtles! And there’s a beautiful view of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, above the nearby trees! The admission fees are quite reasonable for all that’s offered! This place is “a homerun” for science & nature enthusiasts!

This is a very fun place for all ages. They have things that you can look at for fun and for learning. They have a room full of things to touch as well as look at through a microscope. Then there are a couple of rooms filled with different tanks to look at and touch tanks. They have the turtle hospital to look at. There is a section across the parking lot that has birds which are beautiful. All of the staff and volunteers are wonderful. The gift shop has things for people of all ages.

We've come to Ponce Inlet for 3 years now and just made it over to the Marine Science Center. Excellent! Lots and lots of live creatures including a bunch of different turtles, fish, and marine life in tanks that allow up close viewing. And you get to see where they rehabilitate turtles of all types and sizes, some very large ones as well. They have a touch tank where there are ~5 small sea rays with their barbs trimmed for safety. They let you feed them at feeding time! That was a thrill because they have no teeth and they suction the food directly out of the palm of your hand. Like a vacuum cleaner under water. It was a thrill! This is a fantastic place to bring kids of all ages due to the friendliness of the staff and their availability to describe the different sea animals and to answer questions. They also have a bird sanctuary and while there they brought out an owl and displayed why they can hunt so quietly at night and compared the sound of their feathers to that of eagle feathers. Silent! If you are a Senior, its only $4 each! Great gift shop and we loved seeing the variety of birds in their sanctuary. A hidden treasure to go see, don't miss it. Fun fun fun and informative. Highly recommended.

My friend and I recently visited this place, it was small but nice, very affordable, we got to pet the sting rays and the had a sea turtle exhibit that had stories about each one there it was overall a nice little trip

This small center does giant work in rescuing marine creatures and educating us about them! A simple but joyful pleasure in a lovely seaside setting—watching staff and volunteers working together to accomplish something important. Good visit for families.

Great staff full of information about all of the animals! Particularly loved the owl presentation. The presenter kept me and my kids interested and eager to learn more about rescued animals!

stopped by here and enjoyed feeding the stingrays. staff very friendly and informative, well worth the 5$

Since they are closed on Monday's, we visited on Tuesday. Evidently it is field trip day for the schools. It was packed and hard to shuffle little kids around to see everything. They still had a good time, and is a perfect place to take small kids to explore sea life. The employees/volunteers were super patient and informative. Good job in spite of the crowd.

I regularly take my grandchildren to the Turtle Tots program. They make a craft and learn about marine wildlife. Then we get to walk around and view all of the fish, turtles, sea horses and birds. We've rescued baby birds and brought them there to be taken care of and they even let us know when they were releasing them into the wild. So fun to watch the reabilitated turtles being released into the ocean too.

This is a self sufficient and self funded institution that cares for turtles and birds. We were able to see the feeding of the sting rays as well the sea horses and the octopus. They staff explained what the fish eat, how often and how much. You could tell they care for these animals.

One of the staff brought a red hawk to a small room (seating for 50+ visitors) and explained about the details for the hawk.

Sure this is lowkey but well worth the visit.

Took my four year old grandson to see the turtles, but he had so much fun petting the stingrays, we spent a lot of time there. We also enjoyed the bird sanctuary outside.

This was my third visit to the Marine Science Center and it was still awesome! My 7 year-old was with me as well and she knew right where to go first....the stingray tank! Since she had also been there a couple times before, she knew a lot of information. But, we learned even more! The staff is knowledgeable and friendly and you cannot beat the price! The location is also wonderful as it is in a quiet area of town (Ponce Inlet is a gem in itself :) ). It's a great place to be when you need a break from the beach and want to experience other things Florida has to offer. We will be back again!

This place is an amazing hidden gem, we go out of our way to visit each time we’re in the area.
We take our nephew and niece and we all love to feed the rays.
On this last occasion we arrived in time to feed the rays and were given plenty of food to feed them and plenty of time to do it.
We also met a very enthusiastic volunteer who also let us stroke sharks, and then took us into the classrooms to investigate snakes etc, then out to see the turtles in their rehabilitation pools and to see the birds of prey. She was like a whirlwind of knowledge and her enthusiasm was contagious. We had a wonderful time and will certainly be going back when we visit the area again next year

This place was AWESOME! Great hands on, fun aquatic science! The turtles they help were huge! My son really enjoyed TOUCHING the sting rays! Great education for young and old about taking care of our planet and being responsible for the trash we put back in the Earth. $5 for adults and $2 for kids. Great price for the experience!!

This is a nice cheap place to spend a rainy day. Enjoy going to see the sea turtles that are there for medical treatment. A lot of information about turtles and other animals. They let you feed stingrays, during their feeding time. My 5 year old granddaughter got to hold the food as they swam by and ate out of her hand. A lot of staff to talk about all the sea and land animals and reptiles. Nice gift shop. 3rd time there, even have seahorses and birds.

Had a few hours between checking out from the hotel and catching our flight. Our child saw an advertisement for this and asked about going so we stopped here in between. Most definitely worth it! Awesome exhibit and I am so glad we stopped!

Time change weekend and lost luggage lead to a late start. Nice place and inexpensive. Good turtle hospital and can touch manta rays, they have very soft skin.

My daughter enjoyed seeing the turtles and the displays. It is a small center which allows for visitors to get up close to the animals.

Really thought this was going to be a wonderful place for the kids to visit for the day. All the exhibits were closed didn't get to touch the 1 Sting Ray in the pool expected to at least see 3. The octopus was hiding in a cave the entire time. Would be great if you could actually go down near sea turtle pools. It wasn't expensive at all but definitely wouldn't visit again.

A very interesting place with lots to see -- huge rescued sea turtles, live exhibits of fish, octopus, rays, small turtles, seahorses, etc., and a touch tank for the little ones. There also was a guide going around feeding the animals and talking about them to the crowd. The feeding schedule was posted so people knew what was coming up next. There's also a separate building across the parking lot for rescued sea birds. The place was full of adults and families with kids on the day we were there and admission price was minimal. We definitely will go back next time we're in the area and highly recommend the Marine Science Center. It was one of the best things we did when visiting New Smyrna Beach. You can also visit the lighthouse while at Ponce Inlet. The science center and lighthouse are about a 20 minute drive from NSB.

This place is a little hard to find but well worth the effort. It's a beautiful marine center. Not a whole lot to see, but you don't have to pay a lot either. It would be great for small children.

I have visited there a few times when visitors come to stay. The cost is a mere $5.00 but the displays are good. There is a stingray tank where you can pet them. The intensive care unit is very sad. Mostly sea turtles injured by boat propellers. The staff are very attentive and are very knowledgeable. Well worth an hour or two to visit.

I was told by a friend to check out the Marine Science Center while we were on vacation. Since it decided to rain, we headed down to check it out. It was WONDERFUL!! My husband and I took our 5yr old son. There is a classroom that has microscopes, fun facts about animals, along with some actual animals (snakes and fish). One of the workers comes in and gets the snake out and tells you all about him. At the end, you have a chance to pet him. They have some very interesting fish, an octopus, and an eel in the main tanks. While we were there the touching pool was down which is one of their main attractions. However, even without it being open it was still an amazing visit! Seeing the turtles in their rehab tanks and reading about them was very interesting. Plus, there is a bird section across the parking lot. Don’t forget about it! We almost did. So much fun!

A small venue but very nice. Staff wants to teach you about the animals and where else can you touch stingrays and sharks. We lucked out and were able to attend a "class" where we learned about one of the hawks they have next door at the bird sanctuary. If you are visiting the lighthouse, then you have to walk the 3 minutes to the marine science center. It is very inexpensive and certainly worth a visit. A highlight of our vacation for sure. Gave it 4 stars because it is on the smaller side (and I rarely give 5 stars to anything).

I can't remember exactly when I went here but I was at work and brought them an injured turtle. They are a great bunch of people who truly care about marine life. I'm so glad they exist!!

Small, but informative & fun. Inexpensive & informative. Not what I was expecting, but not at all disappointing.

Very cool place to learn about marine life. This place is also a sanctuary and a rehab for injured turtles and birds. Cool saltwater displays here also with various marine life.

The Marine Science Center is actually intake facility for hurt, sick, or lost marine life. While I was there the staff was helping a sick turtle. It was fascinating to watch how they were helping this helpless turtle. They also had manta rays that you can pet. It was an eye opening experience.

Could have been a 4, the lack of professionalism from the man who was doing the bird presentation was very unprofessional. Having to make a comment about us leaving before he was done was very rude and very unprofessional!

Such a cute little day trip, we spent about an hour here with our three kids (2,3,10) and they all loved it. We did not do the bird boardwalk, but we did the nature trail and lookout across the way... it was a short little walk and toddler friendly. We went on July 4th and had no wait at all. Staff was all very friendly and interactive.

I will say... if you visit here, please pick up your trash! We saw trash thrown into the trees on the nature trail. There are plenty of trashcans around, find one.

The Marine Science Center is off the beaten path. Go south on Atlantic Ave out+of Daytona until you almost reach the end. It is low key and low cost. It is a rehab center for turtles and birds. It is fascinating to see the efforts to help these sick or injured animals. The Turtle Emergency Room was amazing. You can also learn much about Volusia County’s diverse marine wildlife.

In addition, there is a short nature trail leading to an observation tower where you can view the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and the nearby bodies of water.

Highly recommended and fun. No food service available, however.

We just absolutely fell in love with this little educational center .close to lighthouse and other attractions. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff, whom love what they do. They have sting rays you can pet and the animals are all rescues. Which is not the case for larger facilities. If you want a small scale marine life center to visit that’s sensory friendly and reasonably priced. Please check this place out. Will return again. Thanks so much for your attention to detail and amazing staff .

Some friends recommended that we check out the Marine Science Center since we planned to see the lighthouse nearby. Glad we did! They have touch tanks with sea cucumbers, visitors who are present for the stingray feeding have an opportunity to feed them and they even feed the seldom-seen octopus. The facility seems to be mainly staffed by volunteers who are knowledgeable and patient with the children who have lots of questions. They have an outdoor viewing platform for the turtle rehab center and include descriptions of why the turtles are in their care. Great way to spend an afternoon learning about sea life and engaging with the critters as well.

Amazing!! We loved this place!! It is also a rescue hospital for sea turtles! The petting and feeding of the stingrays was amazing! My granddaughter (3) loved it and was not scared at all to touch them! The staff was amazing and so informative on all the animals!! They also have an outside bird habitat! I highly recommend this place for all families! The small to enter is so worth it!!!

What a wonderful little place to see native birds and sealife! It was wonderful to know that there's a place like this to help injured wildlife. Really enjoyed getting to touch the sting rays and seeing the sea turtles! Would be a great place to bring kids.

We came here on a cool, overcast day during Spring Break, and unfortunately so did everyone else on Spring Break! I think we would have enjoyed it a lot more had it been less crowded, it was difficult to see some of the exhibits at times and it's not a large facility.

The staff are great, and were walking around talking about both the exhibits and the turtles that are rescued and treated there.

We went here with our 3 kids (3, 4, & 8). We thought it would be a neat place to spend a rainy day. We had no idea how much we would actually enjoy it. It is small but is really neat. We listened to a reptile talk & were allowed to pet a pine snake. We also listened to a turtle talk that was really informative. They have a sting ray touch tank & all 3 kids were able to pet a sting ray. There are currently no sea turtles there for rehabilitation because they are having their roof redone. If you follow the signs outside, there are some tortoises & several large sea birds for rehabilitation there. We were highly impressed with everyone who worked there & volunteered. All 3 of our kids really enjoyed it as well. We will return on a future visit to that area.

If you have young kids or even teenagers, this is a nice, educational opportunity to experience some marine life like sea turtles and sting rays, lion horses , an octopus and other kids of fish. This rehabilitation center is very fun to learn about how the center rehabs these animals. The kids also get to feed them with the assistance of the workers .
Great experience and the cost is a bargain! $5 for adults and $2-3 for children.
The venue is small , can get crowded at times, parking is a bit challenging to find , a small gift shop also; otherwise a must go even for adults.
I’d give it a 4.5 star out of 5 only bc of parking.

I got to feed the stingrays and actually touch them in their tank. They have lots of different types of fish and ocean life. It was interesting seeing the turtles that they have taken in to heal and what they do to take care of them. They also have a bird sanctuary to walk thru.

this is the third time my wife and I have visited here and it is always an interesting adventure. the sea creatures are great especially the feeding and explanations by the employees. the gift shop is also fun with many aquatic themed gifts.

I went here with my daughter as we were looking for something fun and exciting to do, taking a break from the beach. We drove about 30 minutes to get here. Parking was terrible but we lucked out. The place is very small and crowded. No doubt they are doing good work here, saving marine animals from disease and injury. For this I had no problem paying the small entrance fee of $5 per person. The place had some unique animals, both fish and bird. This is probably a place suited more for younger children, perhaps 8-12 years old. They had some fish tanks setup with indigenous creatures, an octopus and a petting tank with a couple of sting rays and a horseshoe crab. I probably would not go back unless I had some small kids with me. We were in and out in about 45 minutes.

I'd driven past the Marine Science Center a couple times during visits to Ponce Inlet but had no time to check it out. So this trip was planned specifically to visit the center. The location is off the beaten path, about ten miles south of Daytona Beach. There's no thru-traffic - Hwy A1A comes to a dead end here at the inlet.

Our group of four was pleasantly surprised at the price of admission - $5 for adults, $4 for children and seniors (age 50+). Babies under age 3 are free. Parking is also free in a small gravel lot across the road. The center is open 10:00 to 4:00, except Sundays when it doesn't open until noon.

The science center isn't a museum. It's an interactive marine life educational and rehabilitation facility - quite fascinating. Turtle Terrace houses half a dozen injured tortoises, including two ailing giant adult male sea turtles that washed up last week on Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. We watched two technicians treating a land turtle with a large crack in its shell. I never knew a tortoise shell could repair itself with scar tissue, with some assistance from human hands.

The aquatic touch pool is delightful. Three very sociable cownose stingrays show off for visitors. You can pet them with two fingers and, if you happen to visit during feeding times, you can feed the stingrays. They take food right from your hand.

The touch pool also contains a very anti-social Atlantic stingray, a huge hermit crab and some horseshoe crabs, and a beautiful Florida Horse Conch. The guide relates fascinating information about all the creatures and answers questions from visitors.

Several small aquariums contain gorgeous sea urchins, unusual lobster and shrimp specimens, and beautiful tropical fish. One tank is filled with playful seahorses. While we were there, one of the guides announced that a live seahawk display was about to begin in the classroom.

Outside is a treasure trove of living displays, including an elevated nature trail. We stayed for about two hours and didn't see everything. Our 15-month old granddaughter remained interested throughout the visit.

The gift shop has beautiful jewelry, sea-themed art and crafts, stuffed animals including turtles and stingrays, as well as the typical T-shirts and souvenirs - a really nice selection at reasonable prices. Oh, and the restrooms are very well maintained.

All of us were amazed at what a wonderful facility this is. I'll bring out-of-town guests here just so I can visit again!

This is a wonderful facility that rescues and rehabilitates reptiles and birds. While there are not a lot of exhibits, they are very interesting. The staff gives classes every hour using the home animals to demonstrate. The highlight for me was the chance to touch (gently) the stingrays and shark. This museum is well worth the price and is really great for children. I highly recommend it.

Had another great time here. They had turtle hatchlings in on of the pools. Not too many sea turtles this time which is a good thing. Sting ray touch pool is always my favorite. They also had a touch pool with urchins and other creatures. The staff is top notch and very knowledgeable. Fun place for all!

This was a very nice place to visit. Me and my kids learned more about the animals like the local birds and marine life that they help and we got to see up close and personal a hawk that they are raising. This place is very educational especially for the kids. You definitely walk out of here knowing more about the wildlife then you did coming in.

The Marine Science Center was quite nice. The turtle rehab porch was quite neat overlooking the rehab tanks for the sea turtles. They had a sting ray petting and feeding pool too. Overall fun place to spend an hour or so. Good place for children 6 to 16.

A nice family oriented marine center. we did get to feed the rays and touch them the staff were very informative and friendly. this would be a good choice for young kids to see and school groups the fee was $4 there is a hospital for the marine life that you can see.

We spent a couple hours here on Sunday. There were many people but it wasn’t crowded. The price per person is only a few dollars and it’s fun way to spend an afternoon. We learned about reptiles (got to pet a snake and land tortoise) and watch them feed stingrays, seahorses, and an octopus. Learned a lot about the sea turtles that come these shores and could see the ones in rehab.
There are a few nature walks around the location and the lighthouse is just down the road. The gift shop has plenty of unique ocean-themed jewelry and other items. You’ll definitely find something there to take home.

The kids absolutely loved this place! They had so much fun learning about the different types of marine life. We were even able to watch the veterinarians treat a sick/injured sea turtle.

We made a trip to the Marine Science Center before visiting the Lighthouse. The kids thought it would be boring, but the folks at the center were friendly and got the kids interested in what they do at the center. They seemed to really enjoy seeing the animals and the stories the employees and volunteers told. Their attitude went from boring to an enjoyable experience. Well worth the visit.

Extremely small but very interesting. Don't expect to spend a long time but you will enjoy your time here. It was very interesting being able to see the turtle hospital and the enclosure they keep recovering sea turtles in. Very small ray touch tank that was extremely crowded but as we've done much larger touch tanks we were not disappointed. Adults were very nice about letting the kids get up front. Something that doesn't happen often at large aquarium touch tanks.

Small and austere in its surroundings, this center does tremendous work, rescuing and healing turtles. We were fortunate enough to visit on a day of a turtle release - Nutmeg had been healed over a two year period and was released back into the ocean. A bit bittersweet for the staff so devoted to her care but it is always their ultimate goal - to rescue and heal and then release into nature again. The facility is small but the staff is chuckfull of information and dedication. They are equally knowledgeable about every marine animal housed within the facility and share it with visions in hopes that the visitors will have a better appreciation of the creatures. Perhaps the star of the show is not the turtles but Gracie, this cute stingray whom you can pet and who actually dances vertically, rising out of the water to get your attention. A great place to,spend an hour or two learning about the ocean and its inhabitants.

We were looking for something to do on a cloudy day, and this was perfect. Admission is only $5 for adults, $4 for seniors. We touched stingrays which came right up to the surface of an observation pool, and at feeding times you can feed them. We listened to a very informative talk about the turtle rehabilitation as we observed the turtles that were being treated. There is a nice gift shop, and an observation tower down a short path through beautiful vegetation. We saw some beautiful birds in the bird area. I think children would really like it.

Stopped in to see the turtles and also got to enjoy the other marine life there. The sting rays were interesting and seeing various fish was a nice bonus.

We are from Iowa, so jumped at the chance to see some marine animals. We had a lovely volunteer show us the different animals and teach us about them. We got to see some of the sea turtles they rehabilitate and some of the birds. The cost to get in was only $2 (half price while they do some work there so usual cost must be around $4). We saw them give a shot to a turtle, which I thought was pretty cool. You do not see that in Iowa! They seem to do a great work for sea turtles and I'd love to visit again.

We took our 5 children here on our recent trip to Florida, and it far exceeded our expectations. Every single detail at this science center is well thought out. Our oldest daughter loves turtles and even has one. But really all of our kids (ages 10-1 year old) loved this place. The women that work here are amazing and spent so much time teaching our kids about the different turtles, sting rays, and seahorses. We went on a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed the walk on the bridge through the trees and by the pond. The hospital is an incredible place in itself for rescuing injured sea turtles, and it is a great educational place for visitors to come learn more about what they do there. It was also extremely budget friendly.

Such a nice place! Lots of cool animals and things to see!! Turtles,stingrays and lots of fish! Only 5$ to get it!

This was our second visit to the Marine Science Center. The center did not disappoint. Educational, informative and hands-on experiences give each visitor a chance to see just how invaluable the Center is. The sting ray and aquatic reef touch tanks are fun and amusing. Getting to touch a cownose ray, starfish, and other interesting sea life make the guests feel like a marine scientist. After exploring the inside of the museum head outside to the turtle hospital area. Guests can overlook seven turtle hospital pools from the Turtle Terrace. These pools house sick and injured sea turtles, hatchlings, and washbacks under rehabilitation. Majestic turtles are healing and recovering in clean observation pools. Now change it up and go bird watching. This bird rehabilitation facility is fully equipped to care and treat injured and sick birds. Upon full recovery, a healthy bird will be released into its natural habitat. Some birds become ambassadors for their species and are a part of education programs and the guest viewing area of the Marine Science Center. Finally, take a walk on the nature trail to the observation tower. Thanks to facilities like the Marine Science Center our wildlife has a fighting chance.

Saw the release of a sea turtle that had completed rehab. Displays are very interesting and well laid out

A rescue science center for marine wild life and birds. Volunteers are very informative and talking about sea turtles, rays, and birds. They do their best to rehabilitate the marine animals to be released. The unfortunate part is that many of the animals in their care have been injured to badly that they cannot be released back into the wild.

We always visit when there is an Open Day in November. I love to spend time looking at the aquariums. The staff are very helpful.

The place suffered some damage from Hurricane Matthew, but is still a nice place to visit with a small child, our daughter is 4 years old. She enjoyed the stingray feeding and looking at the sea turtles. Also, they have two bald eagles, which were cool to see.

So affordable and adorable! Five bucks gets you in and these animals pose for photos! So cute! You can touch the sting rays and go see the birds they rescued. The gift shop is great and the staff are knowledgeable and welcoming! You can sign up to adopt a turtle too! Well worth it!

It is so nice to see this science center doing so much for the environment. The staff was very helpful and gave us a lot of information.

It is always good to help animals. Everyone should. It is sad to see wealthy people in area not contributing more to help Marine Life especially when they live in big homes on the beach, have yachts and all and Turtles and Birds who are in Hospital care or those who must remain permanent residents due to such injury by humans in one way or another are in areas way too small!
Money should be going to create better care facilities. Money should be going to creating natural large enclosures homes for the various BIRDS. Not having multiple species all living in one tiny metal fence enclosures exposed to elements, too cold, too hot, no room, no protection from anything or anyone. There is no one monitoring the people coming to view them, people pestering them. Care takers are not around. There should be live feed monitoring also of all areas to insure no one is abusing in any way any of the animals, birds etc. That includes employees. Calls made about birds shivering and cold and not eating should have been acted upon immediately. The whole set up is inhumane.

we visited twice. 2 hours after one of our visits we found a wash back baby sea turtle on the beach and new exactly what to do. We called beach safety patrol and they came and collected the little guy to bring to the marine science center for rescue!

It was wonderful, definitely would visit every day if I could, the only thing that sort of upset me was there was only stingrays to touch and a hermit crab that you couldn't reach as well as a horseshoe crab.

The Marine Science Center is an amazing place! They do such heart-felt work as they nurse injured sea turtles back to health. Sometimes, you may be lucky enough to catch a sea turtle release on the beach. It is fantastic! They also have the BEST summer camp for young children in the central Florida area. My 9- and 11- year old have attended for many summers. They learn so much and talk nonstop about what they learned each day until it is time for bed. Ms. Shell, the coordinator and teacher, is simply the best! She loves the children, the turtles and conservation!

Full disclosure, my SIL works here. And they rescue thousands of animals every year and return them to the wild. Birds also. Go see exhibits, listen to presentations, see wildlife being rehabilitated.

Went there on a cloudy overcast day in Daytona, and please try surprised by amount of information there, by looking at the building it does not look that large so myself and my wife figured staying there 20 minutes or so, our visit lasted over two hours, priced very reasonable as we were charged the senior's rate(regular price is only a dollar more) there was fish and crabs that we did not really see as they were hidden in the rocks of the escarpments there , there is three female stingray as well as one male one that live there in a huge tank, the females very active but the male usually stays at the bottom of the tank, their stingers are trimmed every month the difference between males and females is the females barb is on the end of their flippers and the male one is on their tail, we where encourage to rub the females on the back with a two finger touch, if we touched their flipper by mistake they were ticklish and splashed the water from the tank. Also centre was nursing three sea turtles at the time, one of them was a loggerhead that weighed over 250 pounds, these female turtles lay of too one hundred eggs per sitting, after they are nurtured back to health they are released back to the sea, huge tanks to hold these turtles and have to make sure it is salt water,
Very interesting and all questions that anybody had were answered by very educated staff, would recommend to see if you are in the area.

The Marine Science Center is a great little treasure hidden in Ponce Inlet. Loved seeing the sea turtles and touching the sting rays. They also have lion fish, seahorses, hermit crabs, and other fish. Call ahead to learn when feeding times are.

It was fine, a lot smaller and less to do than I was expecting. A nice little stingray petting area. Turtles in rehab were difficult to see

Not only adults will find this interesting, children of all ages will benefit from the hands on displays. Also of interest is the first aid for marine wildlife. You can watch as they are cared for and doctored.

There are also outdoor caged bird displays

Seeing what happens with old fishing line and litter on the beach is really heartbreaking. It makes us very careful now with everything we take to the beach. The touch pool is so amazing for the young and the old and the turtles are magnificent. We are blessed to have volunteers and people in our community that care so much.

This sanctuary houses injured birds and turtles, and uses funds from the entry fees to help run the place. For that reason, the entry fee is worth the admission: the work people do here is highly commendable.

You can see some huge turtles with damaged flippers being healed and surgery being done on gopher tortoises. You can also see a moray eel, porcupine fish, slipper lobster, hawks, owls and more. And if you come at the right time, you can feed some adorable cownose rays (not sting rays as other reviewers have said - the hint is that they don't have stings).

We love this place! Our kids cannot get enough of it. Very informative and just all around fun. A must to visit.

We love places like this. Learning, fun, & something a bit different. My teenage son, our friend and I had a good time petting the sting rays, seeing the turtle hospital and the highlight was watching the birds feast on their lunch. 🐁

Turtle and seabird rescue dominates the property but lots of interesting sea life exhibits. The educational,programs and talks were interesting and informative. The people doing the tours are knowledgeable and very patient with all the questions they get. I wish there was more of this facility. They did well with the area they have.

Spent a wonderful afternoon here, learning about turtle and avian rescues, and rays. Staff are extremely engaging and helpful. I sat in on a lecture re: an injured falcon they have rehabilitated, fascinating! Their work with turtles and birds is exceptional. I definitely recommend this center for all ages.

We had the most fun with our 7 year old and 2 year old at the MSC. We were sad that the touch pools were down for restoration but Shell (her real name on her name tag!) was so nice and did mini touch tank tours for our kids. She even gave us activity books and one-on-one explanations of some of the other exhibits. All of the volunteers were so helpful, the staff was pleasant, and we learned a lot about the good work the center is doing to save wildlife. We will definitely be back.

We love the science center! Very educational and awesome on a rainy day or if you have some time to kill. It's not an all day attraction. It takes us about 3 hours taking our time to go through everything. Our kids really enjoy it.

Very nice Marine center. Small but nice. Staff is very good with children and would recommend this place for children. To make your trip worthwhile, call ahead to find out when they have fish feedings as this is the best time to go. They have a 4' green moray eel that they only feed 3 times a week but is pretty cool. They also had a raptor demonstration in the education center while we were there which was very informative. If you go to this place for a visit you should also go to the lighthouse and museum as it is just around the corner.

Loved the Marine Science Center. We started outside and viewed the birds they have undergoing rehab. There were hawks, eagles and other birds. We took the nature trail which led to a lookout tower with an excellent view of the area. The walk was relaxing and safe for our toddler. We visited the inside exhibits and saw fish in aquariums,
as well as the sea turtles that are in the ICU. This is a very fun yet educational place to bring your family. Adults and kids enjoyed the trip.

Michelle (Education Specialist) and the staff of Marine Science Center are so passionate about serving people and sea animals their enthusiasm is contagious! Touch pools, Intensive Care for hurt animals needing medical care, bird sanctuary and aquarium displays are wonderful. Get there during a feeding time and the fun is multiplied! They have an amazing octopus, beautiful seahorses, stingrays, horseshoe crabs, turtles, owls, pelicans and more. They gave the kids the opportunity to feed the stingrays if they wanted to. Michelle has a wealth of knowledge to share!

We went here today and really enjoyed it. The rays were very friendly in the touch pool. This place isn't very big to the public so you can quickly cover it all in an hour, an hour and a half if you are stretching it. I wish there had been even more to see. The work they do here is great and so important.

The do Turtle and Sea Bird Rehab at the center. You will learn all about their work ans see their patients. They also have an aquatic touch pool and Gallery. Plan to spen a few hours. Have lunch a short walk away and also visit the Lighthouse

Turtle lovers will love this place! They rescue sea turtles and sea birds. There are great displays with knowledgeable docents to teach you lots of things. So glad we went here!!!

Stopped here on our way to lighthouse. Small facility, was fun for the kids. Not a lot to see or do. Enjoyed getting to see the turtles, love the idea of the center and what it is doing!!

Real science at work helping turtles survive by teaching people about turtles. Beautiful location and very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers.

The staff could not have been friendlier or better educated. Very informative and engaging. Small but personal. Reasonably priced souvenirs and a good variety.

The Marine Science Center is a wonderful place to learn about the local marine life. You can feed and pet stingrays and see an octopus amongst others in beautiful tanks.
The star in their cap though is the sea turtle rescue, rehab and release hospital. They do amazing work to save the turtles that have been hurt or are sick. And they educate the public on how to prevent the things that happen to them. They have very well educated docents who give informative talks on the local animals. The also have a bird sanctuary which needs help because their flight cage was destroyed by the last hurricane. It only costs $5 to get in, and it is well worth it!

Very small attraction. The facility is gorgeous and in great condition, but you can tour the whole thing in about 20 minutes. Really only 2 rooms with a hand-full of aquariums, and an another area with some large tubs for rescuing sea turtles. We visited in mid-November, so maybe that's just not the best time for a visit. They probably do really good work here, and I believe there are some educational events for children. It's only $5 admission....and we feel like we got our $5 worth. Just don't drive a long way, expecting to spend a lot of time here.

It was fun. Has touch tanks. Cost was very reasonable. They do lots of sea turtle rehabilitation. Very knowledgeable staff. If you plan to spend time on the beach, this is a most stop. Educate yourselves to help the sea turtles. Plan on spending about a hour.

Very reasonable prices (adults $5, seniors over 50 $4, sorry didn't pay attention to kids prices). Interesting to watch the vet work on the big turtles they are rehabbing. Worker was very kind and informative about the process. Can pet some rays. Nice gift shop that had unique stuff at reasonable prices. Parked on the road since their lot is small.

They have so much to offer at this center! I learned about sea turtles and other marine life from this visit. I also got to feed a string ray and pet a shark. Very Awesome!!! I loved seeing the birds too!!! It is definitely well worth the trip to come here. Make sure you come before 3:30 or they will not let you in later.

A really nice science center with marine exhibits and a bird rescue center. Well worth the small price of admission!

We had a lot of fun seeing the turtle hospital. The work they're doing for turtles is amazing. And they have a sting ray touch tank.

We are from oklahoma and don 't have sea turtles but my teen daughter is still a advocate for them. This place was a wonderful place for her to get more info on sea life. My husband and daughter were both able to touch several sea creatures and my daughter purchased a t shirt and some metal straws in the gift shop to futher her efforts to help to keep the turtles safe.It was a wonderful experience.

Went here today not knowing what to expect! Great and knowledgeable people working here! You could definitely tell that they loved what they did! Learned so much about helping and rehabilitation of the sea turtles and got to pet and feed the stingrays! We loved this place!!! Very Very affordable!!!

Very interesting place, would especially appeal to children to learn more about marine animals. I would reccoment the science center. I think you would really enjoy this place

Highly recommend stopping in here for a visit it's on the way to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. Admission is very reasonable seniors $4 and adults only $5 - well worth it to continue helping the injured turtles and other animals that come into their care. Many different things to see including the injured sea turtles (you can even see some of them receiving veterinary care through a window). Everyone especially the kids love the touch tank. They also have a seahorse tank, other things too like an eel, octopus, the eagles, owls, pelicans, hawks are in the bird rehabilitation area. Great little stop to check out.

Recently visited with my granddaughter and they loved it! Great exhibits and the knowledgeable staff take the time to explain and answer any questions. Plus they are doing great things here rehabilitating injured or I'll sea turtles and other marine life.
Highly recommended!

What a wonderful way to spend some time with your kids. The staff is wonderful and they go above and beyond to teach kids the importance of treating the environment and wildlife with respect. A must see when you are near Daytona.

When we got there. Three school buses of kids were on a field trip but we went in anyway. The children were very well behaved. The Rays were swimming in there pool and we were able to pet them. An injured turtle was being tended to in the ER area which has a window which allows you to see what's going on. The big Eel was allowing us to take pictures of him. It's relatively inexpensive to get in and the people that work here are very knowledgeable. There is also a bird sanctuary with eagles and owls just check it out.

This was our first time visiting the center and we were so glad we decided to check it out. Lots of hands on exhibits. We got there just in time for the feeding of the rays. Anyone can try it and you can pet them. Our teenage grandsons enjoyed seeing all the marine life there and we did too.
They really give you a lot of good information about all the animals. They even have a hospital where they care for sick and hurt turtles.
We can't wait to visit again and will recommend it to others.
Another plus is the cost. Very reasonable. For the 4 of us it only came to $15.00. Can't beat that!

My husband and I spent a few hours here and at the bird sanctuary next door one morning and enjoyed it as much as the children and families that were there. The staff work hard to make it a fun visit and are very knowledgeable. You get to pet a stingray and feed some of the creatures. Its not a large place but very reasonably priced with lots to see. Don't miss out visiting the "classroom" which we almost did. They have all kinds of interesting things to see and touch.

A wonderful experience to see this wildlife up close! My granddaughter has to go visit "Pancake" the stingray every time we are in the area.

We spent a couple of hours here with our children and grandchild to see the turtles recuperating at the facility. The experience was very educational for all of us.

My first time at the Marine Science Center and I loved it. After touring the inside, where we fed Sting rays, we went outside and followed a path to other animals and birds and further down the beautiful path was an observation deck that looked out to the ocean. I highly recommend you go and take your children/grandchildren.

If you are a Florida Native, as I am, then this placemay be a little tooboring for you. They have all of the wildlif we see in our backyards on display with great information on each one. They even have a stingray petting pool, which again is great, if you have not done that 600 times already. Tourists would absolutely love the place as it gets you up close nd personal with wildlife that you can only find in Florida.

Small but they do great work for turtle rescue.They have a aquariums with smaller fish and a nice ray petting tank also have some sea gulls and bald eagles outside. The work they do for rehabilitating sea turtles alone is worth the five dollar entry fee

This is a “must see” for children and adults...very interesting displays, aquariums, and you can pet a sting ray!! All of the personnel are friendly and helpful. Hours extended to closing of 5pm in the summer! It is also a turtle rescue and recovery station.. so check out the displays about their rescues! Nice gift shop also!

My kids had such a great time! They enjoyed the touch pool and even got to feed the sting rays. There is a window to the hospital room where you can observe them working on sick or wounded animals. We also went on a guided tour of the bird sanctuary. Definitely recommend!

We visited here during our vacation. We have visited The Turtle Hospital in Marathon as well as some other rescue organizations on previous vacations. While their cause is noble and we enjoyed the raptor presentation, no one told any customers that the turtles were not on site before paying to enter. While this may not be an issue for little kids who can enjoy the touch tank and petting the stingrays, it is a huge hole for older visitors as there is really not a lot to look at or read about. So we basically wrote off our $23 as a donation to the owl that we did get to see.

Very nice place for children and adults. We had a tour guide that was very good, not sure that happens all the time. Worth the time to take a walk around.

This was by far one of the best things we did while on vacation. They have a turtle rehabilitation center, a sting ray touch tank, and different specifies of birds all in one area. If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind experience, I would highly recommend visiting!

Ponce Inlet is a great place to visit for a day for those interested in conservation with a surprising number of things to do. We visited the Marine Science Center for just $4 as an 'elderly couple' - it would have cost us $1 more if we were younger. There are a number of fish to be seen and a large pond with sting rays that can be stroked as they swim by. This was especially fascinating for a group of young school children attending. The centre is probably best known for is work with damaged and sick turtles. All the turtles are there through illness and not as exhibits, being returned to the wild as soon as possible. One large turtle was being treated whilst we were there and visitors can see the vets treating them through a viewing panel. Outside is the bird sanctuary where damaged birds are looked after. The trip can be finished with a stroll through the park on the wooden walkway. There is a small shop on site which makes you feel that you want to buy something, no matter how small if only to support the work that the enthusiastic staff and volunteers do here.

Watched them give shots to washback sea turtles and loggerback turtles getting rehabbed. Pet my first sting ray there. Extremely nice staff. Worth an hour to see it.

We had both Teenagers and youngsters. This is a small place but we enjoyed ourselves. The hospital was an amazing area to learn. We were told by one of the volunteers that the lower the water, the sicker the animal or reptile in the case that we saw. The kids enjoyed touching the stingrays and seeing the turtles!!

Sad to see injured turtles and birds, usually due to human activity. Wonderful that this marine rehabilitation center has an ICU visible through glass and the caregivers are dedicated to the healing of the animals brought here. Some can be released. Educational programs are offered. The gift shop has many items that can further the awareness of nature's wildlife.

Although it was raining and we did not see bird sanctuary it was a wonderful experience. Tickets were extremely reasonable and staff friendly and knowledgeable.

We will admit it, we love all things birds, all things wild, all things alive. What better place than this? You can walk the nature trail. You can visit the rehab center and learn about what we humans can do to help (and sadly, hurt) the beautiful birds that live around Florida.

Go to the center and enjoy a brief talk. Kids of all ages will enjoy while they accidentally learn something, say, like respect for wildlife.

Then partake of the handson displays of fish and water critters. Followed by the joy of seeing all types of sea turtles receive rehab.

So much to learn about what we do to the wildlife around us. This is the place to go to learn, renew, refresh your knowledge. And refresh your soul while you are at it.

Looking for something that the kids would enjoy for a few hours. Price was right, 20.00 for 4 adults and 2 kids. They have an outdoor area for the birds being nursed back to health, and an outside turtles with lots of tanks for different size turtles. Inside is the main area with store for souvenirs and a tank to pet rays. Lots of tanks with fish and sea creatures. Kids really enjoyed the time spent. It's right next to the lighthouse so you can do a tour there also.

What a nice visit our group of friends had at the Marine Science Center. Volunteers are present to answer questions and give you a chance to pet the rays and hold the urchins. There's bird center on property. Monies from the entrance fees are all the center has to work with. No other state funds are available. Volunteers are very happy to work there. It's easy to understand why! Great place to visit.

This is a small place, and the staff give the visitors lots of attention. Plenty of people were available to answer our questions about the animals, and they did demonstrations that let us see the animals up close. My daughter and I got to feed the stingrays. Sales from some of their gift shop items go directly to helping animals, such as sea turtles. The gift shop has many inexpensive items and is worth a look. The surrounding trails are peaceful and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of touristy spots.

Was a great experience! My family love wildlife, and what better day trip than to cost the rehabilitation center! We got to see, touch, and feed the rays. They had a window to watch the examinations of the marine life that was brought in. They had a learning corner with Bubba the Great Horned Owl! Great for a family trip!

Very educational and great selection of marine and bird life. Very helpful and involved with the local animals. A great cause.

My two daughters, five grandkids (ages 4-11) and I visited here and we all loved it. So educational and interesting and the staff is so willing to answer questions and interact with visitors. A highlight for us was the stingray “petting” pool and feeding time for all the aquariums......watching the octopus and the eel eat were really interesting.

A visit to the Marine Science Center should be a highlight for anyone who is interested in the environment and the preservation of sea life. It is right next door to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. The displays are excellent (and very accessible to children), and you can also watch the dedicated folks who rescue sea turtles and work hard to restore them to health and freedom. The Mary Keller Bird rescue center is right across the parking lot.

After stumbling upon this place my wife and I enjoyed a fun filled day of learning about the local flora and fauna. I had not imagined that morning that I would be "petting" an Atlantic Stingray in the afternoon........

Was there on a rainy day and it was very crowded but not so bad you couldn't see the displays up close. Glad we were able to see the sea turtles in rehab. Lots of sea information and a touch basin for children.

Hubby was working, so the kids and I headed to the Marine Science Center. We had a good time. A tv crew was there recording the release of one of the sea turtle. That was interesting. Getting to touch the sting rays was pretty neat too!! Over all we had a good time. Wish it was a little larger, but I totally understand more funding is probably needed.

They focus a lot on turtles but there are other things you can learn about. The ray feeding tank, the alligator stuff and some snake items like a snake skin roll. They are a turtle rescue center and they had a lot of "wash backs" from hurricane Hermine. We're planning a cub scout trip there soon and think the kids will really enjoy it. It's only a few bucks for a child and a few bucks more than that for an adult so a nice activity to get out and do, especially on a budget.

Self guided tour of ONE room! Very disappointed. Some tanks with cool eels & fish and a hands on pet the stingray tank but otherwise quite boring. Even the turtle rescue area had 3 turtles in the pools- no one working, nothing to explain why each turtle was there or what they were hoping to do with them. The bird sanctuary had 2 resident eagles in one cage and another cage with a couple of pelicans & seagulls- both of which can be seen in the adjacent parking since we are so close to the beach. Very disappointed. I had visited several years ago and they had much many different animals being rehabilitated along with more staff inside to explain & teach.

The Marine Science Centre is such a "special" place. It is an honour really - to be able to see what they do and what incredible achievements they have made with regard to marine life. The safety of sea turtles in particular and their incredible efforts to heal their wounds inflicted by BOATS, SHARKS AND OTHER SPECIES is exemplorary. The care and dedication by these (mostly volunteers) is so very impressive. They have many live, healing exhibits displaying various Florida wildlife who were in harm's way and are being recovered by them. It costs so little to view this impressive place and to realize that every dollar you spend in admission, in their GORGEOUS GIFT SHOP (love that place) or by dropping a few bucks into their quietly placed donation buckets to keep the place going is saving the marine life we all love. I care - come and see this marvelous little place - your kids will love it AND SO WILL YOU!

We visit this place every time year. You can let stingrays here. Very friendly staff and volunteers. I love what they do

This place is wonderful, 6 adults and a 5 month old went here and really enjoyed the exhibits. Kind of underwhelming, but the work they do here and the education they provide is great. I will go here every time I'm in the area. If I lived here, I would volunteer. Keep up the great work and services you provide. Need to provide more parking spots please.

We entered not quite sure of what we would see, and found much more than we dreamed of finding. ALL the staff were bubbling with information and enthusiastically shared with all in attendance. I don't think the children present enjoyed or learned more than we senior adults did. The exhibits were in part animals that had been rescued and were being nursed back to health by the center until they can be released back to their natural habitat. Sting Ray, small Shark, Turtles, numerous fish, various other sea creatures, birds, and even a Falcon! The staff continually gave out information about each one and encouraged asking of questions.

A friend suggested we go there for a day trip from St. Augustine. It's a lovely place with a couple of touch pools. It is small, but inexpensive to visit. Admission for seniors was $4, and for other adults $5. The grounds are very nicely done. Their turtle rehab center is a wonderful place, as is the bird rehab.

Gorgeous birds, being well taken care of. Loved the pair of Bald Eagles. Learned so much about the birds and the turtles that I didn't know before.

Two hours would probably be plenty to spend here & still see everything.

Would recommend for all ages.

I heard this place was small and bla bla bla but it was great! Lots of friendly and well educated staff with smiling faces and a welcoming spirit to share their passion for marine life. You get to pet the mana rays and learn how horseshoe crabs... ahh I'll let you find out for yourself. Good for about an hour or so visit or longer if you stay for shows. The place and the people are gems. It was a lovely visit.

Great stop on our family spring break in Florida. Staff very knowledgeable about all of the fish and turtles. We spent about 1 hr inside and then saw all of the birds too. We also walked the nature path out to the scenic tower. Kids enjoyed the visit too

We have been coming her for years—I think 10, and still come back every time. It’s a great little place where you get up close and personal with the animals. My daughter memorized the sting ray feeding schedule and we made certain we were there for it. Check website. Touch tank is always open. Love the turtle hospital. We heard a biologist speak and her presentation with the hawk was informative and so interesting. Make sure you go outside to see the injured birds, including two eagles. They charge only $5pp! Also has a nice gift shop we love to support.

We had an enjoyable visit. The employees that were talking about the marine life were very informative. We enjoyed listening to them. There is a classroom, a hospital area for injured wildlife and feeding area and more.

Our party was made up of three adults and one 8 month old. It was a simple $5 to get in which wasn't bad at all. The touch pool where we were able to pet the stingrays were very cool! The turtle rehab was our favorite part, we were even able to watch them feed the turtles that are currently there. The bird rehab and the fish tanks were fun too. There is a gift shop with lots of fun trinkets from shirts to stickers. The volunteers were very kind and informative. I would deffinately come back!

We had family from out of town and decided to stop here on the way to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, which is nearby. .

Admission for seniors was $4 and adults $5...children were less.

We spent roughly an hour here. 45 minutes with the marine exhibits and another 15 minutes at the bird life rehabilitation center. We liked the ray tank best.

We REALLY enjoyed watching the very young children interact (stroke) the rays and then feed the rays from their hands.

I loved seeing over a hundred baby loggerhead turtles which were washed up recently during heavy storms. They are being cared for until it's calm enough to take them out to sea for release. Each one is identified and given a health check up. I was able to watch through a window to see staff take care of one baby, weighing it and giving it antibiotics. There were adult turtles outside in holding tanks, recuperating, getting food and medications. One is well enough to be released next week. Inside are exhibits and touch tanks. Visitors had fun feeding and touching cow nosed rays. A staff member brought out an Injured red shouldered hawk and discussed how they care for it. There is a small gift shop with fun items. There is also a bird rehabilitation area outside, as well as a boardwalk nature hike.

This little gem is a rehab stop for many of the injured sea turtles and birds that are found along the coast. You can see many of them on display in the tanks outback. There is also a large room full of all types of fish, turtles and more on display. Our kids favorite, of course, was the Touch Tank in the center of the room. There is a room full of snakes and gator displays and a movie about the lives and travels of sea turtles, which is very interesting. On the other side of the property is the rehab area for the injured birds. All types are on display from Gulls to Eagles. Wonderful place to spend a few hours with nature !

Great, quick fun! We were able to watch a turtle get a blood transfusion, pet some very happy Sting Rays, and walk through some scenic trails. It was $2-$5 per person!

The Marine Science Center is a gem for families. We loved feeding the stingrays, but what stood out most was seeing the sea turtle rehab area and knowing real conservation work is happening here. Meeting a rescued owl and hearing its story made the visit even more meaningful. This is the kind of stop that sparks conversations and stays with you.

The center is small, only took us about a hour, and that's with feeding the sting rays and petting them for a good amount of time. Great for young children, as well as adults. My husband and I learned new things as well. Staff is greate, volunteers, you can really tell love what they are doing. My oldest, (4) loved feeding and petting the sting rays and would have stayed all day. They also had a lot of turtles. They were great too. It's cheap, take the time to check it out.

Glad we stopped in to see what's the Marine Science Center was up to. Something new going on all the time. Great family fun and educational stop.

Worst part about this place is the other visitors. People not listening to the docents making the animals nervous.
A must for the kids, if they will listen!

Stopped as I heard on the news they had a number of Sea Turtles from the recent storm. Small fee to get in and the place is doing a lot of good. Great for kids and adults who enjoy nature. We found ourselves taken back by the number of Sea Turtles which were stranded and needing help. Most look as though they were not too old. They are doing a lot of good there and if you enjoy nature, stop and respect their efforts. Leave a little extra in the donation jar.

The place where everyone can learn something new. Currently the touch tank is closed for floor repair, but still worth a visit. I think feeding times are 11 and 3, if you want to be amazed check out the feeding of their octopus! The employees here are so informative and friendly. Great place to visit with the family. Right next door to the lighthouse. They are closed on Mondays and close daily at 5.

I loved all the education in this place! The staff were very interactive. I wish that the turtles were easier to see, but you can watch them actively working on animals, which was cool. They have a bit of construction going on, but nothing that effected us.

We decided to visit this place because my 7 year old loves all animals and wants to be a vet one day, and we thought this would be a good way for her to learn more about sea animals. And she absolutely loved it. So informative. Definitely NOT a waste of time!

Marine science center and sea turtle ER! Very knowledgeable staff, presentations are informative. A touch tank with stingrays, all extremely interesting. Rescued turtles to view and a window to see the volunteer vets and other staff helping the turtles.

40 turtles in various stages of recovery when we visited but the center has had up to 1800 after a hurricane!

Gift shop proceeds benefit the center and turtle ER.

A wonderful stop glad for my detour!

We really enjoyed this. Lots of fishie and birdie things. Turtles, octopus, sea horses, more turtles, and a couple bald eagles. Very nice wild bird talk. Good gift shop.

This is just around the corner from the light house. We really enjoyed it. It is on the small side but would be great for young kids. They have several aquariums and a touch pool with a sting ray. They were working on a turtle who had been hit with a car. My son is studying Zoology and he liked getting to see them actually working on an animal. They had 5 Loggerhead Sea Turtles there when we visited. Some were being rehabbed for release and some wouldn't be able to go back to the wild. The staff was very friendly. It's inexpensive to begin with- but you also feel good about the money you spend her as you see firsthand that it's being used to help the animals.

This is a hidden gem in Ponce Inlet!! Very educational as well as interacting. See rehabbing of turtles, pet and feed stingrays. The cost for 2 adults was 8$each, and 7$ for adults, 3-12 yrs old 5$ and 2 and under free. Well worth it!!! Annual family pass we got for 60$. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great deal!!!

Visited the marine science center - saw the marine life rehab area, learned about the coastal environment and fed the stingrays. Hands on activities for all ages. Also visited the bird rehab area and walked on the trail to the observation tower. Low price for admission. Enjoyable activity.

This place was small but well laid out. It is very close to the lighthouse. There is a room with all of the rehabilitating turtles. You cannot get close to them (they are behind glass and you are above in a viewing area) but you can still see them very well. Staff will answer any questions you have. There is a small acquarium and a place where kids can pet stingrays. There is a very pretty walking path to an overlook and a bonus bird rehab area.

This entire experience was so fun! We love turtles and marine life! The gift shops, beach, restaurant, center and all of the people were so kind and helpful...super child friendly. Went two years in a row because we loved it so much!

i this place is just for the right ppl. we are those kind. we love to see, learn and do slow pace informational places. what they do here is amazing it is small so many ppl left pretty quick but we enjoy every minute

We enjoy visiting the Marine Science Center. We came several years ago, and this time stayed longer and enjoyed the workers' presentations on the different animals. We saw a falcon, hawks, eagles, turtles, seahorses being fed, and also go to hand-feed the stingrays. It was very cool. Great for kids and adults! The workers were so nice and knowledgeable.

I think the name is a bit misleading. More of a "petting zoo" that does rehabilitation to animals. First off I want to call out that the mission of this place is absolutely great and I fully support it and if you care at all about marine life you should go/donate. For the place though it is good for kids 14 and under. They will love it. It is very small though and an adult could go through it in like 15 minutes, while if you have kids they could probably spend hours there.

I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of this place when planning my trip. A bartender recommended it to me for something to do when I said I was going to the nearby lighthouse. This was perfect, as it was raining that day so there wasn’t a whole lot to do outside!

This center was educational and hands-on. I walked in right as the seahorses were being fed (can we talk about awesome!). And then we got to feed stingrays-ourselves! That was so cool. The staff was incredible and answering questions-very friendly and knowledgeable. It was so neat to not only learn but really enjoy that this place is rehabbing animals and taking care of them. I went solo but this is a great place for families and all ages!

We stopped in for a quick visit and were able to see 2 presentations. It was sting ray feeding time and then a reptile presentation. Michele was very knowledgeable and we learned many interesting facts about reptiles and turtles.

Decided to visit here after a trip to visit the lighthouse. Very interesting as they have many species of fish and sea turtles that are in tanks and easy to see. This is a facility that nurtures wounded bird, turtles and fish back to health before release back to their natural habitat. Very reasonable admission. The stingray tank was really neat, as well.

This is a small center that helps to rehabilitate injured sea turtles and birds. They have an area where you can feed sting rays, watch the doctors help injured patients and some nice displays. There is an outside area where you can view birds that can no longer be released back into the wild. There is also an education room where staff talk about different birds in their care which is interesting. It is close to Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and beaches. It is inexpensive and a good thing to do on a day when it is too cool to hang out at the beach.

I've taken company to this place often. At least a half dozen times this summer. It's highly suitable for small children. It's educational. It has many sea life creatures and inclusive of a hospital for sea turtles. In addition there is a section across the parking lot of various bird species. Plus a big park adjacent to this marine center. And fishing boats to charter and lighthouse and restaurant. Nice afternoon for family.

Well worth a visit. A lot to see and learn from. Actual sea turtles that have been rescued with workers there to explain what is going on. Kids and adults can learn something here. Don't miss the bird sanctuary, we have been here every year for the past four and just visited it as we knew nothing about it. Gift shop is nice and have a bit to check out.

Awesome experience for the kids the cost was not bad at all very affordable so much for the kids to see and do awesome souvenir shop amazing place to visit during your trip a must!!! It was a little warm being that we went in July in some of the exhibits but was still a nice experience!!!

Pretty cool seeing the sea life but it is a small place. The sea turtles were cool. You can pet stingrays. Small gift shop.

We went for the turtles but had an amazing time with the rays, sharks, and birds. We came here at the end of the day for the kids and ended up purchasing a one year membership as it is a nice little place to spend an hour. The kids got to touch the rays and feed them along with a few small sharks. Very educational and all of the staff (mainly volunteers) were very friendly and knowledgeable. One of the volunteers (Casey) gave a fantastic overview of the sea horses followed by a feeding session. She was very knowledgeable and spoke to everyone in the audience from toddlers to adults. Amazing presentation skills and kept everyone interested and involved!!! Thank-you!!

The marine center is very small, but we enjoyed our visit. We enjoyed the sting ray touch tank and another touch tank containing sea urchins. There are a few aquariums with various fish, sea horses, an octopus, turtles, etc. My favorite was the sea turtle hospital. You walk out to an enclosed deck area overlooking the sea turtle hospital. It's very hot out there, but we were fortunate to walk out in time to hear one of the marine center staff talk about the sea turtles. He was a great speaker & it was very informative! The cost is $5/adult & $2/kid. We were there maybe an hour and it was a nice break from the sun.

This small science center has an amazing variety of marine animals and an enthusiastic staff that demonstrate and explain what visitors are seeing.

Today we were enthralled by an octopus during "dinner time", sting rays in an "okay-to-touch" pool, turtles warming themselves under sun lamps, a moray eel that was trying to hide from us, and a fascinating presentation and demonstration of an American kestrel, the smallest of the raptors. He is a beautiful brown and blue bird who has lived his entire life at the center because he is blind in one eye and therefore has no depth perception and cannot hunt for his food.

In addition to the exhibits, this center is a rescue, ER, and long-term rehab center for marine animals such as turtles, other reptiles, and birds that have sustained life-threatening injuries. The professional staff performs first aid and surgery and provides ICU facilities and care.

There is also a bird sanctuary on the property and a lovely short boardwalk trail. The center charges a modest admission fee which is well worth spending for such a fascinating experience! There is also a gift shop with items for all ages.

Very interesting & cool. Took a nature hike around the grounds that were very beautiful and saw the marine life on display in the building. The turtle was especially cute. We also were able to view the educational classrooms. This is a fun place to spend the afternoon

Enjoyed seeing the turtle and birds very informative staff good thing to do for 2_3 hours in a very pretty setting the staff went out of the way to answer questions.

We visited here because my sister and I really love Sea Turtles. It was wonderful for the kids as they got to interact and feed the stingrays. We also got to view the sea turtles that were being cared for. They have educational talks and exhibits along with tanks with other marine life. Worth stopping if you are in the area, they do a lot of good for the marine life.

The staff was very informative and delightful volunteers. Adults and kids alike enjoy petting and feeding the stingrays. Getting close and personal with the hermit crab as it changes his shell. To the left of the parking lot is the bird sanctuary which include two eagles an assortment of owls and a hawk. Found this to be a wonderful experience and suggested for all ages.

Very good attraction to learn of the aquatic creatures of the area. They have several different types of turtles in the rehabilitation area as well as birds that are being nursed to health to be reintroduced to the wild. They also have a walking path with a look out tower that overlooks a large swamp area. You can walk past many of their aquariums housing large and small aquatic specimens. It is well worth the time to stop and learn more of the area and see the beautiful creatures, birds and plants.

Spent a week in the area, visited during a windy/rainy day. Small facility, and was very busy. Spent maybe 45 to an hour here. Kids got to touch and speakers educated. Was neat to see, and worth the lost cost to enter. If it cost anymore, it wouldn’t be worth it. A lot of the outdoor displays, you couldn’t even see the birds, they were all hiding.

This place is great for what it is. Our 2 year old thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the sea creatures and birds (and we learned about rehabilitation and conservation efforts). He especially loved the stingrays in the touch pool (although he never actually touched one, lol). We spent about an hour here on a Saturday morning, and it was well worth the $5 admission fee for each adult. It's not huge, but it's worth a stop if you have little ones and are in the area!

Wow! This team of staff and mostly volunteers does excellent work! We visited for the Wildlife Festival and learned the stories of rescued and rehabilitated birds, sea turtles and gopher tortoises. Windows allow you to peek into the surgical suite and sea turtle hospital. There are also plenty of small aquaria inside featuring native animals- including a touch tank with cow nose rays. Take your time and ask a few questions!

For someone that stays in Florida and has visited several marine centers this is a cropper. Not much in there at all. I would have preferred to go somewhere else on a hot day. Not much to touch and feel as well. Spend more time at the adjacent light house instead. Lot of history there.

This is a small center, but with creatures I haven't seen so up close before. Bird demo with a red shouldered hawk where you're just a few feet away; a tank of sea horses; one with a moray eel; one with a variety of fish including a puffer that looks like she's smiling at you; and a touch tank of rays. There are a couple of bald eagles along with pelicans and other water birds in there small rehab aviary. Definitely worth the $6 admission.

My husband and I visited the marine center, it’s a nice place to go see. It doesn’t take very long to look around, the people who work there are eager to share their knowledge of the animals. Cute little gift shop in the building as well. Very happy with our visit, and such a cheap price to get in!

Visited here for the second time with my wife and super #nerdgirl 6 year old daughter, who absolutely loves animals and science.

While the center is not overly large it is full of neat displays, knowledgeable staff, and great conservation efforts.

On this trip my daughter feed a sting ray, pet a Florida box turtle, got up close with a red shouldered hawk, learned that an octopus can get anywhere it's beak fit, and saw lots of turtles being rehabilitated.

At a ridiculously low price of $5 for adults and $2 for kids this is a great way to spend two hours or so during the day.

The Marine Science Center, in my opinion, is something you won't want to miss on your visit if you have children. It is a small museum, and you might only spend 1 to 2 hours in the building. We spent more because we arrived during feeding and our kids wanted to stay to watch the octopus eat and a fish (I think an angler fish) eat a shrimp. There is a large room with several aquariums. The large touch tank was closed temporarily, but they had a small touch tank open. There was a window to watch the vets as they bandage and help the sea turtles. There is also a smaller room with a few exhibits where they do demonstrations, and an outdoor dock where you can see a few of the larger sea turtles. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. One volunteer answered all of my sons questions and took the time to point out different fish in the aquarium and tell all about them. There is a nice walking path around the parking lot that leads to a swamp with a wooden overlook. You can see the lighthouse from the overlook. The best part is that the museum is working in the community to rescue sea turtles and inform people how they can keep the turtles safe.

Great place to visit for the money. The staff and volunteers was nice and the exhibits were nice. My wife and son got to feed and pet the cow face sting rays

We enjoyed the touch pools and seeing the turtles they were rehabilitating. The had feeding times and classroom times you could enjoy also.

Thanks to the volunteers who were very eager to share what they know about marine wildlife and about the animals they rescued, we learned so much during our afternoon visit !
They told us a lot about the different sea turtles, fish, and many other animals !
There is a sting-ray touch pool which wasn't open at the time of our visit but we could still see them so close. All by all great experience !
Also take a walk at the nature track outside the centre !

My boys and I visited this facility today. It is small but very interesting. There are tanks with stingrays, horseshoe crabs, sea horses, fish, an octopus, and coral. You can touch the cow nose stingrays and even feed them. There is a turtle hospital there. We saw several loggerheads being rehabilitated and lots of hatchlings being cared for until they can be released. There is a raptor show with a great horned owl named Bubba that is good too. Across the street is a bird sanctuary for the birds they are working to rehabilitate. This is a facility where the staff really does care about the animals and wants to share that love with their visitors.

Nestled off the main road of A1A, the marine science center is a place to visit for all ages. It has learning pools, petting pools, discovery pools. You can easily walk around and view the different pools and tanks of sea life, maybe even touch a manna ray or a shark. You can watch the rehab of animals through the glass as the caretakers measure, weigh, give medicine and display what is being done to each animal. Upon leaving the building you walk to the outside bird and animal rehabilitation area. There you can see gulls, pelicans, eagles, and other creatures that have been injured and are there to get better and be released back to the wild.

Such an interesting place to go. One of the attendants walked through the entire facility with us and was our personal tour guide. Explaining in detail every exhibit. I got to pet a Sting Ray, see some amazing unusual fish, learn all about Turtles and see the Turtle hospital, as well as see some birds I would never see back home. I highly recommend this stop for all to see.

Wonderful place. Fun and educational for all ages. They help with injured sea life such as turtles and birds. They have on hands things for the young and old to see and touch

Fascinating place. We saw the turtle hospital and the aviary. You can interact with manta rays with a two finger touch. Nice walk from parking lot to main building. Worth the time to go.

Great place to learn about sea life and the rehabilitation of sea turtles and birds. Staffed by very informative and friendly volunteers.

See the rescued sea turtles. Wonderful museum. About $5. Lots of exhibits...Especially tailored for children. Hands on.

Always a nice place to learn a bit of nature while visiting Daytona Beach. Hands on exhibits are always good. They have a touch tank with Ray's which was a big hit for the kids along with us bigger kids. 5 bucks to get in, which goes for a good cause. School groups were there and made it a bit more entertaining. The gift shop is nice, from toys to jewelry, something for everyone. Again, it goes to a good cause. No rescue turtles when we went but plenty of other fish on display in some big tanks. Worth a go, especially if you have kids, big or small.

So glad we didn't miss this hidden gem! Located at the very end of Ponce Inlet, near the Lighthouse. The Marine Science Center's main goal is the rehabilitation of injured/ill wildlife for release back into the wild. It's also a great stop for families, or anyone interested in learning about sea creatures and birds. A small facility, but very interactive. There is a touch tank for the rays -- great for kids! Try to be there for their twice a day feedings. Staff is volunteer, but extremely knowledgeable and obviously very caring. Price is reasonable -- $5 adults. Get off the beaten path and seek out this gem! Free parking.

My son is 8 and has attended summer camp for 2 years in a row and I will continue as long as he wants to go! We drive from Tampa to attend the camp. It's such a quaint location and Shell and her team of volunteers do an amazing job of creating fun activities and outdoor adventures!!

We have also visited the science center as well and it's a nice educational activity for an afternoon of fun.

We've been past this place many times without realizing it was even there. It was interesting to see the mission of the facility and to see the turtles being rehabilitated. The tank with rays was cool, as was the bird area. We only spent less than an hour there and the price of admission was a little much for what you saw but I figured it also goes to supporting the good work they do, so I was good with it.

We had a wonderful day! I took my granddaughter and 3 great grandchildren for a visit to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. The youngest was 5 years old, but he walked the steps all the way to the top. The view was beautiful from here. After spending about 2 hours here and the gift shop, I ventured with them to the Marine Science Center. They just loved petting the sting rays and seeing the marine life along with the sea turtles that were being rehabilitated. Our whole visit for the two locations was approximately 5 hours. It was time well spent and very educational for the children.

Really informative and interesting , learnt so much and excellent value for money. Didnt have kids with us but even young kids were so interested in the talks. Beautiful bird section too, I learnt so much about marine life. great day need 2-3 hours here.

This is a great example of a local wildlife resource that has managed to progressively build itself into a great little institute. They pretty much survive on funding from individuals, county, business and other local funding sources. Most the personnel are volunteers who are very dedicated to this resource. Nicely laid out with moderately interesting displays, live sea life and ongoing lectures by knowledgeable volunteers. Entrance fee is quite modest, so it is a nice, inexpensive way to spend a hour or two, and see some genuine Florida wildlife displays and even some living specimens, which includes a petting tank for rays in other similar creatures. As it is located adjacent to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, park, jetties, and Critter fleet, there are collectively enough to do to fill at lest half a day to a day depending on what you want to do. There are marina's with restaurants sprinkled around the inlet area, so some informal, seated dining resorts exist nearby.

Visited 3 times this summer with different ages: 8, 6, and 4. All 3 ages loved the stingray pool where they could touch and feed stingrays. The staff answered all questions with patience and knowledge. They also enjoyed the turtles. On one visit we saw around 20 baby turtles which had been rescued after being swept back to shore after hatching and swimming away. No touching of turtles since they will be released back to ocean when stronger. The othet crowd pleasers were the sea horses and the octopus. Check website ahead of time so you are there at feeding time. Also a great outdoor raptor exhibit.

It was a rainy day on our vacation so we gave this place a shot. With the inexpensive admission rate I wasn't getting my hopes up! This place was fantastic! Staff was friendly and knowledgeable and we all had a great time. I'd definitely go back

What a fun place! The staff is very knowledgeable about the various critters they care for. The facility is clean, the animals are well cared for, and the admission is very reasonable. Loved seeing the baby turtles!

Employee spent a lot of one-on-one time with us. Great with kids. Patient and answered all questions in great detail.

Took two grandchildren there along with their moms. They were eleven months and four years. They liked watching the little sharks and such in the petting area. I would say that was the highlight there. Good displays but those ages liked "seeing action".

If you are staying in the area on a beach vaca, its a good place to go on a rainy day or when the kids need to take a break and get out of the sun for a bit. Touch sting rays, learn about how they help the sea animals and spend very little money.

Great place to see birds and reptiles and a turtle hospital. I was extremely impressed with the docents and their presentations. We were fortunate to see a presentation on seahorses up close and live! The exhibits are well done, and all of the docents are friendly and ready to answer questions. Their sea turtle exhibitions and hospital are great. Dedicated naturalists!

Great for kids - several exhibits with fish and turtles. Great and helpful staff. Nature travel with observation deck

We visited this marine center after visiting the lighthouse right around the corner. Having several small children in our group, we did not have the time or energy for a full day excursion. This fit the bill perfectly. The lighthouse and the marine center were reasonably priced and we could do both in about a half a day. The stingray exhibit is the best since they let the kids touch the stingray. The bird exhibit is neat too. Our kids really enjoyed the visit and we would definitely return.

Quaint marine centre located in Ponce Inlet. Onsite staff providing insight on various topics. While there we leaned about the lion fish as an invasive species. There is a short boardwalk to stroll through, with turtle and the skeletal jaws of varies species of sharks.

Great view of the lighthouse!

Went to this center on Turtle Day and it was great fun. Well worth the trip. Great for kids and adults. You can see the animals they are rehabing. Great store to shop. Pet stingrays.

Nice little science center especially for kids. Interactive and educational. Staff was very informative.

Interesting and educational!!! Great location to learn about sea turtles and how injured and sick turtles are treated and returned to the ocean.

We had come to Ponce Inlet to see the lighthouse after spending some time in NSB. This little place was quite the find! The center is dedicated to rehabilitating, if possible, wildlife to be released back into the wild, and if not then to provide sea creatures and birds a home. Nothing here took very long to see. But if you time it right and are there for the morning or afternoon feeding, you might get to see the staff feed all the animals. There is a touch tank for the rays, and a presentation on the sea turtles. We especially enjoyed watching the octopus feeding, and talking to the staff about both the octopus and the seahorses.

This is not a very long stop. But it was well worth it.

We planed to visit here when we visited the light house since it was basically next to each other. My daughter and I have a love for Turtles, The lady that was in the turtle room was very kind and told my daughter and I many stories of the turtles that where sick and healing. My daughter left with a better knowledge of turtles and couldn't stop talking about it . Place is smaller than we thought it would be, however the staff where all outstanding. The even had a small body of water in the middle with stingrays and allowed the children to feed them during their meal time. Which was such a great experience in its own.

We enjoyed our visit here and got to see many sea creatures. You can also feed a sting ray from your hand a unique experience.

A small but delightful place to visit some beautiful exhibits. It’s so reasonable to go, I’ve gone 3 years in a row when I’m visiting Daytona Beach. They have a wonderful purpose, so worthy of your support!!

This was a great place to go with our toddler and my 11 year old step daughter. We were looking for a place to visit for an hour or so. It is located further down the coast, but worth he drive. It’s inexpensive too. It is a small center, and we spent about an hour there. Inside the center there were turtles, stingy rays, and fish. My son was obsessed with the lobster. Outside was a small bird sanctuary. We enjoyed seeing the owls, eagles, pelican, etc. The lighthouse was nearby, but we didn’t have enough time. We were glad we made the effort to get to this center.

Took my friend to visit, she loved the tour and seeing how the turtles are cared for and the whole experience.

This is a great day to visit on a day away from the beach. They have touch tanks and turtles. They have a bird sanctuary. Currently, they have two bald eagles in the rescue center. There is a nice nature walk and a viewing tower. Parking is free.

Fascinating place. The people who work here are very knowledgeable and happy to share. There are demonstrations throughout the day. You can feed stingrays, watch the Doctors treat injured turtles, visit turtle hospital, then Seabird Sanctuary.

This Science Center is a hidden gem...great price point for families....perfect size for a little break in the beach action or a rainy day...knowledgeable staff...learned so much about turtles...great little gift shop...put this on your must do list..

They're doing great work at this place & we need more of them world wide. Very informative for young & old.

The marine science center is very well done. It’s a small facility but your experience will be quality. Regardless of your age it’s a wonderful opportunity visually, hearing and experiencing some of the local wildlife. Each class has great info. Really enjoyed it!

We stopped in to kill a few hours with the kiddos. The touch pool was under renovation, the tickets were only like $2 a piece. Super cheap way to have fun for a few hours and where the little ones out. They have a few aquariums with fish, sea horses and a turtle ICU. They rehabilitate turtles and it is very neat/inspiring to see the before and after pictures. There is also a walk outside with a few birds to see. My kids enjoyed it and so did we! The staff is super friendly as well!

We visited the science center on an off weather day while on vacation. We took our 4 boys to visit. We were unsure what we would be seeing but the center is very cool. It is small and there isn't a ton to see, so don't expect to spend an entire day there. Amazing for us they were doing a turtle release during our visit so we walked to the beach and were able to see 3 turtles released back into the ocean.

The Marine Science Center mission is dedicated to the rehab of injured turtles and birds of prey to release back into the wild. The ones who can not survive being released become their educational "consultants" and are obviously pampered.

Its small and intimate and well staffed to provide answers to your questions about the displays or their mission.

There are constant "class rooms" to attend in addition to a touch tank of rays and the many displays of fish and sea life.

There's a gift shop for those who have always desire a stuffed toy ray.

The raptor displays is along a short short walk. The museum is directly across the street from a state park and about a block away from the famous lighthouse.

A morning visit puts you near several fresh seafood restaurants for lunch or take your picnic basket and enjoy the park. My kids are 16 and 9 and both enjoyed the intimate, no rush environment.

Nice exhibits - turtles, sea horses, sharks, snakes. Interactive rays and informative. Sea turtle rehab tanks for viewing also.

What a wonderful science center. The exhibits are fun and hands on. And the sea turtles are majestic. Such important work they do here.

This was our second visit to the MSC and we will definitely return next year. We love this place! It is small but well done and they actually do amazing rehab work for sea life, which we totally support. Highly recommend stopping by.

We went it was amazing, small but great. Didnt get to pet stingrays and such it was down at the time but plenty to look at and they gave us a discount because the petting part was down. Loved the fact the rescue turtles , get them better and release them back.m and u get to see all that totally awesome!!!

Loved the museum! It's small but very interesting! The staff was GREAT! The classroom lecture with the owl was really interesting. The small sea creatures exhibited was WONDERFUL! Great place for small children, and the gift shop is GREAT!

We stopped by here one day to check it out. It's small but lots of cool stuff to see inside. There's also a bird sanctuary across the parking lot but that part was closed due to hurricane Matthew. The stingray touch pool was our favorite part of the place. The people working there were very friendly and helpful. Worth it for a couple hours of fun.

If you plan to see the lighthouse, stop by the science center. They had some excellent exhibits for young children, and interesting things for teens and adults too. They house injured turtles, rehabilitate and release. The touch tanks were under construction when we went, so it was $2 for adult tickets. Not a huge place, but a good hour or so to see all the aquarium tanks, turtles, and birds.

This was our second time visiting. We enjoyed the stingray touch tank and learning about the birds. The staff was very knowledgeable. I wish there were a few more activities or animals for children.

This place is great whether you have children or just like wildlife yourself. They have a great cause and the things they do are awesome. You can see all sorts of animals up close or from a distance and you will learn a lot while your there as well.

The whole family enjoyed the visit, grand parents, parents and grandchildren. And even if you’re not interested in the “hands on” (touching) experience there is so much to see and learn about sea life. What a great place to learn while on vacation and the kids love it!

Such a interesting place to visit we got there in time for the sea horse feeding time learnt so much about them in a short space of time.
Great petting areas particularly for children as do much to learn.
Seeing the turtle hospital really brings it home to what rubbish gets into the ocean, appalling to see how these beautiful creatures end. However due to the dedication and care of staff many managed to get re-released back to the wild.
Also amazing work being done with marine birds.
Definitely worth a trip.

This was my second trip to the Center and plan to visit each time I am in the area. The turtle hospital is always informative and it is interesting to see and hear about each of their turtle patients. The center does an awesome job of using its small display area to demonstrate and and inform visitors about various marine ecosystems and their occupants. The staff, both paid and volunteer are passionate about marine life and do an extraordinary job and educating their visitors. I highly recommend a visit The entry fee is modest and a great experience for both adults and children.

We really wanted to see this and could not find an open parking spot anywhere. We drove around for about 20 minutes and then gave up.

This is really, as others have said, a working hospital for turtles, and they've put up a family-friendly, compact museum/aquarium around that hospital. It's comfortable and lovely, with interesting information and even a shy octopus in one of the displays. If you're looking for an aquarium, you're going to be disappointed, but if you want to learn a bit while mingling with people who are making sacrifices to help the creatures you're learning about, you're going to be happy you went.

Loved this place small little place right next to the Atlantic with lots of cool sea life and of course the sea turtles that are there for rehabilitation. Kids will love this place as they have a sting ray touch pool and several tanks of fish, turtles, octopus and even seahorses. Please donate some money to help these volunteers help to try and save the hurt or sick sea turtles

My kids absolutely LOVED our trip to the Marine Science Center. They were able to not only view, but also touch many marine animals they had only seen in pictures. The volunteers were friendly and helpful, and the reasonably inexpensive admission made this a very affordable family outing. We definitely plan to visit again and will add this to our list of places to take friends with kids who visit us.

This was a fun and exciting place for my 2 year old grandson to see lots of fish, turtles and birds. He loved seeing the sting rays and sea horses. All of the exhibits were very low to the ground so that young children could easily enjoy the displays. The staff were helpful and courteous and made the experience enjoyable for all the young children and adults visiting the institute. We had an amazing time!

Made the 2 hr drive over to check it out and the lighthouse. We have been the Epcot Living Seas many times and I was worried my kids might feel this place was blah. I was wrong! We all had a great time. The staff was wonderful, the exhibits were small but entertaining. My son got to feed a stingray and my daughter got to hold a slipper lobster. We also enjoyed walking out to the observation tower and seeing the bird rehabilitation area. They are doing a great job helping injured and sick animals. They do need more donations as they were damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

Our family enjoyed the sting ray and sea urchin touch pools. Our youngest got to feed a sting ray at feeding time. All of the workers were knowledgeable and friendly. There were lots of young kids (and their chaperones) from a field trip there so it definitely made things a LOT more crowded. I'd recommend for field trips to be on day that the center isn't open to the general public. We did not get to do the outdoor parts as it was storming.

We really enjoyed walking through the museum and seeing the turtle Hospital. It was all hidden on a small Boardwalk Trail and some native Florida brush. They had many types of fish and some very really large Turtles they were rehabilitating. The staff was very kind and there were some young teenage volunteers helping out. They even had a small classroom with several telescopes to look at some fossils and shells. The only reason I didn't give it 5 Stars was that they were under renovation and that was not noted on their website.

We made it to the marine center just in time for the sting ray feeding time. My children who are in college enjoyed watching the younger children feed the rays. We were glad to see the sea turtle recovery process as well as the aviary recovery! Good trip, well worth the time and money for a worthy cause.

The staff is amazing! Very knowledgeable, my 12 year old found a vertebrae from a fish on one of the trails, but we didnt know what it was so we asked the staff and they researched to find out what it was, the trails are beautiful and well managed. The marine center is amazing especially petting the sting rays! Fun for all ages!

Great for families learned a lot about sea turtles and how sea shells are made nice bird exhibit they where under renovation so admission was only $2 well worth it.

Interesting place. They have a small aquarium with cool critters. but they do a lot in turtle rehab. You can learn quite a bit at this institution. In the adjacent lot they have a bird rehab area with mostly raptors. And your donation goes to a great cause. THey also have an excellent gift shop. Drop in and visit. Well worth it.

We arrived at just the right time to feed the stingrays and seahorse. Unfortunately they had lots of turtles there due to the cold weather. Very interesting crabs, sea anemones and eels.

We loved seeing the sea turtles and learning about the rescue mission. Very interesting and not too long for the kids. A great little gift shop that isn't overwhelming.

This was a fun visit for all ages. The place is small, but definitely worth going! The little ones got to touch and feed the sting rays. They also got to touch some other sea creatures. The employees were very helpful and really knew their stuff. Getting to see the sick turtles and learning about what the MSC does for them was truly eye-opening.

We love going here and seeing the sea turtles. My kids love the sting rays! Great price! This place is so neat and we have been here several times.

Wife and I drove down after seeing the ad in the local discovery map. Since we are over 50 we were able to get in for $444 each on the senior discount. Regular admission is $5.

After you pay, you go to the right and through the gift shop area to the floor in which there are several aquariums and a touch pool for sting rays. You pass out to the turtle area where you can look over several tanks which hold turtles which are in for rehabilitation.

From the main room, you can also look into the clinic where animals are treated.

Once you have seen the turtles you can then go out and walk the nature walk or cross the parking lot to see the bird rehab area.

We spent less than 45 minutes there and were able to see everything without rushing.

For us, we were disappointed we paid a dollar for each ten minutes.

Was it interesting, yes. It would have been nice if someone had been in with the turtles to explain what was happening.

We were there at 3 in the afternoon on Thursday, July 14. It was very hot out.

it was raining and we couldn't get in the ocean so my mom decided to give this museum a try. And man it was worth it. We got to see fish and other wildlife. I especially enjoyed seeing the birds especially the bald eagle because it reminded me of the bald eagle thing they had at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. If you're a fan of science I highly recommend this place.

This was certainly high on my NSM area bucket list and it did not disappoint. I loved everything about it but especially the turtle rehabilitation and ICU unit. These people are wonderful and caring and spent a lot of time talking to me about the turtles and birds in the rehab center. I loved it all and will go back again and again.

The Marine Science Center at Ponce Inlet has a variety of marine life in different settings, including manta rays, which people are permitted to pet. There are fish habitats, turtles, and a viewing window where visitors can watch staff members at work. I saw 2 people repairing a turtle's propeller-damaged shell.

My wife and I visited this centre on a weekday in March. There is free parking in a small gravel area nearby and admission cost is $5 ($4 for seniors).
We found this a very interesting facility. There was a touch pool (with friendly stingrays), various crabs, anemones, sea urchins etc. A living reef display contained numerous different fish, and other tanks contained a moray eel, tiny seahorses and a variety of other sea creatures. A separate area allowed you to see up close (through a window) turtles receiving individual care (we saw one being cleaned and having blood tests).
Outside there is a turtle rehabilitation area and a small bird sanctuary (owls, eagles, pelican, etc.) which houses birds too damaged to ever return to the wild but seemingly quite happy with their new habitat. The lighthouse is nearby, but unfortunately we did not have time to visit it.
The location of the marine centre is slightly off the beaten path but well worth a visit, and we would have no hesitation in returning if we were in the area again.

Nice place to visit around corner from lighthouse. It's small but fun and informative. Parking is free. They have fish tanks and a touch pool with stingrays and urchins inside. You can go on a nature walk across the street and climb up to an observation tower for some great views. There is also a bird sanctuary. For $5 a person it was worth it.

Staff was pleasant and quite helpful!The work they do to save the sea turtles is invaluable! All the tanks and pens were clean and well looked after.
We would definitely recommend this spot! Admission was very reasonable.

Great place for all minds, young and adult, to remind us of the impact we have on our environment. The staff is passionate about what they do and are knowledgeable.

Great experience with the kids. Staff was extremely nice and the nature walk was amazing. Love the education part of it.

We did the discussion about the animals found around the area. There is a touch tank for the kids but only at certain times. You can see the sea turtle rescue tanks as well as the bird rescue area.

The Marine Science Center is a rescue site for turtles in the area. There is a viewing window where you can watch doctors examining and helping injured turtles. Along with the turtles are birds, and fish and crustaceans. You can pet Rays and see and learn about other sea creatures. Knowledgeable staff members are available to answer any questions.
There is also a reasonably priced gift shop.
There is a small admission charge.

For a few hours this is well worth the price....probably 2-3 hours for most. Part of it is inside and another part (bird sanctuary) is outside.

What an educational tool!! Only $5 for adults. We always have fun when we come to the science center. They have a turtle hospital. They have live stingray feeds that you can help with sometimes. I love this place and will always visit when we come anywhere close!

There were several tanks with fish life to look at. A touch tank had three cow nose and one Atlantic bottle nose sting rays, a horseshoe crab, and a very large Caribbean rock hermit crab. There were large tanks in back with giant turtles receiving treatment for injuries or illness. An area held cages with many types of birds.

Stopped by the Marine Science Center. The cost was 5 dollars for adults and 4 dollars for seniors. The center is divided into 3 basic sections. An inside area where they have aquariums with various types of fish, turtles, Florida lobsters, sea horses, stingrays, and large snails. They also have a turtle hospital with a ICU unit, and an emergency room. The ICU area has several different size tanks where the turtles recover from their injuries and /or surgery. The staff is mostly volunteers who are very knowledgeable and willing to walk you through different exhibits.
The center also has a rescue waterfowl area where they have several recoving birds. Owl's, American Bald eagles,pelicans, and other birds. Whenever the staff feels the rescued turtles and birds can be returned to the wild they release them.

Love this place. Every time I go I learn something new. Don't miss the guided tour of the rehab for turtles. Good for small children as well as adults.

So much packed into a small space! A touch pool with cownose stingrays, a living reef display, a venomous fish tank, and several other tanks housing seahorses, eels, and an octopus. There's even a giant mangrove simulation tank with the cutest balloon fish. But the star of the gallery seems to be the artificial reef, home to a 5 foot long moray eel. Be sure to visit, if at all possible, around 11am to watch all the creatures being fed. Of course there are turtles, the fresh water species are on display in the gallery, and the sea turtles can be viewed from the turtle terrace. And there is sooo much more to explore! The seabird sanctuary and the nature trail just to name two. This attraction is well worth the $5 entrance fee.

We took our 20-month-old grandson who constantly asks to see "animals" and is learning names and sounds. We had such fun looking at the turtles, bird sanctuary, and of course aquariums. The staff was professional and friendly and the gift shop one of the best ever. Small place but educational vice touristy and well worth the visit.

Nice little place, with a great mission. Admission was reasonable. They had some good exhibits and an opportunity to pet and feed sting rays. I'm glad places like this exist to help nurse injured sea creatures back to health, as well as educate guest about our oceans and sea life.

Wonderful place to take children and have them learn about the beach environment.
Many displays about the ecosystem. See recuperating turtles rescued and being rehabilitated and released.

We've visited this place more times than we can count. It's a great place to check-out. The volunteers are eager to share their knowledge. Kids love the sting-ray touch pool!