A cost neutral GEM of an attraction that many unfortunately miss. Very interesting, informative, and the staff (Christine & others) are incredibly knowledgeable, polite, and friendly. Enjoy. read more

See all

The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center is located on Key West's Truman Waterfront and is part of NOAA's Dr. Nancy Foster Florida Keys Environmental Complex. It's mission is to inspire visitors to preserve the marine ecosystems of the Florida Keys & enjoy the natural resource responsibly. The center is open Wednesday to Saturday from 9:00 until 4:00. Admission is free, and so is parking, making this a convenient stop. With more than 6,000 square feet of interactive exhibits guests can learn about the native plants & animals in the Keys. Exhibits highlight the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 4 national wildlife refuges & 3 national parks, including Dry Tortugas, which is on an island about 70 miles from Key West. We started with a 20-minute movie about the Keys' fragile ecosystems and then explore the center on a self-paced tour. Staff & volunteers are also on-site to answer questions. Notable exhibits include a replica of NOAA's Aquarius, the only underwater ocean laboratory in the world, and a spotlight on the long maritime history of shipwrecks inside the sanctuary's waters. After 2022 renovations there is now a mangrove exhibit where guests can play animal noises & guess which animal made the sound, an area with microscopes so you can watch coral close-up, and a paddleboard photo-op that feels as though we are paddling through the mangroves. read more

A wonderful informative and engaging space in which to learn more about the flora and fauna of the Keys. The dangers and the ways people can help are fundamental in the posters and placards throughout the museum-like Center. Parking just outside and the Truman Waterfront, playground and splash park are just outside. Entry is free; check opening hours - currently Wednesday through Sunday. read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

Yes, this place is, in fact, FREE! Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center is situated on the marine sanctuary campus. Just when you think there's nothing south of Duval Street, think again. If you're traveling with kiddos, add this spot to your list because it'll come in clutch at some point during your trip. Like others have mentioned, when you're on the road with little ones, sometimes you're desperate of finding indoor activities. Pair the humid summer heat and finding indoor spots for large groups in Key West is easier said than done. Now my little guy is too young to appreciate all that this place offers, but it was perfect for us to kill an hour before going to the airport. And you know what? We learned some things too! This place is interactive and educational. It's a small museum, with a lot of text heavy exhibits. Nonetheless, there are some cool things here to check out regarding marine science, local ecology, coral reefs, and various history! read more

See all

What a great place, thank you NOAA!! and the price was right, FREE. A good stop for all ages. read more

My husband, myself and our older teen visited here in early December 2022. Right now they're only open Fri & Sat from 9 am - 4 pm (closed Christmas Eve but open Dec 30&31). We spent about 90 minutes here and enjoyed all the exhibits, found it to be very informative. It was great to see all the touch and interactive displays for the little ones (and biggest ones). We also enjoyed the short 20 min video seen through the eyes of a girl growing up in the keys and exploring the different ecosystems. Was nice to see the restoration projects underway and the art displays featuring the wide words of children and what they'll do to protect the environment. A free centre, but donations are appreciated. The staff/(volunteers?) that were there the day we there were so lovely and informative. A recommended stop on any Key West adventure. read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Awesome topographical & gigantic view of the Keys! - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

Free and cute! A recommendation for sure, especially with kids! There is a great play area right outside the location where kids have a great time! A family must stop!! read more

We absolutely loved this respite for the kids in Key West! Clean, kid centered, educational, fun, and free - our 6 and 4 year old loved playing in here after dragging their feet walking around Duval street with us! read more

Very cute place! The building isn't huge by any means, but for people visiting key west & looking for an hour to kill - this attraction is a nice establishment to attend. Also for those looking to learn a bit about key west history & the native ecology, this place can help you achieve that :) plus it's free! Who doesn't love a good free time??! read more

Very beautiful as well as educational. Megan greeted us at the front desk and was very knowledgeable about the exhibits. Wonderful place!!

If you are looking for something in Key West that is interesting, fun and free, then you found it!!! Not only do you get to learn about the Florida Keys Eco-culture but you get to do it in the AC!!!! It really is a cool place to check out and it will not take you all day. It is perfect if you have kids or just want to get away from crowds on Duval St. for a bit. read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

What a great treat!! First off - right on the water so independent of the awesome Discovery center, there is a gorgeous scenic view. Parking is easy and free. Though it is on the property of the Fort the Center is previous to the Fort entry booth so there is no charge for entry to the area nor the center itself. Immediately you are met by a bright bold aquatic themed exterior. When you enter your immediately feel as if you have been transported to a modern big city aquarium. The lobby is welcoming and immediately you are greeted with a map of the facility. We made an immediate left and were met with a large scale replica of the various environmental areas in the Keys. Each ecosystem had it's own display and interesting facts about the area. The hallway into the next room has a TV showing a 3D movie. Glasses are scattered on the table where the TV is staged and there is a small bench across from the TV for seating. The next room introduces a very cool feature - a model submarine and underwater lab. There are portholes with video footage giving you the true feeling of undersea travel. The part I found to be the coolest was the large coral core embedded into the wall. Much like a tree trunk with it's rings, there are sections of coral that allow scientists to date the coral. The core that is in the wall is at least 12 feet tall. It's beautiful. Small arrows point to parts of the coral and pinpoint historical events that occurred while the coral was growing (Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 9-11, etc). Such a great way to realize understand the gravity of the years of growth. The main area ends there and you can backtrack to the entrance. In a small area off to the side is a small fish tank with a few native species. There is a vending machine and a door to exit the building to the back harbor area. Stepping outside you see an anchor sculpture and an oceanic society memorial / seating area. The view out into the ocean is spectacular and a fantastic photo op. This is a great place to visit and even better than that, to have available to the kids in the area as a learning venue! I will continue to visit on future trips and see if they have added or changed anything. read more

See all

Nice little building where it gives you information on the ecosystem, has some props , gave a free poster , bathrooms were clean . Place looks well maintained. read more

Tried to visit the center this morning (Tuesday) after walking past yesterday and seeing it was closed mondays. Once we arrived, the gate to the parking lot was closed. Odd. Tried to call, no one answered. Odd. Finally I look on their website and it's closed for renovations! Would be helpful to have that information posted in more places for tourists to the area. read more

This was such a lovely and enjoyable part of our vacation. Excellent exhibits. Cool underwater 3D film and beautiful 20 min movie. Volunteers were great. Thanks Jim and Al! Liz in the giftshop is a new buddy. read more

See all

A free, kid-friendly museum in Key West? Sign me up! This museum is operated by NOAA and provides educational material on reefs, mangroves, wildlife, and oceans. Upon arriving, you enter the section that contains replicas of hammocks, mangroves, and dunes. Each area has educational monitors about our environment. After that, there's a replica of the NOAA undersea laboratory, and again, monitors and information about different reefs. There's also a 3D video about underwater reefs and shipwrecks. They have an aquarium that contains local ocean life. My kids loved this museum and the exhibits. It's a definite stop for anyone with kids in Key West. read more

See all

$FREE.99, holla! This lovely little tourist spot is a short walk from the USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum. They are open daily from 9am-4pm and it's absolutely free! I came in just in time to catch one of their feel good/informational movies and walked through the place quickly. It's pretty small, but there's enough to take in to make it worth your time. I particularly loved the few aquariums they keep. I believe the employees are volunteers, though I'm not 100% sure. Either way, everyone I met here was very friendly and they can give you some great information for diving and snorkeling trips in the surrounding Keys. read more

See all

This was amazing! So many interactive exhibits and COLD AC! Oh, and it's free! They have a lot of great information on Florida's reefs and they have a small ecosystem with live fish, sea urchins, and coral. They also have a lot of great information on boating and areas to watch out for. This place was not crowded, the employees were super friendly and informative. Don't miss it! read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

Can't pass up Key West FREE. Free parking, free entry, air conditioning. They had an interesting little video and nice exhibits. Pretty kid friendly exhibits too - a couple with "can you find...." games built into them...several with iPad interactive information signs. I think we stayed an hour - not hugely long time, but you couldn't beat the price. read more

My husband and I rented biked and decided to ride out here since we never get this far when we are just walking. So glad we did! This place is pretty interesting! You can take as much or as little time as you want and go at your own pace. If you have time, I suggest you come visit. It's free and great for families. read more

See all

This place is small, but they do great things! The staff were very helpful from the minute we walked in the door and they had a lot of information to provide regarding what they do and the parking was free, so if you patronize, take that money you would have paid for parking and donate it at the door for them to continue their research. read more

Riding the Honda Metro through the roads in Ft. Zachary, just to look at what else is offered, and I came upon the Eco-Discovery Center. I appreciate the concept and the original effort that was put into creating this place. It's kind of like a quasi-marine life museum. I think could easily pass as a newly built wing for another local museum or aquarium. I stepped in just in time for the hourly video presentation run in the back room. It's about woman (well story started out when she was a little girl) that was enchanted by the beauty of nature since she was very young. I love part of the video when she was diving among the fishes. Very cool. The entrance fee is, FREE. With that said, this place is crowd sourced; their operations depends on the generosity of the locals and tourists passing through. I can see they are doing the best to keep this place up. read more

See all

I think this is a wonderful place to visit if you and your family would like to learn more about the sea life and life in the Keys. Especially if you're looking for something free to do, because this is a free exhibit, but donations are definitely appreciated! They also have a gift shop, with educational gifts. We noticed this building on the way to Fort Zachary Taylor, and I was insanely curious, so we stopped on the way out. We all thought it was very well put together and very educational for people of all ages. They have some really neat things to see, along with a little touch of the Keys' sea life in a mini aquarium as well. They were doing some kind of maintenance or exhibit work when we visited, so maybe there will be more things added on when we come back to visit. If you visit, be sure to make a donation! Every little bit helps aid in the study & preservation of local sea life, which is a honestly true beauty! read more

See all

A great way to learn about Florida and its ecosystems. They have a few tanks, coral education area, and a small theater with a movie that plays every 30 minutes. It's free, but they do accept donations. Worth a stop! read more

After discovering that the USGC Ingham was closed for the day, we swung by here instead, remembering how much we liked it. Such an interesting, informative place, and a good way to kill an hour or two. Make sure you don't miss the video playing in the theater. Visited September 2014 read more

See all

You had me at free parking. You stole my heart with AC. It also happens to be a great eco/nature learning center. A small theater, small aquariums, things to touch and see. It is right next door to Ft. Zachary state park and beach, but DO NOT WALK TO THE BEACH from the Eco-center parking lot! It is like, a 1/4 mile walk from the guard gate in. And it's hot. read more

Our CityView Trolley tour driver did his best to get people to check this place out, but we were the only ones who got off. The exterior is not welcoming ... a big, unattractive parking lot, this building and the coast guard ship. It looks like nothing worth seeing from the outside. From the inside, it's a great little museum and it's FREE. There's a lot of interesting information on coral reefs, global warming, ship wrecks, Key West history, the Atlantis(?), the undersea research vessel and more. There's also a small aquarium and a 20 minute video on the sea. It's visually beautiful but boring. Working in production/post production, I found myself frustrated watching it because I knew if it had more narration and better editing, it could've been a truly entertaining film. Nonetheless, it was all a very nice experience. read more

On one of our days in Key West we had an all day downpour, so we needed to find things to do indoors, and this was one of the things we did that day. It's unusual to also find something to do that is actually free as well. A welcome change! This is a nice facility, that has a number of exhibits about the local eco-system. There is an area where a movie is shown, aquariums, a replica of an undersea lab, dioramas of various eco-systems and a gift shop. The on-site staff are friendly and helpful if you have any questions. It isn't a large facility, so it will not keep you entertained for a very long time, but it's worth visiting and is an option during inclement weather. read more

It's free!! This Key West attraction apparently flies under the radar for a lot of visitors, but people really should take an hour or so to check it out. The film alone is worth the effort - it's narrated by a world class snorkeler and has some great footage of both land and sea creatures plus a great conservationist message without beating you over the head with it. Very nice. There is lots of information here on the Keys, so it would be a great first stop for any visitor. The aquariums are nice, too. Not huge, but we definitely had a few laughs watching one of the skittish fish swim in and out of his little dwelling. This is also a great place to buy a souvenir since they have an agenda a little more noble than the typical "pillage the tourist" shops on Duval and Greene streets. Don't miss this one - if only for the unrestricted free parking!!! I've got to go with 5 stars on this one. read more

We came here because it was a free attraction in the area. It was well maintained and very clean. The AC was definitely welcoming, however, other than a short video, and some nice signs that you had to read, there wasn't much to "do" here. read more

Nice small museum of local wildlife and history. Great movie and aquariums. All free. Just don't trust google maps it won't get you here. Next to the US Coast Guard memorial and Fort Zachary. read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

See all

One word: Air conditioning! On a warm day in Key West this is the place to be. It was fascinating to learn about the ocean and various species that reside in this area. I definitely picked up some knowledge I didn't have before this visit. We toured around here in under an hour. One of the things I found most interesting were all of the Andres Franke prints. He superimposed studio images onto photos he took of the Vandenberg ship wreck. Then he sealed these images in plexiglass and they were attached to the wreck with magnets to serve as an underwater gallery. The images you see now are the ones that were in the underwater gallery, they have a unique patina from the time underwater. These images are gorgeous and well worth the visit alone. I was disappointed to find that the center doesn't sell any of the photographers work but was glad to find out that they can be purchased locally at Lucky Street Gallery. read more

See all

Free parking! Free entrance! Might as well donate something when you are here. It is for a good cause. It is small and worth a stop to get educated on what lives and thrives along the keys. The 3D tv is great for the kids and the movie is inspiring. There are few fish tanks you can look. After this you can visit Fort Taylor and don't forget the beach there too. Bring gears to snokel. read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

The last thing we had time to do while in Key West. This place is kind of out of the way from some of the attractions but well worth it. Admission is free, though there are donation boxes all around and the donations help them do such amazing research work. There is a lot of great educational stuff about the environment in the keys here and also a theater showing underwater life. If you have an extra hour while in town, I'd definitely recommend checking this place out. read more

Very interactive! Selling points- free parking, free entrance, and awesome ac! This place is great to learn about the Eco system around the Keys. Loved the 3D video and movie. Very friendly staff. read more

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center - Eco-discovery center - Museums Near Me - Key West, Florida

It's free, they ask for donations only. Everyone who visits or lives in Florida should visit here. It's the only place that we visited that actually talks about the environmental impact that trash, garbage, plastic, straws, and discarded fishing line has on the beautiful sea life in Florida. Please discard trash responsibly! Free parking and nice exhibits. Only takes an hour or less to visit. read more

I really can't complain, considering this place is one of the few places that you can visit for free when in Key West. Definitely stop in... If you have young kids, they will enjoy counting the crabs in the exhibit towards the front of the museum. There is also a short 20-minute film about Key West that plays every 20 minutes. If anything, if you don't like the museum (which you can visit in 30 minutes or less), take a few minutes to walk along the water or to go visit the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham Maritime Museum, which is just a short walk away. According to research on the web, the Ingham is a National Historic Landmark. INGHAM served our country from 1936 to 1988 and in 1985 was the most decorated ship in United States Service as noted in a letter from President Ronald Reagan in the exhibit room. It is the last American Warship afloat to have sunk a German U-Boat (626) in WWII. It served as the Flagship for the seaside operation of General MacArthur's return to Corrigedor in the Philippines. She served from 1936 to 1988. read more

What a cool little place! If you're going to the Zachary place anyway, might as well stop by! There are aquariums with live sea life as well as lots of displays with explanations. There is also a little theater that plays a movie about the surrounding wildlife. In the middle there's this thing that looks like the inside of a submarine so I think it would be especially fun for the kids. Free admission - can't beat that! Also there's a gift shop and there are tidy restrooms! read more

Family friendly spot to learn about Fl ecosystems. Small building so you won't spend too much time here but it's a nice brief reprieve during the afternoon heat. read more

Helped really explain a lot about the Keys area. Best of all its free.