The Loxahatchee River Center is located in Burt Reynolds Park. According to their website "The mission of the River Center is to foster a sense of environmental stewardship for the Loxahatchee River's diverse watershed with quality education programs, exhibits and meaningful events." This small eco museum is dedicated to educating the public about the Loxahatchee River which is home to many endangered and threatened animals like woodstorks and manatees. Along the banks of the river it is common to see alligators, turtles, river otters, deer, raccoon, turkey, bald eagles, owls, heron, ibis, egrets, gopher tortoise, osprey, storks, scrub jay and many other species. Some of the more common types of fish in the river include bass, panfish, mullet, snook, tarpon, redfish and jacks. The Loxahatchee River flows through a 260 square mile ecosystem that includes the communities of Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Jupiter Island, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Jupiter Farms, Hobe Sound and Palm Beach Gardens. After gently flowing through freshwater creeks and down into a brackish estuary, the river enters the Jupiter Inlet before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. In 1985 the Loxahatchee River was federally designated a wild and scenic river, one of only two such designated rivers in Florida. if you are interested in exploring the river more closely, kayaks and canoes can be rented at Riverbend Park. This small free museum is set up in a circle. On the outside of the building is a timeline of Jupiter history starting with 6000-5000 BC when the Loxahatchee River watershed was formed. Inside you will see interpretative signs about Jupiter shark explorations, where the drinking water comes from and goes, and how to balance water use. While the museum is geared toward children I enjoyed all of the aquariums containing the fish and turtles you would find in the river along with some saltwater tanks. They also have a touch tank that you can explore with a staff member. In addition to the museum the Loxahatchee River Center offers various classes and programs throughout the year. A full list of events can be found on their website. If you have a few minutes to spare in Jupiter it is well worth stopping here to learn about the river that is so important to the ecosystem health of this area. read more

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Outstanding in every way. They have a fantastic education center. They have classes for local and state learning issues. They have a fun archery course that would be great for everyone to try. The staff is fantastic. Everyone loves this local gem. read more

Best summer camp in Jupiter! They are so great with the kids and the activities are 10/10. Perfect for any budding marine science enthusiast. read more

Recently attended a lecture on Bird Migration at the River Center. Always top notch organization, presentations and learning opportunities for all ages. The nature and adventure activities are also great: kayaking beginning to experienced, fishing clinics, kid and family friendly. Great hikes, great knowledgeable staff Sign up! Have fun! read more

Great kayak paddle today with Sarah and Jocelyn. Good weather, great sightings, good nature. Thanks!

This museum is small, but specific: it's about . . . the Loxahatchee River :) Entrance is free, and while I assume that donations are encouraged/accepted, I was not asked to contribute. The front desk person cheerfully oriented my family and explained the museum layout: a circle. I was immediately impressed with the multitude (for such a small space) of programming for all ages; a dry-erase calendar and full-color flyers drew my attention to several interesting-sounding events. The colorful, engaging displays drew me in. I was taken by the creative floor-to-ceiling displays of trees framing and 'growing' out of aquariums. Mangroves and . . .um, maybe . . . Cypress trees, too?! Clearly I didn't read the signage! Nope, I was just there to look at the aquariums and check out the touch-tank. I will agree with another Yelper review that these are the cleanest aquariums I have ever seen in my life. Really beautiful. The aquariums (less than 10?) are well designed and very cool, not your run-of-the-mill aquariums at all. A couple are circular, some have the aforementioned 'trees' coming out of them, some are built into wall displays. The small touch-tank was staffed by children/teens who were caring and gentle with the sea creatures. I felt like a little kid again sticking my fingers in to touch more animals whose names I don't remember . . . I grew up on the Loxahatchee River, so I'm not sure how informative this Center is for other adults. I appreciated the very kid-friendly nature of the museum, and if the children there were any indication, it is well-received. The smallness of it can allow children to walk around without getting too lost or needing too much supervision. It is a 30 minute visit. If you're in Jupiter and with children: why not? If not in Jupiter, I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, though, unless attending a class/event or making it part of a longer day trip to Jupiter. However, whatever your age, if you're never touched a real, live sea urchin/sea cucumber/starfish/etc and you live in northern Palm Beach County . . . get to the River Center ASAP! What are you waiting for?! read more

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They have the best field trips. Their lecture series are very interesting. Very helpful, knowledgeable , and friendly. read more

Great center working with the community to make our environment better to thrive in for all insects and humans. Way to go!

Enthusiastic guides through the hidden open spaces of local Jupiter and its surrounding areas. Get to know about flowers and fauna up close while enjoying same interest people. read more

There isn't a lot to do here, but it is free to visit and fun to look at the animals. I think it is a great place for kids, since they have opportunities to touch starfish, sea urchins, and anemones with the supervision of one of the volunteers on duty. We had fun looking at the different fish, and our favorite was the black grouper. Look up their calendar on the website to see if they have special events going on. read more

from their web site: "The River Center has a combination of static displays, interactive exhibits, live tanks which trace the river system from a freshwater cypress swamp to seagrass-dominated estuary to marine ecosystems. The center provides an opportunity for school children, adults, visitors, and long-time residents an opportunity to learn about Florida's first federally designated Wild and Scenic River." Says me: It's free. If you have kids and are driving by, or in the area, it's worth a stop. Interesting aquarium set up (not like Sea World, just some indoor glass tanks in two rooms.) read more

This is a very small facility, but my 6 year old was mesmerized by the exhibits. He even got to help feed some fish! The volunteers were very knowledgeable and personable; they gave my son extra attention (thank you Jackson!). They also have boat/kayaks tours and story time for little kids. We will be sure to come back!!! read more

A fun place to visit! My kids love the touch tank. My nephew loves story time. I like watching them feed the huge green moray eel. Best of all - it's free (of course they welcome a donation) read more

This nature museum is small, but it is beautifully done. It is brand new and made of wood everywhere. Just gorgeous. Lovely clean tanks. No smell. The exhibit on water is interesting. The volunteers are nice. The best thing is the touch tank, which kids really enjoy. The volunteers take a ton of time to tell you about the animals in the touch tank. It's a magical place to go with your kids! http://www.lotsafunmaps.com/South_Florida/River_Center_and_Burt_Reynolds_Park.html read more

Sent my son to this course so he would know the basics of boating safety. Unfortunately he found it slow and boring but I guess that can be expected of a 17 year old and the course is longer than a typical school day on a Saturday. I think the course could be made more interesting and funny. Maybe show some interesting videos. read more

Cute, but very limited. Nice for small kids. Expect to pend under half hour. Donations requested.

My daughter and I attended the boater safety course on a recent Saturday. I was worried because she is only 13 years old and I thought she would be bored. I was surprised about how engaging the instructors were and they taught us a lot about proper boating safety. The River Center is a great place to take out of town guests for a great look at our waterways and natural surroundings. read more