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This is an amazing gem. I have been here several times on my trips to Florida and always make a point to stop in. There is a touch tank as well as some other aquariums. On the outer porch you can see where they are rehabilitating the sea turtles. A small but nice gift shop. There is another area where they have birds. I really enjoyed the short nature trail which leads to a deck which you can look out on the land and I even saw an osprey there. It is not very expensive and you know the money is going to a good cause.
If you have a couple of hours and you're in Daytona, go to the marine science center!! We got to feed Stingrays and watch seahorses feed. Anna was very knowledgeable and was happy to answer questions.
For the price, I didn't feel like this was worth it. I am an educator and believe is supporting the mission of MSC. My kids enjoyed the 10 minute talk where they brought out a snake. And we got to watch them help a turtle love on a TV screen. I wouldn't go ahead for the price I paid for a family of 4.
Went here on a rainy day and loved it! Staff are so nice and clearly passionate about the center.
I want a pet Stingray! So for $8 you donate to a great cause and get to pet stingrays. We just missed feeding the seahorses, but the stingrays are like puppies and come to get a 2 finger pet. They have an amazing turtle rehab and hospital. You can learn about where they found the turtles, its injury or sickness and how its treated. One of the volunteers gave great info on all the stations. They have a reptile room, with local critters. Then they have the bird sanctuary, with 2 bald eagles, injured pelicans and seagulls and various hawks and owls. I could spend hours petting the rays and watching the animals. We also bought a beautifull hand painted Christmas ornament with stingray.
What a fun way to spend an afternoon visiting the Marine Science Center. Make sure to visit right before the Stingray feedings at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. You get to learn all about stingrays and feed them shrimp, and fish pieces right out of your hands. They also have a bird sanctuary with two bald American eagles, owls, and other types of birds.
What a awesome gem ! I came here with my family and the turtle + bird rescue sanctuary was amazing! All the volunteers were so knowledgeable and friendly and the hourly feedings or activities were so insightful. We loved petting the stingrays and seeing the turtle sanctuary and learning about the injuries, treatment and recovery for the animals. I highly recommend for any animal lover. I think they should raise their prices as it was $8 per adult and I left there wanting to donate money to help their mission and animals.
Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome. We really loved this place. Very reasonably priced. Located about 10 minute from the beaches. The staff here was very knowledgable, friendly and top notch. We got there just as they were feeding all of the animals, which was way cool. They have a large moray eel, sea horses, octopus, turtles, eagles, hawks, owls, and the friendliest sting rays you ever could meet. It was almost like the sting rays in the petting pool were about to climb out of the pool. My 3 year was a bit scared of petting the sting rays, but I think that was still her favorite part. They also operate a turtle rescue there and while we were there saw them actually work on one through their observation window. Periodically, they have a release of one of the rescued turtles (you have to check their website for times, locations and dates.) They had an informative and entertaining horned owl, seahorse and octopus (who knew they were so smart) show during our visit. They have a rescue bird part of the center across the parking lot from the center where you can see various birds of prey from 2 bald eagles to hawks. Parking was not difficult. They have a private parking lot which you should check first. If that is full then they have reserved parking spots along the street. So, I recommend visiting this place. And please get there early and check the schedule of events including feedings, shows, and releases.
Only $5 for an adult and the people that work here are great! It's tiny, and a quick trip, but really cool! We got to see birds(owls and bald eagles), seahorses, turtles, sting rays and fish and even a little octopus! You can touch the rays and watch a feeding too. Cute little gift shop too. I encourage supporting this place.
What a great little gem. This is a place of education but primarily one of animal care. The people that work here are positive and very informative. In addition to turtle rehabilitation and care, they have some local marine animals like a live octopus. If you want o learn about the marine wildlife in this area of Florida, then stop in.
Let's start by stating the obvious. MSC is small no doubt but there is value to be had simply because the admission is very cheap and the inside displays along with the volunteers are both very, very good. Here's what they offer: The ever present ubiquitous gift shop area. Typical display of shirts, jewelry, books, toys, stuffed plush and various Chinese plastic trinkets. Not a lot here that appeals to us so we skipped it both on the way in and on the way out. The Turtle Terrace which is their rehab area for the sick/injured turtles that they take in from the surrounding area. They have signage outside which explains the conditions of the current turtles they have in their care along with a wall that shows the various items some of the prior patients ingested. We lucked out and showed up as a brief turtle talk was occurring from a volunteer which explained things far better than we would have been able to understand on our own. The classroom lab where we caught the end of a presentation on their red tailed hawk. The outdoor seabird rehab area which wasn't that interesting due to it's very small size and people's insistence on jamming far too many strollers into such a small area that only had two enclosures. The main indoor exhibit gallery which is the star of the show. They have a few touch tanks with rays and a variety of invertebrates such as horseshoe crabs, anemones, sea urchins and hermit crabs. The volunteers at the tanks were fantastic at explaining the who, what, when, where, why of what you're looking at. MSC doesn't have the bells and whistles of a large aquarium or science center but hopefully you didn't come expecting that. You're looking at maybe at an hour or an hour and change tops. They don't have a lot but what they do have is fab especially when combined with a visit to the nearby Ponce de Leon Inlet Light all of the which equaled a great afternoon. If you go: Winter Hours: (Labor Day to Memorial Day) Tuesday - Saturday 10 am-4 pm Sunday 12 noon to 4 pm Closed Monday Summer Hours: (Memorial Day to Labor Day) Tuesday - Saturday 10 am-5 pm Sunday 12 noon to 5 pm Closed Monday Admission: Seniors - $4 Adults (13 and over) - $5 Youth (3 - 12) - $2 Youth 2 and under - free
It's small, but is only $8... it's not an aquarium like you're used to, it's a rehab center. There's a few fish tanks (seahorses, crabs, puffer fish, urchins, big eyed fish, bioluminescent fish & coral), Ray tank for touching & feeding, turtle tank, & birds outside (eagles, pelicans, & seagulls). There's also a nature trail, but we didn't do that because it was so muggy & hot when we went. The best part is knowing you're helping to support marine animal rehab... watching a sea turtle do physical therapy was pretty cool!
It was a perfect 1-2 outting for my 8,10 and 12 year old. It was $31 for our family of five which was nice. There is a "touch tank" to touch and feed stingrays. Browse the turtle hospital and watch turtles being worked on on a screen. We sat through a short reptile lesson in a classroom too. Definitely worth it for the price.
4 years ago
Truly an incredible experience! The volunteers and staff were also very friendly and amazing. We were able to see the seahorse feeding and also feed the rays! Don't forget to check out the bird sanctuary as well, it's quite a small center but there was still a lot to see and enjoy! We learned a lot there and seeing the turtle rehab had us in awh read more
2 years ago
This is an amazing gem. I have been here several times on my trips to Florida and always make a point to stop in. There is a touch tank as well as some other aquariums. On the outer porch you can see where they are rehabilitating the sea turtles. A small but nice gift shop. There is another area where they have birds. I really enjoyed the short nature trail which leads to a deck which you can look out on the land and I even saw an osprey there. It is not very expensive and you know the money is going to a good cause. read more
3 years ago
For the price, I didn't feel like this was worth it. I am an educator and believe is supporting the mission of MSC. My kids enjoyed the 10 minute talk where they brought out a snake. And we got to watch them help a turtle love on a TV screen. I wouldn't go ahead for the price I paid for a family of 4. read more
3 years ago
Went here on a rainy day and loved it! Staff are so nice and clearly passionate about the center. read more
I want a pet Stingray! So for $8 you donate to a great cause and get to pet stingrays. We just missed feeding the seahorses, but the stingrays are like puppies and come to get a 2 finger pet. They have an amazing turtle rehab and hospital. You can learn about where they found the turtles, its injury or sickness and how its treated. One of the volunteers gave great info on all the stations. They have a reptile room, with local critters. Then they have the bird sanctuary, with 2 bald eagles, injured pelicans and seagulls and various hawks and owls. I could spend hours petting the rays and watching the animals. We also bought a beautifull hand painted Christmas ornament with stingray. read more
What a fun way to spend an afternoon visiting the Marine Science Center. Make sure to visit right before the Stingray feedings at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. You get to learn all about stingrays and feed them shrimp, and fish pieces right out of your hands. They also have a bird sanctuary with two bald American eagles, owls, and other types of birds. read more
What a awesome gem ! I came here with my family and the turtle + bird rescue sanctuary was amazing! All the volunteers were so knowledgeable and friendly and the hourly feedings or activities were so insightful. We loved petting the stingrays and seeing the turtle sanctuary and learning about the injuries, treatment and recovery for the animals. I highly recommend for any animal lover. I think they should raise their prices as it was $8 per adult and I left there wanting to donate money to help their mission and animals. read more
3 years ago
Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome. We really loved this place. Very reasonably priced. Located about 10 minute from the beaches. The staff here was very knowledgable, friendly and top notch. We got there just as they were feeding all of the animals, which was way cool. They have a large moray eel, sea horses, octopus, turtles, eagles, hawks, owls, and the friendliest sting rays you ever could meet. It was almost like the sting rays in the petting pool were about to climb out of the pool. My 3 year was a bit scared of petting the sting rays, but I think that was still her favorite part. They also operate a turtle rescue there and while we were there saw them actually work on one through their observation window. Periodically, they have a release of one of the rescued turtles (you have to check their website for times, locations and dates.) They had an informative and entertaining horned owl, seahorse and octopus (who knew they were so smart) show during our visit. They have a rescue bird part of the center across the parking lot from the center where you can see various birds of prey from 2 bald eagles to hawks. Parking was not difficult. They have a private parking lot which you should check first. If that is full then they have reserved parking spots along the street. So, I recommend visiting this place. And please get there early and check the schedule of events including feedings, shows, and releases. read more
Only $5 for an adult and the people that work here are great! It's tiny, and a quick trip, but really cool! We got to see birds(owls and bald eagles), seahorses, turtles, sting rays and fish and even a little octopus! You can touch the rays and watch a feeding too. Cute little gift shop too. I encourage supporting this place. read more
7 years ago
What a great little gem. This is a place of education but primarily one of animal care. The people that work here are positive and very informative. In addition to turtle rehabilitation and care, they have some local marine animals like a live octopus. If you want o learn about the marine wildlife in this area of Florida, then stop in. read more
10 years ago
Let's start by stating the obvious. MSC is small no doubt but there is value to be had simply because the admission is very cheap and the inside displays along with the volunteers are both very, very good. Here's what they offer: The ever present ubiquitous gift shop area. Typical display of shirts, jewelry, books, toys, stuffed plush and various Chinese plastic trinkets. Not a lot here that appeals to us so we skipped it both on the way in and on the way out. The Turtle Terrace which is their rehab area for the sick/injured turtles that they take in from the surrounding area. They have signage outside which explains the conditions of the current turtles they have in their care along with a wall that shows the various items some of the prior patients ingested. We lucked out and showed up as a brief turtle talk was occurring from a volunteer which explained things far better than we would have been able to understand on our own. The classroom lab where we caught the end of a presentation on their red tailed hawk. The outdoor seabird rehab area which wasn't that interesting due to it's very small size and people's insistence on jamming far too many strollers into such a small area that only had two enclosures. The main indoor exhibit gallery which is the star of the show. They have a few touch tanks with rays and a variety of invertebrates such as horseshoe crabs, anemones, sea urchins and hermit crabs. The volunteers at the tanks were fantastic at explaining the who, what, when, where, why of what you're looking at. MSC doesn't have the bells and whistles of a large aquarium or science center but hopefully you didn't come expecting that. You're looking at maybe at an hour or an hour and change tops. They don't have a lot but what they do have is fab especially when combined with a visit to the nearby Ponce de Leon Inlet Light all of the which equaled a great afternoon. If you go: Winter Hours: (Labor Day to Memorial Day) Tuesday - Saturday 10 am-4 pm Sunday 12 noon to 4 pm Closed Monday Summer Hours: (Memorial Day to Labor Day) Tuesday - Saturday 10 am-5 pm Sunday 12 noon to 5 pm Closed Monday Admission: Seniors - $4 Adults (13 and over) - $5 Youth (3 - 12) - $2 Youth 2 and under - free read more
4 years ago
It's small, but is only $8... it's not an aquarium like you're used to, it's a rehab center. There's a few fish tanks (seahorses, crabs, puffer fish, urchins, big eyed fish, bioluminescent fish & coral), Ray tank for touching & feeding, turtle tank, & birds outside (eagles, pelicans, & seagulls). There's also a nature trail, but we didn't do that because it was so muggy & hot when we went. The best part is knowing you're helping to support marine animal rehab... watching a sea turtle do physical therapy was pretty cool! read more
4 years ago
It was a perfect 1-2 outting for my 8,10 and 12 year old. It was $31 for our family of five which was nice. There is a "touch tank" to touch and feed stingrays. Browse the turtle hospital and watch turtles being worked on on a screen. We sat through a short reptile lesson in a classroom too. Definitely worth it for the price. read more
4 years ago
I LOVED THIS PLACE! it's small but there's so much to look at, and it's very inexpensive! they have lots of tanks of fish and crabs and sea horses, and you can even take a look inside their turtle hospital, where they tell you about how they look after the turtles that are brought in! my favorite part was definitely the sting ray petting area though! the rays are very sweet and love pets, and you get to feed them too! all the workers and volunteers are very friendly as well. they also have a separate area with birds that you can walk through, which was really cool! would definitely recommend stopping by! read more
8 years ago
Rainy beach day led to a discovery of the Marine Science Center! Staff was so helpful and great with our kids! Love the mission of the turtle rescue and seeing their work first hand. Kids loved all the hands on! Great value as well. read more
14 years ago
Looking for things to do with young children while visiting Daytona Beach? Have a kid-like fascination with marine life and beautiful birds of prey? This is a good option. The Marine Science Center is interactive in all the ways children love. There are real live turtles being nursed back to health in giant pools as well as many things to see and touch! There are a few aquariums just tall enough for your little ankle biters to get an eye level view of some interesting sea creatures. There is also a shallow pool for touching sting rays and hermet crabs, but watch out for the clawless lobster in a separate shallow tank. He's an aggressive little fart! He had no idea just how lucky he is I didn't have a pot , a burner and some butter! A science room in the rear has arts and crafts for kids to color and make little keepsakes from their visit. All kinds of dead things in jars and lab microscopes to examine a few special samples like sand. Honestly, sand viewed under a microscope looks very sharp and dangerous. Our kids found it to be fascinating stuff. Ongoing educational movies on marine life continuously played on the TV's. Other items in the room included a sample of shed Anaconda skin that freaked out the ladies in our group. During our time, one staff member came in the room with a turtle and did an impromptu presentation. The kids were thrilled! There is a nice walking garden outside and across the parking lot is a bird sanctuary. There we found beautiful bald eagles and several other birds of prey, including a Red-Tailed Hawk that made the most awesome screeching sound... just like you hear in western movies (check out what I mean here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33DWqRyAAUw He was a real beauty but the bird keeper told me he was annoyed because we kept calling out to him to make the screeching sound again. I disagree since he was doing it long before anyone came into his area. Sounded to me like he was saying "Hey bro, get me outta here!" LOL THE VERDICT Not the best value, but it was inexpensive enough to keep the kids interested for a couple of hours. Be sure to check out the lighthouse nearby. You could make an entire afternoon of your visit between these two attractions. Yelp100 [5] read more
10 years ago
Small but fun and educational. Kids will be amused, especially the littlest ones. There's different presentations throughout the day. The main attraction is petting and/or feeding the stingrays & sharks. Be sure to check out the turtle and bird rehabilitation center. You'll see eagles, hawks, owls, etc. In addition, there's a short nature trail that leads to a tower that overlooks the beach. read more
18 years ago
Great things come in small packages The Marine Science Center in Volusia County is very small, and is no bigger than a small apartment clubhouse. However, this small facility is packed with tons of cool ocean wildlife and hands-on exhibits. The Good: So much to see!: from seahorses to alligators and sharks (in their juvinile form) this science center is sure to please kids and their parent with their wide array of marine life. Save the Turtles!: The Marine Science center has a separate unit that is just focused on saving turtles. You can see the wounded and rehabilitated turtles from behind glass. Cheap: It's $5 for adults, $2 for kids, and is good for at least a few hours of entertainment for families. And hey, it's cheaper (and cooler!) than the movies! The Bad: N/A read more
5 years ago
3 years ago
8 years ago
Small building with a few aquariums and a turtle hospital with observation areas. 2 "touch stations" with very knowlegable staff. I really enjoyed myself even though the building is tiny. Check out the bird section and the exhibits outside on the decks. We visited the Ponce De Leon Light Station and Museum after and within walking distance. Both family friendly for all ages. read more
6 years ago
It is really tiny!!!! There aren't that many parking spaces available so parking at a street parking which blocks the pedestrian walkway was kind of challenging. And inside, it was hard to navigate the stroller as the space was tiny. However, it is nice that they have turtle clinic. Anyways, I didn't feel bad because admission was only $5. read more
8 years ago
7 years ago
7 years ago
9 years ago
After a trip to the lighthouse we decided to check out the marine center. The facility was small but everyone was so knowledgeable and we learned a few new things. Worth a visit for sure! read more
8 years ago
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. read more
9 years ago
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. read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
Cheap trip for the kids. $20 for three adults and two kids. Lots of cool things for the to see and touch. Loved petting the stingrays.. Something easy on a rainy day read more
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More info about Marine Science Center
100 Lighthouse Dr
Ponce Inlet, FL 32127
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(386) 304-5545
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http://marinesciencecenter.com
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