Marine Science Center Ponce Inlet FL Review

Very interesting place. There was a $5 charge which was well worth the visit and seeing how the money was spent was satisfying. We were there at 1:00 when the staff were feeding the manatee. They were very knowledgeable and informative.
You can view the sea turtle hospital from the 2nd floor observation deck. There are many aquariums to see.
The bird rehabilitation area was interesting and you get to see birds that you may have never seen before.
Nice selection of jewelry in the gift shop.

My grandson loves coming here! Everyone is so kind and it s a great place to learn about marine life!

Fun little place, the kids like the touch tank with the stingrays and you can watch them work with the turtles and tortoises.

Great place to take kids and learn about our ocean friends.

When we first went in, there was a squirrel that greeted us. It was really cool being able to touch the Sting Rays, my son especially loved it!! We got to see the GINORMOUS Eel come out from his lair, so that was awesome!! We saw some other interesting fish, as well as fresh water and salt water creatures. Then we went outside to the Bird Sanctuary, now those were some great birds!! Some in which put on a show. We hope they are able to get well soon and have a fighting chance of a better life. It's great to have places like this for our youth to be able to experience it and explore their curiosities.

Outstanding! We have visited the last 2 years when in Florida. Educational and fun for kids and adults.

Really awesome experience for young children. What they are doing here is awesome. Just under construction right now and very small. If you are local it's worth the visit. Not necessarily worth a long drive.

Go! The touch tank is awesome, and they have wonderful informative talks about native species. They rehabilitate turtles and you can often see baby turtles there. They have crafts and lots of hands on projects. So great!

Really cool place for everybody.
They have a nature walk,bird sanctuary, and the marine center to learn about the turtles and other aquatic life.The petting of the stingrays are really fun to do

Took kids 2 and 4 years old on a windy over cast day. Everyone enjoyed the experience. Shows turtles in rehabilitation environment and had stingrays petting pool. Outside there was a great bird exhibit as well. 5 dollars for adults, 4 for seniors and children 2 and under 3 free

Great for a family outing on a rainy day in Daytona! My six year old son really enjoyed the exhibits and marine life on display! Really a great attraction for any day. It is a small place but for the price and experience it was worth it. Don't expect a huge science center tho, which is what we like. Small, friendly, fun, and educational is what this place is about. Very friendly and informative staff attentive to your every question around each corner ensures you to leave learning something new! Six thumbs up here!

We love visiting the Marine Science Center when we're in the area. There are always educational opportunities throughout the center and you can see the wonderful work they're doing with the animals. The admission price is very nominal. It's a great place to spend a few hours!

I visit this center when I am in the area. My grandchildren love to learn about the marine life especially through the hands on experiences. The sea turtles ( and other animal) rescue and rehabilitation are inspiring and make a person more aware of the unintentional harm we do to animals.

Love the turtles & learning about the sea turtles in the Turtle ICU... what was wrong with them; when and if they can be released back into the wild; the danger plastic grocery bags bring to the turtle. They think they are jelly fish and eat them, but they can't digest the plastic. It blocks their intestines. Some turtles they can save. Some die from starvation.

Really cool and educational place. Loved our visit. They are doing so much to rehabilitate turtles and other wildlife. So much to see when you are here and there is a nice park right near the property. Minutes from the ocean and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse.

Awesome educational facility and staff! Great for everyone.

Very cool place to take small children. It's not huge, but it's about the right size for younger children with short attention spans. We tend to go every year, as it's also a great alternative to spending all day on the beach.

Nice but not very big. Only 5 dollars per adult isn't bad. Liked petting the sting rays.

Very nice and a great friendly knowledgeable staff! A great turtle day!

AMAZING THE STINGRAYS ARE JUST AMAZING MY DAUGHTER IS 7 AND SHE LOVED IT

This was a lot of fun I have lived down here for almost 30 years and this was the first time I have ever been. Getting to see all the different sea animals and birds and learning about all the different things was so much fun

We attended the marine science center with a field trip group. The staff were all very polite and attentive. Each display was child accessible and easy to view for even my smallest son. It was very clean and easy to navigate we can't wait to return

This place is awesome! We found it by accident about 20 minutes before they closed. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time to see the birds but will take a ride back to see them.

Pretty cool place to check out some marine life and help out a good cause. Definitely worth checking out.

Great place to learn about sea turtles as well as other sea creatures, get to pet a stingray.

Its ok. It used to be better, more to see. Spending extra time with the sting rays you can touch your pretty much done with the hole thing including the sea birds in around 30 mins. So if your planing a day out make sure to make other plans too because the marine center is a quick pit stop

A great place to visit and support there Sea Turtle rehabilitation efforts.

Great place where they are doing great things for wildlife.

Interesting for the kids. Fun to feed the sting rays. The birds were a little sad, but overall a good time

Loved coming here as a kid and the upgrades they have made are so great! My son loved the exhibits and having some of them at his level was my favorite part. The staff and volunteers were so kind and helpful!

My kids had a blast!! So awesome getting to pet the stingrays

Great educational place to see sea critters. Don't miss the bird rehab center across the parking lot.

This is a great but very inexpensive place to take your family if you're looking for something to do in the Daytona Beach / Ponce Inlet area. The staff here is friendly and accommodating and they have some fun exhibits for people to interact with. Depending on the time you go you may also be able to witness some turtles being released back into the sea after being rehabilitated.

My grandson had an absolute blast. You even get to see the doctor the turtles and feed the sting rays.

We really enjoyed visiting! Lots of interesting things to see!

It was small, but I appreciate what they are doing here. Good for kids but we were adults and a little underwhelmed.

Touring both the bird and marine life areas took about an hour. Not a big place, but education was awesome. Lots of trails, too!

Really fun place to go with the family. Fun and interactive exhibits. Staff is among the most friendly and helpful that I've seen at a science center. Went out of there way to make sure my while family had a good time and knew everything we needed to know about the exhibits. Don't forget the bird rehab center across the parking lot.

I was there at an open house and it was crazy, busy. I m going back to visit when there are less people, because I think the work that they are doing is amazing! Thanks for taking care of these animals that need us! Bravo!

Thoroughly enjoyed the center. Was lucky enough to see the release of Nutmeg.

The touch tank with the beautiful, friendly, curious sting rays is worth 5 stars alone. Feeding the rays was a highlight for me! Beautiful creatures! Friendly, knowledgeable staff is eager to educate you- they clearly love their jobs! Love the mission of this place, too! Rescue, rehab, release! Keep up the good work!!

A great educational place to visit. I loved petting the stingrays.

It costs money to get into all of the attractions, but they have board walks allowing you to look at some. For example the birds - you are able to see them, but not go into the building without paying. A bummer, but I had a good time nonetheless.

Nice place, interactive displays. I loved the touch pool.

People are great. Small place but very well done!!

Brilliant. We loved it. You get to touch stingrays and the staff were very interactive with lots of information.

#travelformortals

Great value for money, good lectures, only $ 5 admission, also has a skate pool where you can pet-sting

It is not a crazy tourist stop, but a pleasant outing for anyone interested in Marine life.

Excellent place to take the grandkids. They have lots of wild life and some hands on activities.

Great place. Informative for all ages. Small but lots to see. Will visit again.

Good place for kids to see the animals and they answer questions that anybody have about the different species that they have.

Small place but the experience my son had was fantastic! He spent 4 hours learning about sea life and getting a hands on education. The staff was amazing and took a personal liking to my son and went above and beyond to make sure he had a good time. We will definitely return

A working Marine Science Center with some nice aquariums and very good walking tours. It is basically one large room, however.

Great little place to see fun things. Great for kids.

What a cool place to visit after a short drive south from Daytona Beach! There is parking right off the main street (Lighthouse Dr.) in the area. There a numerous nature walking paths with one leading to an observation tower. At the actual science center, there are a few rooms with numerous exhibits! They have all sorts of facts and information about tons of different species. They have local fish, turtles (including rehabilitating sea turtles!), and other sorts of aquatic species here. It is very kid and family friendly, with them also having a few touch tanks . They have a tiny gift store between the entrance and the exhibit gallery. This place does get a little crowded but overall, it is without a doubt worth visiting if you are in the area.

Great little place to take the kids to learn about how important conservation is for our environment. They also care for injured sea turtles and such animals. Wonderful place to add to you day out in Daytona!

Super friendly staff. Was small but that meant less walking and still kept us entertained for quite some time.

A great way to spend time! It is very informative and fun to see all the creatures! Best choice for more fun!!

This was a really cool place. They had a bird area too, across the parking lot.

Freindly, informative staff. A great place to visit with the family.

I learned so much visiting the Marine Science. Staff very courteous, knowledgeable and friendly. Well worth the price of admission, which is reasonable.

My kids loved feeding the sting ray and learning about sea turtle rehabilitation

Not much going on. The lady that checked me in was just going to send me on my way after I purchased my way in, I had to ask for proof that I bought a ticket because she didn't give me anything, no ticket or receipt or anything. So then she gave me a stamp on my arm that was almost invisible, I asked for a second coat and after that it still looked like I had gotten the stamp yesterday, slept on it, then returned today. AFTER purchasing my ticket she told me the sea turtles are not there due to construction or something. I can't complain too much since the price was only $5. But I truly wouldn't even feel it was worth that. The exhibit was so small and there wasn't hardly anything to do or look at (which at a science center I'd expect a little more hands-on things). The bird sanctuary was a very short walk. Beautiful birds- but it ended quickly like everything else. The stingrays might've been a nice touch but the associates were so strict and naggy that it ruined the experience. I ended up feeling so ridiculed that I left the stingray pool before I even got to touch one. My husband used to work at Wonders of Wildlife in Springfield, MO and their stingray pool is so much better and more friendly and enjoyable. You get plenty of sweet moments with the stingrays of all ages and sizes. So I guess I might just not be used to such a small and strict version of the experience. Aside from one lady talking about the stingrays there weren't other teachings or demonstrations going on so it was just very disappointing. Again it was only $5 and kids are $2-$4 so it might be good for a quick and affordable stop for families with kids that might enjoy it a little. On the brighter side the ladies in the gift shop were very friendly and helpful and we did enjoy ourselves there. My family and I decided to view our ticket prices as donations for the rehabilitation of the animals because the center itself didn't seem worth it. But we're happy to contribute to the rehab they do for the animals.

It was raining, very heavily, so instead of the beach headed to this little gem.
It's not vast and only cost $5. The entrance is windy via a wooden path with some features in the garden area. In the building they hold 'classes' on marine biology (none running when I visited) and they have a few rooms with various specimens to view and interact with. They have microscopes out for you to use and look at the details of the very small.
In the wet area they have various lifeforms swimming about where you can stroke a ray. They can move quickly!
There was a volunteer student at the time of my visit and he was talking about the various crustaceans and allowing people to stoke them; carefully. He was very knowledgeable and a personable chap. The puffer fish (balloon fish) called Bella was lovely (not allowed to touch) and she popped her head up with the cutest smile from time-to-time, but then got camera shy.
It was a good place to shelter from the downpour for 20 minutes. If marine biology is your thing you could indeed spend much more time here.

Great little place for the price. My grandson loved the petting pool.

Neat place to learn about some of the wildlife in the area. Not a large venue but it's inexpensive and pretty cool.

Great learning experience for our 6 year old son. He loved it!

Room with sea horses and snake skins was super interesting. Love the aquarium of tiny seahorses best

Had a nice time at the Marine Science Center, fun place for kids. It's not very big, but there are a lot of marine animals on exhibit and today there was a nice presentation about raptors in the classroom.

Wonderful place to visit. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. The education was well designed and I would recommend this center to everyone interested in marine life.

Amazing place! Chad and Michelle especially, buy all the others there helping as well were wonderful! Patient with my kids million and one statements and questions etc. You could tell they love their jobs and the animals there. Try to stay for all the feeding times and talks, they were worth it.

Fun to feed the stingrays and see all the sea world and turtles

I love this place! When I first came to Daytona, I came here with some family members and feel in love! Now being in Daytona for 2 years, I am now a volunteer at the Bird Hospital and I love it! Highly recommend this place for families and people of all ages!

Great turtle and bird rescue hospital with an educational program and at least one hands on exhibit.