It's a great little educational center and you can tell they have put a lot of heart and love into this place. It's a great place for kiddos to learn and touch sea life. The rays were my son's favorite part and I was completely captivated by the sea horses. We attended a bird presentation and it was super informative and the kids enjoyed that as well. read more

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

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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. read more

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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. read more

Marine Science Center - Picking up pieces of fish to feed the stingrays. - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

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

Marine Science Center - Live view turtle procedures - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

Went here on a rainy day and loved it! Staff are so nice and clearly passionate about the center. read more

Marine Science Center - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

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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

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Went here on a whim last weekend and had a great time! Everyone there is super welcoming. We got to watch the seahorses get fed which was fascinating and the guy demonstrating was great at teaching the mixed audience there. We also got to feed the sting rays and a few select people got to feed the sharks there (small guys). Again the presentation was engaging and everyone was made to feel very comfortable to feed the sting rays. It was fantastic! I never got to do this before. There are many other small exhibits in the area including a teaching room with skeletons and other diagrams. There are also a few sea turtles that are in various stages of rehab outside. Unfortunately the bird watching tower and trail is closed because of hurricane damage, but you can still go see some bald eagles and pelicans that have been rescued and are unable to be released into the wild. We were looking for an aquarium, but found this place instead where you get to see a bunch of different animals, not just fish, and support a great cause, was fantastic! Please go visit! 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

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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

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Wonderous experience! Feed the stingrays Check out the tortoise hospital and the lion fish read more

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

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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

Marine Science Center - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

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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

Marine Science Center - Octopus in viewing tank - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

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

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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

Marine Science Center - Big eyed fish - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

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

Marine Science Center - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

Wow. The Marine Science Center is an excellent educational venue for people of all ages (but especially for kids). It's not a huge aquarium. It's not super-high-tech with all sorts of corporate presentations. It is nice, and intimate, and filled to the brim with all sorts of informative and interactive things. You will get a good view of the turtle rescue area. These people nurse and rehabilitate hundreds if not thousands of turtles back into the wild every year. They do some bird rehab, too. (Though we did not check that out on this visit.) But there are many things to see there. There are also a good number of tanks for everyone to get a close-up view of different species of marine life, and there are at least two hands on experiences where you can feel up some sea urchins and pet sting rays and skates and the occasional crab. Interactive is the name of the game, as I said before: especially suited for children. At certain times of the day, you'll get to see them feed the animals, and there's always time for audience Q&A. Staff is very knowledgeable, and they're all very good educators. Speaking of which, during the school year, the Marine Science Center is a major educational destination for school groups. During our visit (which was near the start of summer break) we still saw plenty of vacationing folks, but it wasn't that crowded at all. Staff was very friendly and took the time to converse with us personally and at length about all kinds of conservation issues. Plus, there's a cool gift shop where you can score things you might not find in any of the other tourist-trap tchotchke shops. I'll definitely visit again, someday. Holler if you're coming with. read more

This is a fun and inexpensive place for adults and kids. The turtle rehab center is not open right know but there is plenty to do. They have rays that you can touch and feed at feeding time. Several aquaramines with turtles and fish, sea horses, and octopuses that also feed for you to see. They have starfish also. They have a bird rescue area with many interesting birds. They have a small play ground area for the kids and a gift shop read more

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

Marine Science Center - sting ray pool - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

Pros: 1) cheap admission at $5-6 each 2) you can pet stingrays! We didn't want to stop petting stingrays. Loved it! My son was scared at first but then didn't want to leave. Cons: 1) aquarium is small read more

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

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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

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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

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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

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Super cute little place near the inlet to get some good ole animal interaction. Would definitely recommend to those with kids

Always take my guests and visitors to the MSC! Educational, interesting and great information!

LOVED this experience. Very small, intimate setting with incredibly knowledgeable staff. They have done an amazing job setting this up to be so informative and engaging considering the size. They have a viewing area for when they are doing the nursing of animals and was able to see several sea turtles being treated. The staff educated us on what had happened to each one and what the staff were doing to help them recover. Great experience I would recommend to anyone in the area for such an affordable rate. read more

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. read more

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

Marine Science Center - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

We had a wonderful visit. The docents were very educational. They do an amazing job rehabilitating animals that can be returned to the wild, and take great care of the ones who can't to serve as ambassadors for their species. We all need to learn about our natural world so we can appreciate and work towards conservation. And it is a very affordable outing for anyone needing something fun that doesn't break the bank. read more

The kids love this place. Very cheap to get in. Lots for the kids to do and see. Sting Ray petting is a big hit. The Turtles are something else. Very beautiful creatures. Only draw back is they wouldn't let me bring in the saddle I brought to ride them. 5 stars! read more

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

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We are so glad we came here, it's cool inside so nice to get out of the heat. But WOW the staff was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. My daughter touched starfish and sting rays. We were very impressed with the Girl Scout project showing the plastic that's littered and the years it takes to decompose. We walked out of there sad at how much trash is endangering our ocean wildlife... but we are not advocating for the cause! read more

Absolutely waste of time and money. All they got is few fishes and birds. They do not have any sea turtles that they claim to have. The only good thing about this place is they got a parking. I came here with my family and it was an absolute waste of time, my kids didn't enjoy the place & wanted to leave ASAP. We left in less than 15 mins read more

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

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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

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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

Marine Science Center - They're friendly, don't worry - Aquariums Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

If you're looking for a way to kill some time this is a good place to go. It's only 5 bucks for adults and 3 bucks for kids. Not only is it a marine center but its also a turtle hospital. They treat injured turtles of all sizes and rehab them before returning them to the sea. You can look through the windows and see the recovering turtles in their tanks. They also have touch screen monitors where you can click on a turtle's name and get all their info like their age, breed, injury, etc. In the science center they have a bunch of little aquariums with different kinds of fish and other sea creatures. They have a sting ray touch pool which is really neat. They have a window looking into the operating room where you can watch actual procedures being done on the turtles. Overall it's very educational and lots of fun. read more

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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