This is a cool volunteer-run rescue facility that primarily cares for sea turtles... but has also taken in other animals that were injured or that people adopted as pets but were unwilling or unable to care properly for them. While the lobby/entry area is free to visit and has mostly snakes in cages, seeing the other animals requires a tour. We paid $11 apiece for a group tour in the off season, without advance reservations. The tour was very informative, and we learned the stories behind each of the captive animals. Those giving the tour were able to answer most of the questions that were asked. The facility is sponsored by a number of local businesses, and animals seemed to be generally well cared for. A visit here is time well spent. read more

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Fun tour of their tanks and enclosures. Not a huge facility but enough to take an hour tour and another short walk around their 'boardwalk'. For the fee it's a great experience and the site runs fully on donations so another win! read more

A truly worthy endeavor staffed by knowledgeable, kind and courageous caregivers. Kylie (hope I spelled your name right?) took WONDERFUL care of us (moi and herself) This organization is a nonprofit and they do incredibly important work with local injured animals, particularly but not limited to, sea turtles. They have a variety of turtles that are in various stages of rehabilitation with plans to release although there are several that due to their injuries will be permanent residents. The guided tours are $11 for adults ... which is a HUGE value next to other activities on Mustang island or anywhere in the costal bend for that matter. If you are in the area and have an interest or love for the wildlife... this is a MUST on your itinerary! The staff are almost all volunteers and they clearly love what they do! Definitely come and experience this worthwhile organization and SUPPORT IT if you're able! It's a very good thing! read more

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So glad we found this spot! Had hoped to visit an aquarium, since we're visiting from the desert. This was a good middle option, a nonprofit that rehabilitates animals and marine life, with tours and reasonable pricing - $9/pp, ages 2 and under are free. We went as a small family group with an infant, and another family had small children in our group - I'll admit this may be more for adults than small kids as there was a lot of talking, but it was great information and our tour guide was very sweet, unfortunately I do not remember her name. She was very knowledgeable and personable, and answered all of our questions. The main building has some snakes and reptiles on display, the outdoor tour includes their sea turtles (the focus) as well as birds, land turtles and a few others (did not see the ant eater). The stories behind the animals and their care is the highlight, and we spent a bit over an hour here. On a summer weekend, I would suggest calling ahead to make a reservation just in case. read more

We decided to come here instead of the aquarium because the price was more reasonable, we had a 2 year old, and they are a rescue organization. The place isn't very big so I think we were here less than an hour. If you plan on coming in the summer, make a reservation. We got the tour right away which told us about pretty much every animal in their care, what happened or likely hapoened to them, and whether they would be able to go back into the wild. The girl who gave our tour was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions. You can see all the animals up close but can't touch them. We only were able to touch one turtle. They had turtles, birds, snakes, lizards, and porcupines when we visited. We were able to push the baby in the stroller but it might be difficult if you don't have a stroller that can go through some sand. There are a few items for purchase if you'd like but not a ton. We did get a couple things to help support them. We all enjoyed our time here. read more

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On a recent trip to Corpus Christi in June, we decided to go alternate routes other than local tourist spots, such as the aquarium. We chose the Texas sea life center, and it was a great experience. We went in the morning when the rescuees were out and it wasn't too hot. My husband, myself, and our eight year old thoroughly enjoyed learning about local wildlife, sea turtles, snakes and even a monitor! All of the staff was pleasant and knowledgeable, made it a wonderful experience. Highly recommend this center. read more

Texas Sealife Center - Rescued sea turtles eating their breakfast. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

A fun small place to visit if you want to see animals on a budget. Our guide was great and love what this place stands for. read more

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This was such an informational experience! While you wait for the tour, you can look at some of the reptiles they have (monitor lizard, snakes, frogs). They also have some items in the gifts shop. You get a tour of the center with the sea turtles they are rehabilitating and eventually releasing as well as some of the permanent residents including a porcupine (if you're lucky, he likes his air conditioning) that must stay due to injury, abandonment, etc. Go support this organization it's amazing for families, couples, and anyone wanting to learn more about animals you may find on the island! read more

Texas Sealife Center - Green sea turtle recovering from a virus - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

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My husband and I came to Corpus Christi hoping to see baby sea turtles be released, but it wasn't the right weekend for that. Instead we found this place that rehabilitates turtles and homes local animals that have been injured, confiscated, or surrendered. This place is a great cause! They're so knowledgeable and care for their animals. My husband and I learned so much while we were here. Definitely recommend going here for quick stop on a family trip, great for kids, or anyone wanting to learn about animals. I'm a kid at heart and I loved it there! It's a $9 entrance fee. They don't allow pets. The only bad thing I can say about this place is that you can't touch or pet any of the animals, which is really for their safety and yours so that was fair! I thought we could just show up and see the animals, but I'm glad I called ahead to double check because they do recommend reserving for the tour! Luckily, I called 20 mins before the next and last tour for the day and was able to join! read more

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We decided to come here instead of the aquarium. We mainly came for my daughter who is 2.5 and I didn't think she'd last long enough at the aquarium to justify $40 a person for us adults. This was much more affordable at only $9 a person and even includes your own personal tour! This place isn't that big, I'd plan on spending an hour here which was perfect for us. They mainly rehabilitate animals that were injured or sick in some way, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. The tour showed us each animal, what happened to them, and how long they were expected to stay. The girl giving the tour was very knowledgeable. They had turtles, birds, reptiles, porcupines and more. Definitely worth visiting and supporting. read more

Texas Sealife Center - Bird - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

Worth to see. Boris stolen the spotlight. He's the star of the show . I do recommend it.

Great aquarium. Visited back at the end of May and we had a great time. The turtles were hilarious read more

Texas Sealife Center - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

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This is such a great find on the island. We usually just go to the beach but the weather was so cold that we looked for other things to do. This place is a hidden gem and worth the very reasonable entrance fee. There are tons of turtles, birds, and reptiles. The staff answers questions and tells you great personal stories about the animals. These folks do really amazing work to rehab their animal friends and we loved getting to visit. read more

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Such a great way to educate your whole family on the local wildlife! Their mission is to rescue and rehabilitate injured or stranded coastal and aquatic wildlife, educate and promote public awareness in the conservation efforts and releasing rescued wildlife back into their natural habitat. They currently have several different types of sea turtles, two raptors, a gorgeous Barn Owl, two cute Peregrine Falcons, various tortoises, a sweet African Crested Porcupine, a Harris's Hawk, a funny Crested Caracara, two cute American Kestrels, and a Savannah Monitor, two Axolotl and several boa constrictors. Our kids loved the experience and learned so much!! read more

Vacation trip and wanted to go somewhere different than Aquarium or Lexington. Although small and unassuming from entrance, was just perfect! Such dedicated volunteers working to rehab and release turtles, birds, was a great experience. read more

We love what they're doing here at Texas sea life center. Taking care of sick sea turtles and other species. Crystal was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable about every animal we saw. read more

The volunteers are very knowledgeable about the animals .It is a good experience to see the different turtles and other animals. I have never seen a sea turtle that big . All money goes to good cause to help turtles and probably research. You should definitely go check it out with your kiddo. read more

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Decided to check out with the family while passing through because of all the good reviews, but not quite what we expected. Pretty small indoor and outdoor areas and not a lot of animals to see or variety. We've been to several animal sanctuaries and aquarium type places, so I guess we were just expecting a little more. Our young tour guide talked really fast so it was hard to understand her. But it's for a good cause so I guess it was ok. read more

If you love and appreciate the wildlife there's no better way to show your support than to visit this non-profit organization. The amazing volunteers at the center work very hard with very limited means to tackle a huge problem: animals in need of emergency and long term critical care. This place reminds me of the early days of Sea Turtle Inc. in SPI. Buy your souvenirs here and make your dollar count for a very worthy cause. read more

We are local but had never been here. We visited in mid to end august. It was a fantastic facility ran by volunteers whom are very passionate about their duties here. It was very fun! I would highly recommend applying off or deet repellent prior to visiting this time of year as mosquitoes are an issue around bodies/ tanks of water. Would be a great learning opportunity for any age. read more

I really love this rescue. They do so much to take care of our coastal wildlife in and around North Pared Island and the coastal bend. They are a bit of a hidden gem that needs to be on everyone's list when they visit the island. There are so many amazing animals to see and so much to learn at their education center. And, don't let the small size you see from the road fool you. They have land behind the building with beautiful landscaping for the butterflies, wonderful enclosures for tortoises and birds, and even a variety of local mammals that can't be released. These animals are living a great life where they wouldn't survive back in the wild. They really make each visit incredible for all ages. I've been going a few times a year for a few years now, and they just keep getting better. I really love putting my tourist dollars into a nonprofit conservation group that really gives back. Plus, endangered sea turtles are amazing, and seeing them up close is something incredibly special! read more

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Super cool and informative tour. This place is doing awesome work with amazing animals. Big thank you to Maddie for the wonderful tour!

This place is an overlooked little gem in a bright blue building to your right just before you head off the island. We go out to north padre 3-4 times per year and never knew it was there until someone recommended it to us. They don't have a very visible sign, but the building itself is very visible (blue!) once you know to look for it. When you walk in, if you want a guided tour, it's $5 per person, and the money goes directly to the center and the animals they rescue. It's run mostly by volunteers and interns. The young lady that took us on our tour was actually attending the university of tn and had come to corpus for the summer specifically to intern at the center. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and was interesting (it kept the attention of my 5 year old) and informative. The center and all the rehab spaces are so well set up and you can tell they really care about and take care of their animals. Almost all of the sea turtles they have they're able to release back into the wild (and the public can attend, if you keep an eye on their Facebook page) and the other animals they have (lizards, snakes, tortoises, an opossum, squirrels, some raptors, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some) are animals that they've rescued but cannot be released back into the wild and are kept comfortable and for educational purposes. It's a really lovely little organization. Please go support it if you're in the area! read more

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So fascinating to see and learn about all the different animals they have rescued and rehabilitated! We saw sea turtles, land turtles, numerous reptiles and snakes, a peregrine falcon, and several other exotic birds and animals. Only a $5/person donation for a tour, which goes toward their mission of continuing to help save animals. Very small and unassuming place, but it was definitely worth our time! read more