The knowledge we received was worth the time. It's very informative and conservation minded. The gift shop is small but nice. We had lots of turtles to look at and feed. The hospital grounds are vast and nice. You should come and learn and help. read more

The Turtle Hospital - Turtle rehabilitation - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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We visited for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it! It was so nice to hear about everything that is being done to rehabilitate all different types of sea turtles. The ones who cannot be released back into the wild, it's clear they are being well cared for. It was so fun feeding the turtles in the large tank, and watching them swarm around us to get their treats. :) Highly recommend a visit if you've never been, your donation will greatly help these beautiful creatures. read more

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I'm sure it's a great cause they are working toward. The tour is, however, a slog through a rundown 50s hotel with turtles interspersed. It's about 3x longer (90 minutes) than is warranted. If it's a cause one supports it would be better just to send them a check. read more

What a fantastic story of a hotel turned into a haven for injured and sick turtles. My wife and I enjoyed the tour of this world class medical and rehabilitation facility. Support this organization and learn more out these wonderful creatures. A little pricy for a 90 minute tour, but worth supporting them. read more

Loved our experience at the Turtle Hospital . The tour was excellent and our guide took time explaining the inner workings of the hospital and answering all of our questions . You get a tour of the hospital and then you get to meet the patients and residents - the beautiful turtles! You even get to feed them if you want . It lasts about 90 minutes . We respected and appreciated what the hospital does so much that we adopted our very own turtle - Bubble Butt! You can too , at the end of the tour just ask in the gift shop . If you are in Marathon , the Turtle Hospital is definitely worth your time. You will learn a lot and discover a new appreciation for these beautiful creatures ! read more

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Even if you aren't a huge animal/ environment person, I can't more highly recommend and urge you to try and visit the Marathon Turtle Hospital and take a tour if you have the chance. Seriously. I've been to the Turtle Hospital up in Jupiter, FL but that was nothing compared to here. This hospital in Marathon is the largest turtle hospital in the country, so it's the big guns, the real deal. Also, when you do come make sure you book an appointment AHEAD of time, because they are a very popular, busy place and there's a low chance you'd be able to walk in and go on a tour right away. We were extremely fortunate that a large group canceled right at the time we went, so we were able to go right away, but few people will have that same luck. But thank goodness we were able to! Mary our guide was the most down-to-earth, easy person to listen to and she was so great at teaching us all about the turtles and what they do there at the hospital for them. It was for sure one of the highlights of our entire Keys trip. We were also super fortunate to see all 5 species of US sea turtles while there, which doesn't happen often either. And we even got to feed some of them at the end of our tour! Really, this is a top stop through the Keys and great for the kids/ family or really anyone!! read more

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Our daughters were so excited to visit! There were great and not so great points to our visit. The staff member who gave us our tour was definitely lacking. She was monotoned which was a bummer. She was rude to a few children in the front row who were talking when she was. I get it, talking when someone else is can be frustrating and is rude. But when they're small children she could've been a bit nicer. The group we were in had at least 25-30 people (if not more). There was a family who had a child with the worst cough I've ever heard so we tried to keep our distance. In doing so, that left us in the back of the group so the lady giving the tour was very difficult to hear and she didn't repeat anything once the back of the group actually caught up. When we arrived outside to the pools she put on a headset microphone, but it didn't project very well so we were once again left not hearing for the most part. I will take blame for not asking her to repeat herself, but you'd think that would just be common knowledge for someone instructing to either repeat or ask if she could be heard. Getting to feed the turtles was the highlight for my daughters. We did ask the woman how old the turtles in the large pool were and she replied with we don't know and there is no way to tell their age. I think a better answer could've been that they don't really know how to tell the age of the turtles and went on to explain more. Telling us the size of the turtle when it arrived and how long they have had it could've given us a better idea of if it was 2 years old or 20 years old. We were lucky enough to see a turtle on the operating table so that was really cool! My mother-in-law (70) and daughter (6) tilted their heads to see what was inside a pool that had a burlap blanket over it. The woman was rude and told them they weren't supposed to be looking there, even though they didn't touch anything. She rudely said something about having already told us that. My mother-in-law (who is deaf in 1 ear) said we didn't hear you and she replied with "Good Excuse". When walking out a couple in the group made a comment to us about how rude that lady was and how they were unable to hear/understand most of what the instructor was saying as well. My overall experience was just okay. Paying over $125 for 4 people should've come with a much friendlier staff member and maybe some compassion. I'm not entirely sure if we will ever be back. If you go, hopefully you have a better experience than we did. read more

Good educational fun. About a third of a day kinda thing. A little classroom school room learning then a tour of the property. Enjoyable and educational. Great for kids. read more

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One of the Keys' most majestic creatures, the sea turtle, is often on the receiving end of the harshness of living in the ocean. Ingesting debris, entanglements, boat hits, and tumor growths are major reasons as to why these turtles may find themselves in need of human aide. The Sea Turtle Hospital receives many turtles each year and helps get them rehabilitated and, if possible, reunited with their natural ecosystem. On the tour, you can see turtles of all ages, ailments, and abilities being lovingly cared for by the staff that live on property. You can even watch surgeries live on the tour if one happens to be going on during your visit. If you're a lover of ocean life, make sure you don't miss this stop in Marathon, Florida. As of Summer 2023, tours can be reserved in advance for $30 per person. read more

The Turtle Hospital - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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Loved getting to visit The Turtle Hospital today! Our guide Ann was very knowledgeable and gave a great presentation on all the amazing work the hospital does to give Florida sea turtles a second chance at life! The guided tour was awesome, and we got to see turtles of all different species, sizes, and conditions. We also got to feed the turtles that are permanent residents. The gift shop also had lots of adorable merch, and sales go right back into caring for the amazing animals housed here. Highly recommend visiting! read more

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A must-do if you are in the Keys, especially if you have little ones. The tour is highly educational; however, it's a little bit sad at times because you see injured/sick turtles :( It lasts around 90 minutes. We had a wonderful tour guide. Unfortunately, I can't remember her name, but she was delightful. They will talk about the different species of turtles, the history of the hospital, the various staff members, etc. My favorite part of the tour was feeding the turtles. The price of admission is $29 per adult. All the money goes into helping out these beautiful creatures. 5 stars. Excellent experience. read more

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Enjoyed the place, especially knowing that we were helping rescue sea turtles. Don't mind Arlo A.'s comment; we were one of the dozen people behind them in line. No one wants to wait on idiots to fill out their paperwork. There are signs and QR codes posted as well as tablets available to fill out the waivers ahead of time; they just didn't pay attention, and sometimes it sucks to be stupid. read more

. A good place to visit. They take walk-ins but I suggest reserving your spot online. I came here before and couldn't get in because they were completely booked and they book fast. It'easier to do online because you have to sign waivers. . . . The place is easy to spot. It has a big sign with a turtle picture on it and the building is painted bright greenish. The hospital has plenty of parking spaces. . . . When you book the tour, you pick the time. They run on time. The tour is 90 minutes and around $30. It is worth it. Bring sunglasses and sunblock. it is bright out mostly covered. . . . The tour starts with a short, sit-down, air-conditioned, educational, presentation. It was a great learning experience. . . . The next step was the operating rooms. Here you learn the different types of treatments they do to turtles. They introduce the patient's names that are now staying here and the conditions they have. . . . They take you on a guided tour to the back side where they have three big tanks with turtles. After that you go and see smaller tanks and more turtles, I was fortunate to have gotten to see hatchlings. It is hot here lol. . . . The last tank thing I remember was this huge pool with large turtles swimming all around. I was able to feed them. This is a working hospital so as you are doing the tour. Workers are around you working. I got to see one of the turtles get a scrub. It was cute. . . . This nonprofit hospital does a great job. The price was well worth the visit. read more

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Sign a waiver and make 90 minutes to go see some awesome turtles! It was cool to learn about what to look for and feel the passion of our guide, Melissa. We saw around 40 turtles? It was kinda sad to see limbs taken off but a great reminder to clean up the garbage and fishing lines! read more

The Turtle Hospital - Turtle made items - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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This is a must stop if you are in the keys!! Price is $30 for adults & $15 for kids. It's well worth the experience you get! You are up close to these beautiful animals. The staff are very knowledgeable and so nice! We all learned so much and it was so cool to see the work they do there. You get a tour of the facility, meet & feed turtles and hear a very informative presentation on sea turtles. There is also a gift shop at the end. The entire family will enjoy this experience! read more

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Great place, great cause. Very cool place. Do the tour. It's well worth it. We saw many turtles, at many stages of recovery. Some never get to leave, but they have a good home. It's quite impressive how many people volunteer their time and services to help these creatures. Even the hospital itself was one man's mission to help. We can help be taking the tour, buying something or adopting a turtle. Hope you go. read more

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Turtle Hospital does amazing work with the tragically injured sea turtles. You start with a twenty minute introductory view of how the sea turtles end up at the hospital. Most of the injuries are due to the barbaric ways that man treats the environment (oil spills, suntan lotion, etc) Then they take to view many turtles in their natural environment ( small swimming pools) where you get to feed them and really learn about their stories and you get to know their names. They told us how you name turtles for only $35 a month (amazing). It might be a little better if the tour guide didn't hate her job. I will not say her name but it would be much nicer if employees pretended to like their job. Out of four of us that went, one loved it, one liked it, two would rather have teeth pulled without painkillers. So figure it out. read more

The Turtle Hospital - Turtle - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Loved our guide, Melissa- her love For turtles showed in her knowledge, enthusiasm and joy she showed speaking about the turtles- highly recommend this ! My favorite place in Key West area! read more

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Our family absolutely loved our visit to the Turtle Hospital during a recent vacation in the Florida Keys! The hospital's amazing team of volunteers offers visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how they work every day to protect Florida's threatened sea turtle population, rehabilitate injured turtles, and release them back into the wild. A guided tour of the facility takes just under 90 minutes, and includes a brief orientation on the different species of sea turtles and a visit to the extensive rehab tanks, where you can get up close to these beautiful creatures. We learned so much during the tour, and our kids loved feeding the turtles and stroking their shells as they cruised through the water of the rehab tanks. Because this is a working hospital, your admission fee directly helps the staff obtain the resources they need to continue their important mission of protecting and rescuing Florida's magnificent sea turtles. It's one of the best experiences you'll have in the Keys, providing memories you'll treasure for a lifetime! read more

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Absolutely worth your time and money when visiting the Keys, this was 100% the highlight of our trip. The 1.5 hour guided tour of the hospital strikes the perfect balance of listening to facts and getting close to these majestic animals (feeding them is so fun!) The tour guides and staff are energetic, hilarious, and inspirational! By the end of the tour I I felt like I had learned a lot and felt empowered to help the turtles. It's always great when you're given so many practical steps to turn a very sad situation into a hopeful one! read more

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IF THERE IS RAIN ANYWHERE IN THE AREA, DON'T GO! While driving from Key West to Fort Lauderdale, this was on our list of things to do with our kids. We checked in for the 3:30pm class and they were happy to take our $115 for 2 adults and 2 kids. They never mentioned anything about weather concerns or the fact that they will not give refunds. They sent us into a different building to start the tour, and after listening to a 15 minute speech, the guide told everyone that there was a tornado warning so they had to cancel the tour. She went on to say that they don't give refunds, so they would give people rain checks. We immediately pulled up the weather and found no such warning. As they walked us back to the registration area, they had their 4pm class lining up and guided them to start their tour. When we asked to just join that tour, they said no. So the 3:30pm = tornado, but the 4pm class is good to go as we walk past them?!? We let the staff know that we were on our way to Fort Lauderdale and have no plans to return to the area, but they held firm that they would not give a refund. I asked if they could simply give me a receipt for a charitable donation and they could keep the rain check, which they still declined. They may do nice things for turtles, but today felt like I got hustled. read more

Very educational and interesting. My wife loves turtles and we have swam with them in Mexico and when we saw this opportunity, we had to GO!!!!! Here they rehab turtles that are sick, or have been injured by a boat accident, or what ever. They have 24 hour pick up services and all the coast guard and other agencies know to call them. They rehab and release the ones they can, and give a home to those that cannot be released...... WELL worth the time! Our friends 'adopted' a turtle for the year and we spent money in the gift shop (as well as made a donation) to this worthwhile place!! read more

The Turtle Hospital - Here you can see the Name they gave this 'Patient' for his stay! - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

We absolutely loved the turtle hospital. Our tour guide, Marlisa did a fantastic job presenting and was very knowledgeable. The work the hospital puts into helping sea turtles is great for the health of the ocean. Definitely worth checking out next, whether you're a resident or tourist read more

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I will join the chorus of people praising the Turtle Hospital. They have tours every half hour. Cost $30 per person for 90 minutes, the first 30 minutes is an educational power point about the hospital & the 5 types of turtles they take care of here. Then you get to meet the turtles and tour the facilities. You get to see the various turtles being rehabilitated. Then you get to feed the turtles and see the hatchlings. You are not allowed to touch the turtles. You get the bonus Iguanas & pelicans sightings. All tours end at the gift shop. All proceeds go towards the hospital. If you are in Marathon Key this is a must stop. read more

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Visited February 26, 2020 A great place to visit when in the keys. If you like, love turtles, or animals in general, visit the Hospital. Do the tour, just make sure you get there early or call to make an appointment since space is limited for each tour; which runs every hour starting at 9am and the last tour starts at 4pm Learning about the healing process is awesome, and you get to see some of the turtles that are healing; and with different ways they are healing. If you're in the area, stop by and see The Turtle Hospital!!!! read more

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The guided experience lasts 80 - 90 minutes. You learn about 4 types of sea turtles: Kemps-Ridley, Green, Leatherback and Loggerhead. A visit to the operating theater, a video room (where there is about a ten minute video) and a trip to the "hurricane tanks" are included. The "hurricane tanks" are so named because they survived Hurricane Irma in 2015 when most of Marathon Key was destroyed. There are probably thirty diffent pools/tanks that keep the turtles under observation or help with their rehab. There is a lot of information about what brings the turtles to the hospital--man-made causes mostly. There are a few permanent residents who cannot be returned to the sea. Beautiful creatures. We got to feed the turtles some pellet food. This is 1000x better than visiting Hemingway house on Key West. read more

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What an amazing experience! I highly recommend visiting this place during your Florida Keys trip and support what they are doing! Important to know: Make a reservation ahead of time. Hourly guides tours fill up quick and start at 9am. Reservations are $25 per person and totally worth every penny! The staff are incredibly knowledgeable about sea turtles in general, the facility itself, which had an intake room for when sea turtles first come in and a surgery room for any procedures that need to be done, as well as, the background of each and every turtle they currently have rehabilitating or is unable to be released. And yes there are quite a few lifers. Sadly you will learn all about why they can no longer survive in the wild due to human beings:(. The turtle hospital was a motel originally and a wonderful human being actually bought it and turned it into the hospital...the old motel rooms actually house the people that work in the facility which is awesome because they are right there in case of an emergency. While we were there it was actually Coast Guard Appreciation Day and they had some fun games and a BBQ going as the hospital and CG work closely together when it comes to the capture and release of the turtles! Make it a point to stop here and see what this amazing hospital and it's staff are doing to help our sea turtles...remember it's their ocean not ours:) read more

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This was a stop we made on our drive down to Key West. I was hesitant to take my family because, in all honesty, I was concerned it was a tourist trap. Well, let me just say it was one of the biggest highlights of the trip for me. The guide was so knowledgable and entertaining, the turtles were amazing, and it's just one of those experiences you never know you needed. Also, on the day we went, they had just rescued a freshly hatched tiny leatherback sea turtle named Peter Parker and he was so indescribably cute. They do GREAT work at this hospital and you won't regret supporting their mission. read more

This place is godsend. What the people are doing is an amazing stuff. The $75 we paid fors two adults and a child were worth spending and felt good that it will help the poor turtles who were hurt naturally or by some human act. The tour is amazing, we start with a presentation where in they tell about the hospital, what it does, what turtles get treated upon, and what not, then we move on to see the actual turtles. It was amazing to see those huge turtles being taken care of. It's an interesting place and a must visit. read more

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Awesome tour - $35 goes to the rescue efforts (I think). Get to meet the poor turtles damaged by boat strikes (bubble butts) or who are tumor ridden (most likely due to human caused chemicals and plastics in the water). We owe it as much to the turtles to rehabilitate and house them. Kudos to the friendly staff. read more

We booked an afternoon tour at the Turtle Hospital and learned so much about turtles! It started with a presentation about the different types of turtles and how the hospitals help them. We got to see the operating room area before moving to see all the turtles! We also got to feed the turtles towards the end of the tour. The baby turtles were super small and cute while the adults were varying sizes and some were quite large. Michelle was awesome! She is so knowledgeable and clearly loves what she does. She is animated, bubbly and positive! I appreciate the effort behind the jokes and keeping the group engaged. I highly recommend coming to learn or support the turtles! read more

Went here on Christmas Eve and it was so fun. Tons of people came to see the turtles even though it was a fairly cold day (around 50 degrees). Your tour cost and all gift shop purchases go towards the care of the turtles! Our tour guide was so informative and funny. Definitely recommend this tour! read more

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Pricey entrance ($30/ person) and a guide that so irritated and bored us with inane chatter and cutesy, gushy anecdotes about some of the turtles and their nicknames, personalities, and what they are thinking, that we left the tour very early opting to hang out at the beach or poolside at our hotel. Excruciatingly sluggish pacing, overly saccharine anthropomorphism as though trying to wring out sympathy, adoptions, and donations. Would not recommend, though the work that they do to restore SOME of the turtles to the wild is admirable. Some of the turtles linger there permanently unable to return to the wild and not permitted to breed. read more

What a cool experience! Worth the money, especially knowing it's going towards a great cause! If visiting in the summer, go early to beat the heat and crowd. read more

The Turtle Hospital - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

My kids loved this place. It was a guided tour and our tour guide was awesome and answered every question we had. There was so many turtles to see. There is actually a cool story how the turtle hospital began. Originally it was a hotel and then the owner turned it into a turtle hospital. read more

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I was skeptical at first thinking this might be another "tiger king" place with profits posed as a rescue. They rehabilitate turtles that are injured and do their best to get them back to their natural habitat and only keep those that would not survive in the wild. Our tour guide Kathy was knowledgeable and provided a great tour. We saw about 20 turtles total in various states of either rehab or housing. Free bottled water was provided and the area was well shaded. Worth a stop! read more

The Turtle Hospital - Rehab tank - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

What a wonderful way to spend our morning. The docent was very informed, congenial, and it made the understanding of turtles so much more enjoyable. I didn't know the turtles could be so vulnerable in our waters. read more

The Turtle Hospital - One of the many turtles that were on display that were under a rehabilitation. - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida

We really enjoyed the tour. It was right next to the hotel the we staying at so we were able to walk there. I really enjoyed seeing the turtles. They have a small free parking lot and great tours. We got to feed the turtles and when we went there we got to see 5 different kinds of turtles. read more

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I already donate to the Turtle Hospital through Amazon Smile but this was our first time visiting in April. They do a great job of organizing the tours, and the money goes to support turtle rescue. This is the place to come if you love turtles and the ocean. Some of the stories are heartbreaking but the good they have done and are doing is wonderful. We were happy to spend $ in the store too, to support what they do. I loved it so much we are planning to visit again. This was my favorite thing we did on this trip. read more

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I absolutely loved our tour. We took our boys, 8&10, and they were engaged the entire time. Our tour guide was excellent as well. Worth your time and money spent!!! read more

The Turtle Hospital - Veterinarians Near Me - Marathon, Florida