Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center

Positive experience: We went as a family of 4 with coupons from a local entertainment book. The staff refused to use equal value and charged us 2 adult admissions and gave us the lesser value kids tickets for free. This was irksome and classic take as much from the patron as possible tactics. The Oceanagraphic Center has lost their permit to house sea turtles which is extremely alarming. There has been an abundance of money put into renovating this facility and adding a new indoor center which is only partially accessible because a summer camp program is going on. The area which highlights local wildlife is being used all morning for the camp, so a large portion of this exhibit is unaccessable, but they are still charging full price and this info is not available online. I have consistently brought friends and family to this facility for years. After today's visit I may just take my loved ones to the Elliott museum instead.

Fantastic experience: Amazing research center (and super friendly and knowledgeable staff) to learn about seagrass role in marine life, interact with stingray and more!

Fantastic experience: We greatly enjoyed our afternoon here! We saw the big game feeding demonstration, did the interactive sea critter and sting ray touch exhibits, and walked around the inside area as well. Well worth the price of admission! The only thing we didn’t do was the walking trail. It was very muggy and mosquito filled due to recent rain. Shout out to Jasmin at the sea critter touch tank as well as the sting ray area!! She was very knowledgable and funny :)

Fantastic experience: Been here a few times in the last 30 yrs. I love how much it has grown!! I used to come with my parents and my son and this time with our granddaughter.

Positive experience: Mykiyla the director of the center was so considerate for our experience. off to her progressive approach. The center no more has the turtles. AI platforms need to be updated with this info

Fantastic experience: We love this place its so nice here. There is tons of wild life exhibits. Tons of stuff for kids and adults. The staff are great. You can spend all day here easily. So much fun. Highly recommend for a family outing

Fantastic experience: Great place to take the family. Super knowledgeable staff.

Fantastic experience: Went for the turtle walk. Very informative. Friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: Had fun checking out all the educational things they have to offer. The observation deck was especially cool. From 3 stories up you can see everything and the sea breeze was perfect on this hot day.

Fantastic experience: Any time we are on the island, there is always a plan to make it a stop! For 20 years, we have been coming and have loved watching the center get bigger and better year after year. With a great friendly and knowledgeable staff you don't have to worry about asking questions of any kind. Don't skip out on the mangrove walk. The trails are raised and clear. The wildlife is absolutely amazing. Just watch out for the stray spiderweb if you go first thing in the morning.

Fantastic experience: Great for children. Very educacional and facsinating.

Fantastic experience: We were looking for things to do this weekend and ended up exploring this facility. Although I grew up in the Keys, I still managed to do and see new things. The park is well-designed and easy to follow without getting lost. I enjoyed the mangrove paths the most because of the nature and serenity. The lagoon looks like something you would see in the Keys.

Fantastic experience: Very well maintained center, lots of fun activities for kids. They truly care about what they do.

Fantastic experience: There is a mission to help people understand what impact our actions have on sea life, wetlands, and ourselves.

Fantastic experience: Such a cool place to visit! Here you can pet stingrays, urchins, and others. You can walk a long and beautiful trail and learn about our oceans and live in them.

Fantastic experience: Fun and educational. My grandson and I enjoyed the hands on experience.

Positive experience: Stingray petting tanks are always a hit with our family. This one had different rules than others we’ve been to and the rays weren’t as active while the petting options were open but we did manage to pet the southern and cow nose rays! The fish area was AMAZING seeing the nurse sharks so up close and learning about the fish from the animal talk . The starfish shaped touch tank was really cool as well The cost was quite steep for what you get however. If you have entertainment book coupons you can use more than one, we didn’t know that but the cashier was nice enough to explain it as she charged us the extra $18

Positive experience: Really worth a visit. Especially good for kids but us adults enjoyed it too!

Fantastic experience: Fun nature center with a variety of exhibits including a touch tank and presentations by friendly curators and volunteers. Great little trails through the swamps where you can see critters in their natural habitat

Fantastic experience: Informational and hands on learning great for adults and kids. The nature walk was beautiful this time of year.

Fantastic experience: The interactive stingray area was incredible. My son asks to go back to the aquarium every day. That’s how much it impacted him in a positive way.

Fantastic experience: 10/10 always have a great time here. Whether it’s a date with my husband or having our 2yo with us, it’s great for all ages.

Fantastic experience: Great fun outdoor activity for all ages. Really beautiful trail and place.

Fantastic experience: Nice way to spend a few hours and learn something! Really enjoyed the day

Fantastic experience: Educational and also fun experiences such as touching stingrays and watching fishes getting fed! Unfortunately turtles weren't there for a certain reason.

Positive experience: I recently came here with my two toddlers and was disappointed. For the price we paid we were hoping to see and do more. They only allowed the petting of the stingrays for about 2 minutes which is typically the highlight of the center. The play area for kids was mostly sand and the petting of shells. We had to rush inside to see the rest of the place because they said it was closing at 2. We had just arrived at 1:30. Once we got inside couldn’t see the 2nd or 3rd floor because the elevator was broken. Wasn’t wanting to climb 3 flights with two toddlers. So we settled for the large fish in the water to look at. They don’t allow the customers to feed the fish. We had to watch the employees do so. There wasn’t enough for the kids to do, so it was more of an in and out experience.

Fantastic experience: This place is a must for people that live in the local area. I will definitely be coming back here again

Fantastic experience: We had a nice time visiting the center! I got to touch some rays and learn more about them. The views from the observation deck were nice. We got tickets on Groupon ahead of time which made check in really quick and easy

Fantastic experience: Unexpected surprise! We loved this place, and its ecological mission, rather than your typical zoo / aquarium. It’s clear as that the care takers of the animals, aren’t there for pay, instead passion & interest in their work.

Fantastic experience: Awesome place for the kids. Extremely interactive

Fantastic experience: Vary knowledgeable staff! I'm 46 and learned a lot during the visit. I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you're visiting the area.

Negative experience: This was such a disappointing place. To pay $18 a person, get zero guidance as to what there was to see (which wasn't much) where to go once you gave them your money etc was a waste of money and an hour at best. Warning...don't waste your money.

Positive experience: We went specifically to see the turtles which are unavailable at this time due to a licensing issue they are having. It was okay otherwise. Not sure it is worth $18 entrance, especially without the turtles

Positive experience: My husband and I enjoyed our walk through the coastal center. The workers were very friendly and informative. The grounds are very well maintained. I am giving this review four stars because we came for the turtles and we’re disappointed to find out after paying for admission that the turtle observation is closed. Something about licensing. Will come back when the turtles are there.

Fantastic experience: Great place to learn about all kinds of ecosystems common to South Florida and to get up close and personal with some of it! Each exhibit or presentation is carefully thought out and provides an entertaining educational experience for all ages. Much of the operation of this 57 acre facility is run by local volunteers who are engaged and attentive to both their charges and their guests.

Fantastic experience: It’s cool and cheap. Kids can pet stingrays which is neat… the touch tank is underwhelming but the stingrays make up for it. They have a fairly big indoor area with some tanks and interactive displays, and they have a big outdoor tank/pond you can walk around, plus a nature trail. We killed a few hours for a few bucks- much better roi than Disney lol.

Fantastic experience: Amazing opportunity to view and learn about many of the fish and wildlife living nearby. The museum exhibits include interactive feeding, touching and looking at live animals.

Fantastic experience: Very informative, great place for kids, great value for the ticket price.

Fantastic experience: Great educational experience for all ages. Learn how you can help make a difference in our ocean ecology. Wonderful place to visit when the weather isn’t exactly beach oriented or in the morning before hitting the beach.

Fantastic experience: We ended up at the oceanographic center by pure chance, and so glad we did. We had an amazing afternoon petting animals (including stingrays), learning about local wildlife and ended up taking Zac's incredibly interesting boardwalk tour (where we saw two snakes against all odds)! Truly brilliant day with lovely staff. The giftshop is an attraction by itself!

Fantastic experience: So glad we made time to visit during our short trip! Our toddler had a blast interacting with the stingrays, hermit crabs, and even sea urchin! The staff were so knowledgeable and friendly. We arrived at around 1pm which was perfect to catch the stingray info session and the fish feeding. The entire facility is very well maintained and beautiful. We will recommend this place to anyone visiting Stuart. Thank you all!

Fantastic experience: My adult son and I (74,) spent several hours here and we loved every minute! The stingray tank exhibit was a personal favorite as we got to touch them. Every exhibit has shows and they're incredibly informational and interesting. There are fun games to play, amazing aquariums, picnic area, nature trails, huge brackish man-made lake with so many varieties of fish, cut out photo ops and so much more. I think everyone from 0-100+ would love this place as much as we did!

Fantastic experience: We loved it so much. I used to come here for $3 when I was a little girl, and all they had was one pool full of a bunch of different things. Now, it has turned into a great facility with the touching of rays and sea urchins / sea slugs. The educational feedings they offer and the cool science museum inside with the gift shop are nicely organized. Lots of cool photo opportunities. Great place to take anybody of any age. All exhibits are extremely educational and interactive!

Fantastic experience: Great place to spend a few hours on the Treasure Coast. We saw many interesting area sea creatures and even learned a bit admit the local environment. It's got many displays for kids, but our group of adults were also engaged and learned about the local ecology from the knowledgeable guides giving brief talks throughout the day. We went on a weekday, so it wasn't very busy, but I'll bet it gets crowded on weekends and holidays. We even got to pet the rays!

Positive experience: DON'T GO ON THE TRAIL!!! My family and I went to visit during our vacation. The outdoor spots were pretty cool, and the indoor exhibits were good as well. One of my issues was the outdoor trail. There was a map on the outside of the trail, showing that there was a shorter and longer path. When we started walking, there were no visible signs or anything to show when to turn to go back. The smell of the trail was awful and made my group nauseous for a bit afterwards. Gift shop was cool but definitely pricey. I reccomend going but only sticking to the outdoor exhibits and the other building.

Fantastic experience: A lovely and inspiring place to spend a morning with your grandkids learning about the Everglades and the oceans and all the animals that live in those places. Very friendly staff, a great shop at the end for that souvenir you must have

Negative experience: Went there with my family. It was a nice experience. Facility is nice and animals are well cared for. BUT it is pretty PRICEY. A problem I had is when I came to the Stuart Causeway to look at the water and was going to voluntarily help pick up trash because they had a trash clean up day and they told me because I didn't register on their website and associate with them I was not allowed to help them pick up trash. Don't sound like helping is why they are doing it.... more like social media and pictures.

Fantastic experience: What a great find! Lovely visit. Walking path was buggy so take your spray. The stingray talk was informative. It was a very nice experience.

Fantastic experience: Great facility with knowledgeable staff. Loved hearing about the conservation and rehabilitation efforts

Fantastic experience: Very cool little place to stop at when you’re in the area. The walk around the lagoon was wonderful and the visitor center was very clean with refreshing A/C. Definitely go to the 3rd floor for a good view.

Positive experience: Limited items to see but my grandbabies did have fun touching the sting rays.

Fantastic experience: Went here for a day trip with my family. The kids had a blast. They got to touch the stingrays and use the touch tank. It was so cool to see all the fish and learn about the environment and fish.

Fantastic experience: We had a great time at the Florida Oceanographic Center today during our stay on Hutchinson island. This is a beautiful indoor/ outdoor sanctuary. They offer different educational programs throughout the day every half hour including a fish feeding! Our favorite part was getting to pet the stingrays. It was extremely hot outside so I recommend bringing water bottles, wearing a hat, bringing sunscreen etc. thankfully there are lots of shaded areas and some air conditioned buildings as well so you can take breaks and cool down. My kids loved the indoor area that was like an aquarium inside with fish in tanks as well as kids activities and puzzles etc. If you ask a staff me ever there is a scavenger hunt kids can do and win a prize. It was cool to see the sea turtles up close! Lots of parking and nice bathrooms as well as water bottle refill stations. There is a cute gift shop at the entrance with affordable souvenirs. Highly recommend you take a trip here if you are in the area. Great for families.

Fantastic experience: It was a very hot day but there are plenty of shaded areas. It was so special being able to pet the stingrays! My favorite animal! The workers are extremely knowledgeable and nice! Will definitely come back again!! The gift shop is great as well

Fantastic experience: We had a wonderful time. The exhibit was great!! Lots of educational activities and fun!

Fantastic experience: We discovered this place through Groupon, and I'm so glad we did. It's such a cool place. We absolutely enjoyed our time visiting with the friendly staff and learning more about sea creatures. I absolutely recommend visiting! We absolutely loved it and will be back in the future!

Fantastic experience: We went on a class field trip with PSE's first grade class. The whole team at Florida Oceanographic was PHENOMENAL!! Dr Jud made this trip possible for us after it had to be canceled last month. The staff had a plan to make sure every kid got to be a part of each area. We learned about the rays and the touch tank. Then moved to the turtle area and learned about turtles and saw the game fish. Next we went into the building and got to learn about different Florida habitats and how to protect them. While seeing some cool fish of course! I will be bringing all of my family here over the summer to do and see more! Thank you Dr Judd and team for making this a special trip for our kiddos

Fantastic experience: Company function held here, love the interactive exhibits and the touch tanks. The lagoon is wonderful as well. Come visit and educate yourself on our wildlife and waters.

Fantastic experience: I have visited many times & will probably visit many more times. I bring my grandkids whenever 1 of them comes to visit & it's a hit every time! The touch exhibits are amazing. The lagoon is ALWAYS a favorite - there's so much to see. Plus, you're learning while having fun - how much better can it get? We typically spend 2 hours here.

Positive experience: We were there today May 1st 2024. All the staff were very informative and knowledgeable. Othe than the older lady in the gift shop when I was trying to pay for my things. She didn't acknowledge me at all and all through my transaction keeped talking to some lady at the counter about reading books. I think this is so rude not a hello not a thank-you. I worked in customer service industry for 36 years and am very certain she needs a customer service lesson. Glad you like reading but when I am spending my money I expect your attention. I should have left it on your counter and walked out. May 01/24

Fantastic experience: Cool place. Very friendly staff. A few touch tanks with a few different species of ocean critters. Educational. A very long interesting hiking trail through the mangroves. Then there's a very large outdoor water area that has all kinds of sea life including sharks, rays, couple of sea turtles and lots of other fish species. Not a bank breaker either. Decent prices for entry. Kids and adults will love it.

Fantastic experience: We had a lot of fun! Brought my 2.5 year old and we both enjoyed ourselves. Used a Groupon so it was very affordable. Staff was super nice and everything was very educational.

Fantastic experience: Extremely educational and entertaining, all events are well planned and coordinated so you can enjoy each experience continuously through our the day without missing anything, this, saving you precious time to go to the beach. All animals are rescues and well care for, we learned how to protect these endangered species, their ecosystems, our environment and the world for next generation. We went on a Thursday, was not busy and we enjoyed it more than Disney. A shout out to Matt at sting rays tank, who's very knowledgeable and entertaining, with humor and quizzes. Thank you for doing what you do.

Fantastic experience: Excellent place to learn about our Florida environment and its biodiversity! Loved the turtle tour and all the details we learned about the many species. We had so much fun learning about the sea cucumbers, starfish and tiny crab at the “touch” exhibit. And the gift store has such cute things!

Positive experience: We love bringing the kids here. We brought my mother and grandfather here last week who are from PA and they loved it. If you follow the trails all the way out, you see the water and if you are lucky enough you may see some hammerhead's swim by like we did.

Fantastic experience: We had a welcome event for the night before my daughters wedding at the Oceanographic Center 3/1/2024. I only have great reviews about this place. It was perfect. Michelle B was so easy to work with. The space is absolutely beautiful and the Lagoon is a plus when over looking the balcony. If you are thinking of having and event don't hesitate to use this space. When we walked in my husband said why didn't we have the wedding here this is great! He was so impressed with the place. Thanks Michelle B I will spread the word. Everyone was wonderful that works there. Patty P

Fantastic experience: I liked the place. Good place to spend a few hours, even as an adult. Great for kids too. They do educational programs in the morning, and in the afternoon at 1:30 until 3pm. Check internet or call for morning times and to verify. They have a stringray tank, a massive outdoor salt water lagoon, hiking trail (1 mile; thru mangrove) and a building with indoor salt water fish tanks (although only 5 or so; they did have an octopus which was cool) and an observation deck, and gift shop. Its well done. Part of the focus is on education...

Fantastic experience: This has been something we wanted to do for a while and it was worth the wait. The grounds are well kept and there is a lot to see. Nice combination of indoor and outdoor things to see.

Fantastic experience: The amount of knowledge you learn is unreal. We spent the whole day there just learning from the shows and then walking through the building. Really enjoyed the atmosphere and the nature walk. I do suggest bringing something to snack on and drink as they only have water.

Fantastic experience: My triplet 4 year old grandchildren loved petting the sting rays. Sea turtles and fish make up the rest of the attractions. Incredibly cool to see a large sea turtle swim up to the side of the pond. We always wonder how there are so many fish when we see the sharks in with them.

Fantastic experience: Great time coming here with the Wife and Kids, Turtles were gorgeous and fish were stocked well. Bring your polarized glasses to see more down deep!!! Prepare for a wild sanctuary nature walk, bring waters!

Fantastic experience: This is a great place to spend the day with your family. There are interactive and very informative displays throughout the grounds, with many "hands-on" exhibits for all ages. The staff is very knowledgeable and will teach you many things about the creatures you will encounter in each exibit. From the walking trails to the gift shop, we were extremely impressed with this park. Highly-rated for a visit!

Fantastic experience: Loved the history lesson the damming and canalization of Lake Okeechobee. Learned a lot about local sea life and their efforts to help sea grass and oyster repopulate in the area. The kids all admitted it was worth leaving the beach and was super fun! Must-see in Stuart!

Positive experience: Went to Florida Oceanographic yesterday. Our grandson enjoyed the park. He especially liked all of the interactive displays. I also liked the park but would recommend it more for families with children.

Positive experience: It's a very small lagoon/ aquarium, and it's kind of expensive around $20 to get in. However, it does have a touch tank and plenty of things for kids to do. You could probably kill an hour here going through all the different learning opportunities.

Fantastic experience: A phenomenal experience where you can gain knowledge & have a hands on experience. Plenty of exhibits with the opportunity to pet stingrays. I was hoping to see more turtles but they were hiding during our visit. You can spend an entire day there. There is also a trail that'll take you to a small white beach.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely amazing. Definitely stop in. Wonderful staff. Great experience and knowledge. Love that's a non profit so your money to pay is going straight to the beautiful facility.

Fantastic experience: phenomenal place for a birthday celebration, or any type of celebration our birthday party for our just-turned 5 year old was incredibly organized by the friendly folks at the center. parking close to unload party fare, super clean private pavilion with tables, trash & recycling containers, clean restrooms about 20 steps away, utensils available in case you forgot something (which we had), a helpful suggested time line with program times listed, and invaluable, cheerful help provided by samantha, who was an ABSOLUTE GEM! this was a birthday our friends and family thoroughly enjoyed; several of the little ones were not happy when it had to end, but we will definitely return

Fantastic experience: Our family loved this experience, so much to see. The lagoon was beautiful and so neat to spot all the sea life.

Fantastic experience: Excellent place to visit. The game fish pool is large and lots to see.

Fantastic experience: My wife would likely disagree with the five stars due to the smell in the Nature Trail, but I thought it was a fun experience. Great access to animals of all kinds. Really interesting exhibits in the park. In my opinion, the VERY SMELLY Nature Trail is a 3/4-mile walk through an actual marsh. The methane gases due to decomposing detritus (and who knows what else) are REALLY strong, but it was lots of fun.

Fantastic experience: This is an excellent way to learn about Florida's coast and the animals that live there. The exhibits are well set out, have great visuals, and are right up to date. The staff are enthusiastic, helpful and friendly. The talks about the rays and the turtles should not be missed.

Fantastic experience: Had a great time and learnt alot. There is an eye opener in the section that talks about litter and how long garbage sticks around for. Help keep our beaches and oceans clean!

Fantastic experience: Nice experience for children. They get to touch stingrays, hermit crabs, and horse shoe crabs

Fantastic experience: What a great way to spend half the day. Every time we visit Hutchinson Island we have to come. Staff knowledgeable and friendly. Place clean and safe. All exhibits are educational and fun. The lagoon is truly a sight to experience in person. Great place for family to come to.

Fantastic experience: Love this place. Brought my grandsons here and they enjoyed it. Lots to learn for all ages. When you first get in you get to pet the stingrays in the stingray tank and then you can watch them feed the fish in the big estuary. Highly recommend. Will be back

Fantastic experience: Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Excellent place with lots of information. Kids loved it but we did too. Sting ray touch tank very cool. Very clean and very cool place. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: A worthy place to visit, and they have recently renovated with the addition of a new building that contains many educational exhibits. It is a bit expensive to get in, but the cause is well worth it... and where else can you hand-feed - and *pet* - stingrays?

Fantastic experience: This is a really great place to visit, whether you're a tourist or a local. You can learn a lot about several animals. We especially enjoyed the stingrays. There was a touch tank and the staff gave us a very educational class on stingrays. How cool is it that they can sense electricity? We also like the principles this place operates under, specifically that the animals are not captive. Captive. Are being nursed back to health. The tank in the open air is huge and gives them plenty of room to swim and it's really cool how you can read the cards on the rail to identify the fish. You should definitely take an afternoon and go here. Plan on three to four hours. It's hot, though so bring plenty of ice water.

Fantastic experience: Great place with lots to see. I enjoyed petting the stingrays. We went to the observation deck and saw all the wild game fish, sharks, and sea turtles.

Fantastic experience: Fun experience great for the kids. If first visit recommend getting tickets online or going thru Groupon.

Fantastic experience: This is a great place to visit for a couple hours with kids.

Fantastic experience: If you like animals this is great. They have turtles that been injured. The turtle program was super interesting. Then we were saw the most amazing octopus it was so graceful. Then time to power the stingrays horse show crabs sea urchins sea cucumbers and hermit crabs

Fantastic experience: This is a very educational spot to spend some outdoor time. Really big lagoon with rays, fish, and turtles all swimming about. There's plenty of educational placards and displays as well as different talks given. Take a walk on the nature trail through the mangroves (best enjoyed after liberal application of DEET) and see their oyster reclamation project. A big plus is that active duty military and veterans get in free.

Fantastic experience: This is a great place to visit. Veterans are free. Kids will love it. Indoors and outdoors.

Fantastic experience: Really neat place with a stingray feeding experience, touch tank of several smaller aquatic species, and a large model estuary with nurse sharks and recovering sea turtles that you can learn about and see. Great for little kids to be exposed and learn. Fair pricing and free entry for active duty and veterans as well.

Fantastic experience: Definitely worth the time They also do a lot in conservation

Fantastic experience: We had a awesome time! Very friendly & informative! Tons of stuff for kids of all ages to do & participate in! The sting rays were the best & the presentations on the sea turtles was great!

Positive experience: First visit , very educational and hands on. Excellent for families. Touch tanks and feeding with stingrays.

Fantastic experience: Very cool place to bring the kids who loved it! Even the adults really enjoyed too.. the place has lots of cool info and things to see but the best was touching and feeding the sting rays. They also have a nature trail and the staff was all super informative and kind. Would definetely recommend going! Their gift shop on the way out is nice too with cute and unique aquatic gifts and trinkets.