Barrier Island Center

Brevard County · Atlantic Coast

The free visitor and education center for the Archie Carr refuge, with a mile of trail running from the dune line to the Indian River Lagoon.

ABOUT THIS PLACE

The Barrier Island Center is the primary visitor and education center for the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, set among the dunes in the middle of the coast the refuge protects. Inside there are interactive exhibits, an auditorium, a classroom, a gift shop and an observation deck, and outside a one-mile trail crosses the 34-acre sanctuary from the dune line to the Indian River Lagoon, passing through maritime hammock, coastal strand and tidal swamp. The sanctuary was renamed the Doc Ehrhart Sanctuary in April 2025 for Dr Llewellyn Ehrhart, whose team spent more than fifty years gathering the nesting data that led to the refuge's critical nesting beaches being designated and helped green turtle numbers recover. In June and July the county's Environmentally Endangered Lands program runs guided sea turtle walks from the center with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which are the walks the refuge itself does not operate. Admission is free. The center is the main public building on a refuge that owns only 258 acres of the 20.5 miles of shoreline it covers, the rest being held by county, state and private partners working together

VISIT BASICS

Hours: Closed Monday. Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

GETTING THERE

Get Directions ↗Official place website ↗

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