MUSEUM & CULTURE
Marine Science Center
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast
Volusia County's public marine center at 100 Lighthouse Drive in Ponce Inlet, open since 2002.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
It is a working rehabilitation hospital that lets the public watch. Injured sea turtles are brought here from the beaches, treated, and released when they can survive on their own, and visitors can see the turtle recovery area rather than only read about it. The Mary Keller Seabird Rehabilitation Clinic does the same work for pelicans, gulls and other seabirds, most of them hurt by fishing line and hooks. The centerpiece of the exhibit hall is a hexagonal artificial reef aquarium holding 4,876 gallons, stocked to show what grows on a reef off this coast. A touch pool holds cownose rays that visitors can put a hand on under supervision. A humpback whale skull is on display, along with freshwater turtles and other tanks. Boardwalks run out from the building through the coastal hammock. It sits next door to the lighthouse and Lighthouse Point Park, so the three make an easy day together. For families thinking about this coast, it is the clearest short explanation of what lives offshore
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