Marine Science Center

Very small. Cheap to get in but it’s only 3 small rooms plus birds. Nothing too interesting unless u r there at 3pm when they feed the sting rays.

I went today and pet the sting rays and Sharks for about 15 minutes it was fantastic! It is a small place but I love that it’s only rescued animals so I really enjoyed myself. They’re so nice here too!

Located on Lighthouse Drive, the Marine Science Center performs seabird and turtle rehabilitation. There is a stingray touch pool, a reef simulation and other display tanks of marine life. They have presentations throughout the day. There was a reptile presentation during the time we were there. For $ 5.00 ($ 4.00 seniors, $ 2.00 youths) you can spend some time there and come back later as you get stamp that is good for the whole day.
Driving tip: Take S Atlantic Drive south until you see Lighthouse Park and turn right just before the park entrance. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Point Lighthouse is just down the road.

For the price, it’s a nice way to spend the afternoon if you’re trying to entertain a child. I brought a 6 year old and she spent over half an hour just petting the sting rays.

Take the children! They will have an opportunity to feed and pet marine life including baby sharks. The museum is small but well done, including birds, (bald eagle!) reptiles and sea life. My children came away extremely conscious of how their actions affect sea life due to the on site rescue center and hospital. They were incensed by the thoughtlessness of people littering which has cost Sea turtles loss of limb and life in some circumstances. We highly recommend!

Great place! Kids and adults in our family all had a great time and a wonderful learning experience. The people there were very nice and educational. We will definitely visit again.

It is really tiny!!!
There aren’t that many parking spaces available so parking at a street parking which blocks the pedestrian walkway was kind of challenging. And inside, it was hard to navigate the stroller as the space was tiny. However, it is nice that they have turtle clinic. Anyways, I didn’t feel bad because admission was only $ 5.

Small little aquarium with some great things going on for $ 5. They have a couple of different tanks with marine life from different habitats and some info on the different species. The stingray touch tank is awesome (didn’t know they felt like haha). You can go and see the turtles they are currently rehabilitating and the screen shows you when each one came in, their diagnosis, treatment and how they are doing now, which I really liked! You can go across the parking lot to the bird sanctuary where they have a couple of cages of rescued birds and some info on each species. There is also a nice little nature trail across the street. When we were there they were also having a talk on Raptors in the classroom and brought an American Kestrel to they talk to help which was cool to see. Overall I definitely recommend coming here for bit. Its small but its only 5 $ so you get your moneys worth and they are an organisation doing great work! All and all its a great place!

Small facilities but they are really more about animal rehab and education. Still a nice place to visit. Get to see sea turtles who have been rescued and are being cared for until being well enough for release. A few displays with saltwater fish and another with turtles of Florida. The best was the touch tank and getting to touch the sting rays. We happened to get there right at feeding time so we got to hear the volunteer tell us facts about the stingray and other fish kept in the touch tank. But the best part was getting to feed the stingray. For free! The experience was amazing. The building is in a beautiful area and you get to walk through the bird sanctuary too. All for only $ 5.

Small center, not much to see but still enjoyable. You can touch the sting rays. It is also a hospital for turtles.

This place is ok for a quick time filler for kids. Its pretty small. I’ve been here twice. Unfortunately for us on this trip we came on a summer camp day. You would think they’d have the kids move to each station instead of hogging the one main attraction which is the touch tank. Prices are pretty good for what you experience.

As far as value is concerned one of the best attractions for the money I have ever visited. Very educational, and the staff (many of which are volunteers) are very interactive with people visiting! Highly reccomend going if you need to kill an hour!

This place is a must do if you have children. We enjoyed everything, especially the nature trail.

Looking for things to do with young children while visiting Daytona Beach? Have a kid-​like fascination with marine life and beautiful birds of prey? This is a good option.
The Marine Science Center is interactive in all the ways children love. There are real live turtles being nursed back to health in giant pools as well as many things to see and touch! There are a few aquariums just tall enough for your little ankle biters to get an eye level view of some interesting sea creatures. There is also a shallow pool for touching sting rays and hermet crabs, but watch out for the clawless lobster in a separate shallow tank. He’s an aggressive little fart! He had no idea just how lucky he is I didn’t have a pot, a burner and some butter!
A science room in the rear has arts and crafts for kids to color and make little keepsakes from their visit. All kinds of dead things in jars and lab microscopes to examine a few special samples like sand. Honestly, sand viewed under a microscope looks very sharp and dangerous. Our kids found it to be fascinating stuff. Ongoing educational movies on marine life continuously played on the TV’s. Other items in the room included a sample of shed Anaconda skin that freaked out the ladies in our group. During our time, one staff member came in the room with a turtle and did an impromptu presentation. The kids were thrilled!
There is a nice walking garden outside and across the parking lot is a bird sanctuary. There we found beautiful bald eagles and several other birds of prey, including a Red-​Tailed Hawk that made the most awesome screeching sound… just like you hear in western movies (check out what I mean here):
He was a real beauty but the bird keeper told me he was annoyed because we kept calling out to him to make the screeching sound again. I disagree since he was doing it long before anyone came into his area. Sounded to me like he was saying «Hey bro, get me outta here!» LOL
THE VERDICT
Not the best value, but it was inexpensive enough to keep the kids interested for a couple of hours. Be sure to check out the lighthouse nearby. You could make an entire afternoon of your visit between these two attractions.
Unilocal100 [5]

VERY SMALL place but cute. you can touch the sting rays which were surprisingly slimey and they have a large turtle tank. outside you can see the rehab tanks for the rescued sea turtles. you can see the entire place in less than 10 minutes.

Although this is a small building it packs a lot into the space that they have. It was worth visiting for me to see the Sea Turtle recovery room where they nurse injured marine life back to health. Definitely check this place out!

Yep, it’s small.
It’s also cheap (only $ 5 for adults and some other smaller amounts if you’re really young or really old).
There are maybe only about five or six small tanks filled with seahorses, eels, an assortment of fish, and reefs. In addition, there is a medium touch pool for sting rays. And there’s an area for the little turtles to chill in. If you’re there at an opportune time, you may witness the staff members feed the various sea creatures, which is quite amusing.
A picture window opens up to the «operating room» where you can witness the staff members and volunteers work with the sick or injured turtles. This is definitely fascinating to watch for people of any age. The Turtle ICU is attached to the main building and semi-​outdoors, meaning that you’re completely covered but there is no air conditioning. So it can get rather warm in the Summer, but definitely something to see. It made me a little sad to see how badly some of them were injured by boat propellers.
Across the small parking lot is the bird sanctuary. It houses several recovering birds, including birds of prey.
Did I mention that the parking lot is super small? I was actually surprised at how popular the place is and how the parking severely lacks the ability to conveniently provide space for the visitors’ cars.
It is likely that you will go through the entire place in about 1 ½ hours. Thankfully, the gorgeous Ponce de Leon Inlet Ligthouse is right next door, and I would suggest hitting both of them on the same day for an enjoyable and comprehensive day trip.

Good things do indeed come in small packages. This is a great place to take your kids or to just escape the summer heat. The people here are really hardworking – it’s a nonprofit organization, so even if it seems «lame» to pay to get in, you are really supporting their bird and turtle hospital with your $. You could always just make a donation or stop by their amazing gift shop. My mom and I always find great things in here like tote bags for the beach, jewelry, and even a gigantic stuffed alligator, lol. Everyone who works here is really friendly too. We always try to stop by at least once when we’re down in Ponce.

Not a lot to see here. A couple of fish tanks with some lethargic fish. Really you could see as much if not more at a local saltwater fish store. The best part was the turtle hospital. But a great way to cool off indoors away from the searing heat of the sun.

Great things come in small packages
The Marine Science Center in Volusia County is very small, and is no bigger than a small apartment clubhouse. However, this small facility is packed with tons of cool ocean wildlife and hands-​on exhibits.
The Good:
So much to see!: from seahorses to alligators and sharks (in their juvinile form) this science center is sure to please kids and their parent with their wide array of marine life.
Save the Turtles!: The Marine Science center has a separate unit that is just focused on saving turtles. You can see the wounded and rehabilitated turtles from behind glass.
Cheap: It’s $ 5 for adults, $ 2 for kids, and is good for at least a few hours of entertainment for families. And hey, it’s cheaper (and cooler!) than the movies!
The Bad:
N/​A