Cycling in Florida – Ponce Inlet – Marine Science Center

The Marine Science Center at Ponce Inlet is closed on Mondays so, since we had decided to delay our northward travels due to a severe winter storm crossing the northern US, we were able to return to Ponce Inlet on Tuesday for a bit more cycling and a visit to the Marine Science Center.

The area of the Marine Science Center is not huge but it is nicely laid out and the staff and volunteers were very helpful and didn’t complain at all as I stretched out on the floor to get shots from the lower levels of the display tanks. In fact, they encouraged me to do just that.

The Center has plenty of informative display boards and signs though out the complex (including the washrooms) and while I was there, the staff and volunteers were busy adding more.

One of the tanks is a touch and feel tank with staff members encouraging adults and children to get their hands wet.

Feeding time at any public aquarium is always an exciting moment as all of the many colourful creatures come out of their normal hiding places. In the is aquarium, the Royal Grammas (Fairy Basslet, Gramma loreto) were a very colorful lot as were the many angels.

The Science Center has a large outdoor section established for the care and study of sea turtles which are the key focus of their research efforts.

In one of the side rooms, the Center has a number of smaller aquariums set up as display tanks to showcase Lion Fish, Seahorses, and typical reef invertebrates.

The Center also has a nice display of turtle species as part of their rescued animals program.

Visiting the Center takes about 45 minutes or so and admission cost for adults is $5 and less for children and seniors which includes admission to a separate aviary section. And looking around the exterior of the building can yield surprises, too.

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