Florida Oceanographic Coastal Ctr, Stuart

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Stuart, FL
Florida Oceanographic Coastal Ctr, Stuart
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Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is a beautiful nature center on Hutchinson Island, with one-mile nature trail on boardwalks, lagoon filled with sharks and game fish, stingrays you can feed by hand, and a huge, high ocean deck with views around the island! It takes about two to three hours to see everything and it makes for a wonderful morning or afternoon!

You can't beat the location as you drive to the center. You cross over two bridges with expansive views over the water and then reach tropical Hutchinson Island. Once inside the center, you can enjoy some indoor tanks with baby seahorses (sometimes), coral, mermaid's purses, sea stars, crabs, and fish. 
Most of the center is outdoors with shaded covers. There is a starfish-shaped touch tank where a volunteer explains about sea cucumbers, sea urchins, starfish, conches, sea snails, and the interesting blue blood of horseshoe crabs.
The reef ray pavilion is a shallow pool with wooden bleachers around it. A volunteer tells you the correct way to feed the stingrays so you don't get bit! The stingrays have their barbs removed each time they grow, so you can touch them without being stung. After the presentation, kids and adults can feed shrimp and squid to the stingrays! It is spooky but fun! Make sure you come down to see when the volunteer calls you to come to the glass to watch him feed the sting ray. It is so cute to see the rays move their mouths to get the food! They look so funny! The stingway feedings are at 10:30am and 1:30pm.
At the game fish lagoon, you can stand in the shade of a beautiful building on a wooden patio over the clear, clean water checking out the rays and fish. Under a pavilion near the smaller building, at 11am and 2pm, a volunteer tells you about each fish, shark, or turtle and tosses food in. The animals go wild over the food. The nurse sharks look so plump and foreboding as they swim slowly around in the water. There are striped fish and scaly fish, and large turtles.
There is a separate feeding time for the turtles, 11:30am and 2:30pm. Turtles hang out by the gazebo at the end, as does a cute seabird with webbed feet. Another bird, the one we call a snorkel bird because of the way it dives underwater, chases schools of fish around and around in circles under the water. It's very entertaining and nerve-wracking!
The beautiful large pale blue building has more things to explore. There are tanks of tropical fish, an octopus, and interactive exhibits kids can touch and spin around. Kids can climb under a tunnel. Make sure you go to the top floor of the building where you will find a huge ocean deck with great breezes and views around the island! Here you can stand in the shade and look down at the lagoon. This is Florida at its best: shade to keep you cool, a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away, and views of all the greenery and the ocean!
The nature trail is a lovely part of the center. There are eleven boardwalks interspersed with dry land. It feels perfectly safe to walk here because of the boardwalks that keep you away from the swamps! Even my four-year-old was able to do this walk because of the plaques. Colorful plaques are dotted throughout the hike and you can pretend they are "clues" in your journey. The boardwalks are numbered and you can make this part of the spy hunt too. Grab one of the trail maps so you can pretend to be Dora and Boots with "the map." Usually young kids whine on a long walk, but not this one!
Halfway into the walk you come to the Indian River where you can walk out on a pier and look at the arched modern bridge you drove over on your way here. Rugged beaches of fine, white sand hug the shore. There is an unusual oyster area where oyster shells and equipment are piled up. Here, the oceanographic center is researching oyster gardening in order to restore the oyster population in the estuary. Oysters are important because they filter the water to make it clean.
Along the hike there is also a well-made Indian chickee hut that is fun to walk through, plus a real Indian canoe.
There is some odd vegetation that you pass through. One area has headless cabbage palms creating an end-of-the-world landscape. Plenty of stinky, sulphur areas and green-slime swamps add to the comic moments. And one of the boardwalks has crooked parts. Kids love all this! Unless it's a very cold day, bring mosquito repellent or you'll be sorry!
Back at the center, there are outdoor activity stations for kids to enjoy. Cardboard turtles can be spun around and show kids how large the different types of turtles are. There is a sand play table that describes animal tracks. And there is a small wooden boat with captain's wheel. There is a manatee sculpture, and a table with oyster shells that kids can play with. 
This center was a pure delight, and definitely worth a visit!
Make sure while you're on Hutchinson Island to drive south on SE MacArthur Blvd.  Enjoy the tropical foliage, the pretty Caribbean-colored homes, and best of all, have a swim at Chastain Beach, next to Bathtub Beach (which is closed for repair). It is covered in shells and feels like a small cove rather than a wide-open beach.
After your swim, head over to downtown Stuart or Jensen Beach Blvd for a bite to eat. 
Or, closer by, browse the clothes at Ohana Surf Shop, have a pastry at Jennifer's Bakery (which has some small tables outside), or check out the gourmet groceries at Fresh Market. All are on Ocean Blvd just a few minutes drive away.

Continue to directions...

The cute little building at the entrance.

Tanks, stuffed fish, and gift shop.

A girl delights in the touch tank.

A man checks out the exhibits.

Mermaid's purses, egg cases laid by a Clearnose Skate, a type of sting ray.

A sea star and fish.

A young woman touches a sting ray.

A volunteer leads a talk about hand-feeding sting rays.

Kids stop to feed and touch the sting rays after the docent's talk.

A boy enjoys the outdoor touch tank.

A crab in the touch tank. Help! he says.

A child reaches in to touch a sea urchin.

A young volunteer describes the game fish and sharks in the large pool outside.

Trees that lost their tops in a recent hurricane.

Plaque on the nature trail describing the medicinal uses of Florida plants.

Recreation of an Indian hut, along the nature trail.

Lovely wooden lookout area at the Indian River- you can see the bridge that you drove over!

Driftwood on the shore of the Indian River.

Pile of oyster shells. The oceanographic center is doing oyster gardening to restore the oyster population in the estuary.

Interesting trees on the nature trail.

The nature trail is beautiful.

Sharks and fish in the game fish pool.

A little stingray family swimming by, in the lagoon!

Lobster!

Baby seahorses, just born!

Baby seahorses!

Crab in pretty shell.

Ray in the feeding tank.

Ray coming up hoping for a bite to eat.

A young lady volunteers at the touch tank.

Horseshoe crab in the touch tank.

Seasnails in the touch tank.

Oyster shells to play with.

The large exhibit building.

A shady spot to watch the animals in the lagoon.

Stripey fish in the lagoon.

You can watch the turtle from a shady spot.

Ray and fish in the lagoon.

A cute seabird.

Turtles can be huge!

A cute seabird stands at the lagoon.

This seabird is so cute!!!

A bird chases fish underwater!

Bird ready to plunge in a chase fish.

Exhibit about turtle nests and how they are marked.

Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, and Kemp's Ridley sea turtle skeletons.

The lagoon and the beautiful building that provides shade as you watch the animals.

Multitrophic system educational plaque.

Ray and large fish, in the lagoon.

A toddler girl delights in the manatee sculpture.

Tropical fish in a tank in the large building.

Stingray and tropical fish.

Turtle nest display.

Looking at the seahorses.

Seahorses and seagrasses.

A seahorse.

A boy interacts with the exhibit.

Boys enjoying an interactive exhibit in the large building.

A tunnel to climb under.

View from the top of the large building.

View of Elliott Museum.

A family enjoys the awesome deck at the top of the large building.

A boy looks down at the lagoon from the large deck.

You can see around Hutchinson Island from the top of the large building.

Looking down at the lagoon.

You can see the ocean!

Friends sit and enjoy the breeze at Ocean Deck.

A sting ray cruises by, as seen from the Ocean Deck.

Chairs and tables in a nice breeze on the Ocean Deck.

A fish explores the fake reef in the lagoon.

Lagoon and pavilion.

Table with views of the vegetation all around.

This view reminds me of North Carolina!

The sunny deck with great views!

Kids can be a sting ray!

Crab near the entrance.

Shark fin in the lagoon.

Looking at the lagoon from the shade of the building.

Colorful fish in the lagoon.

Striped fish near a fake reef.

Puffer fish in a tank in the large blue building.

Caribbean style ticket booth.

Nature trail on a rainy day.

Nature trail.

Shells and seeds in the parking lot.

Rays by the wooden boardwalk.

Fish in the big pond!

Octopus in a tank.

Octopus swimming away.

Seahorse and sea grasses.

Spotted fish.

Tropical fish and puffer fish.

An eel peeks out.

Statue on the grounds.

I love these suckerfish that look like they have a sneaker sole on their head.

Toys in the gift shop.

Bath bombs and scrubs in the gift shop.

Two birds swimming along.

Funny birds walking along.

Ray in a tank.

The ocean deck is spacious and gorgeous.

Directions

Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is located at 890 Northeast Ocean Boulevard, Stuart FL 34996, call (772) 225-0505.
Exit Highway 95 northbound at Kanner Hwy and turn right on Kanner Hwy. After 6 miles, turn right on Ocean Blvd at the roundabout. (This is the downtown Stuart area, if you need a meal). After five miles (you cross two bridges) the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is on your left. There is a left turn lane to get into the driveway and there is a parking lot.
Exit Highway 95 southbound at Highway 714 and follow it for about 13 miles (it changes street names here and there). Turn right on SE Ocean Blvd. After 3.5 miles (you cross two bridges) the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is on your left. There is a left turn lane to get into the driveway and there is a parking lot.
Admission is $16 for adults, and $8 for children aged 3-12.
Open Wed-Sun 10-4.
Closed Jan 1, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25.

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Last Updated: Fri, 16 Sep 2022 12:52:16 GMT

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