Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Kara Kensinger

2024-04

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Chelsea Evans

2024-02

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Rickey Compton

2024-05

Great fun admission goes to help the conservation of the turtles. Wonderful views,great gift shopFun for all

Katherine Weeks

2023-10

A complete gem! What an amazing resource for Tybee Island. Guests learn about local marine life from the exceptional staff. They are friendly and eager to share information. Everyone in our group, ages 2 and up (way up), learned something new! The touch tank and other "hands on" experiences were so amazing. And we were fortunate to be able to witness the release of Ike the Loggerhead Sea Turtle on the morning of our visit! And the playground is pretty awesome too!

Millie King

2024-01

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. I try to find an educational venue or museum anytime I go on a vacay or adventure. This was perfect. I love learning about reptiles and the shelled creatures. Not many people know turtles, tortoises, and terrapins are different creatures that are all most people know as turtles. Love it!!!

Gracie Driggers

2024-05

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Ashley Rodgers

2023-09

We were surprised at the new building! We haven’t been here in 5 years and this building is a huge upgrade. Plenty of parking (paid) on site. The prices were also a huge upgrade—they didn’t seem to be listed but it was $12 flat rate for anyone over 4. I thought it was a bit much for all the more that was on site, but at least it is going to a good cause. There are live animal exhibits, touch tank, fossils, and a playground. The playground is not covered and the heat seems to radiate off the turf at midday, so don’t expect to spend hours there. There is also a boardwalk to the beach, restaurants nearby and the lighthouse too.

Corrine Woods

2023-07

Such a cute place to visit and for $10 a person, it is definitely worth every penny. You get to see a variety of sea animals, a well-known sea turtle, and there is also a touch pool! The staff are very educated and passionate. There are also many different educational opportunities including a big interactive touch screen that tells you about the animals and the reef and their mission. There are also fossils and other cool enriching topics. I added several photos so you can consider the trip but I didn’t want to spoil it for you!

Jeanine Bock

2023-08

This place is awesome. We left learning so much. The staff are all very knowledgeable. We learned so much from talking with them. It's small, but we were there for a long time talking with the staff and holding the crabs/snails in the touch tank.

Alexandra D'Imperio

2024-04

This place was amazing! My kids 2&4 had a great time. Loved all the live marine life, especially the turtles. There is an area where you can even touch hermit crabs, snails, shells in the water. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly! A fun playground to end the visit! And you can follow the path to the beach and see the lighthouse. A must see if you are visiting. You won’t be disappointed!

Tonya Law

2024-05

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Doug Schumacher

2024-05

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Alicia Garrett

2023-05

Roped into being a chaperone for an 8th grade trip to Savannah and this was one our stops... I am so glad. Take the trip out from Savannah and support this facility! Beach ecology, animals, and so much incredible information for visitors of all ages! The guides were well-equipped to balance the age group with information and fun. Hands-on learning while on the beaches of Tybee Island is my idea of a great school day! There's a smaller children's area, restaurant, gorgeous beaches and of course the lighthouse. I plan to go back for another visit soon

Keith Brown

2023-11

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Barry Bird

2023-07

Very nice Marine Science Center for local species of aquatic and Marine life. Many live tanks for viewing turtles, crabs and fish. Also displays of skeletal pieces from whales and other creatures. A touch tank is open to contact Marine hermit crabs and walks and moon snails. Admission was $12 each.Price for entry: $12.00

Don Hardy

2023-06

A really interesting excursion in a convenient spot. We were going to the beach anyway and it was right there. Got a bit of history about the island. Learn a bit about the native wildlife. Saw some baby alligators, which are absolutely adorable. Hard to believe they'll grow into swamp dragons. Anyway, a really cool place in a really cool spot.

christi gwinn

2023-05

We enjoyed our experience but there is not a lot to see. They have a small room with skeletons and replicas as well as an area where you can look out at the dunes and down to the beach. There is one room with live sea creatures in it which was my son's favorite area. They have a small selection but were very knowledgeable about the creatures they had. There was also a touch tank with a horseshoe crab and some sea stars and hermit crabs. The admission was $10 per adult or kids over 12. There is a small playground downstairs but no bathroom. The closest bathroom is across the large parking lot at the left of the restaurant. Parking is paid parking so once you find a spot you'll have to find the machine to pay and they put the ticket back in your car.

Joey Rains

2023-06

This is such a cute little center. Some great critters here and very friendly and knowledgeable staff. We stayed for a demonstration on sharks and were enamored by the passion and kindness the man had for these animals and the kiddos with us. Obviously the price is a little steep but hey, it’s Tybee Island and the aquarium is a walk to the beach. You pay for convenience and location and it goes to a good cause.

Katie Franke

2023-05

We absolutely loved this place!! We started the day with the Sift & Seine program. The guide took us down to the beach, where we got into the water to sift through the sand for organisms. We didn't find much there other than a few butterfly clams, but we had never seen live ones, and it was really cool to see how they moved in the water! While we were sifting, our guide found a cannonball jellyfish that we got to experience & learn about (cannonball jellies don't sting! I had no idea!), then a moon jellyfish washed up on shore & she taught us all about that. It was so cool!! After that, we took the Seine net into the water to see what we could find. It took a while for us to catch anything, but seining in the ocean was really fun, even though we didn't have immediate success. If you do this activity, you definitely need to wear a swimsuit. Between using the net & the ocean waves, we were absolutely drenched afterward! I was glad to be wearing a swimsuit.Later in the day, we came back for a Turtle Talk, which my family also highly recommends. This was more of a lecture style class, not a hands on adventure like the Sift & Seine. That said, the instructor presented the material in a captivating way. We got to see & touch turtle shells, turtle egg shell fragments, bones, and an entire turtle skull! We learned a ton of fascinating things about sea turtles, then we went downstairs to feed Ike, the Center's resident sea turtle, who just moved downstairs to a bigger tank.After our Turtle Talk, we had about 10-15 minutes before the center closed, so we went to their aquarium & touch tanks. While we were up there, our instructor from earlier called us over to see a baby alligator that she was holding! She also talked is through all sorts of interesting things in the touch tank.I HIGHLY recommend going to the Marine Science Center and participating in these activities. This place is small, but it makes great use of it's space on the beach & proximity to the ocean. It's packed with information and staffed by passionate people who are enthusiastic about the environment.

Sugey Delgadillo

2023-06

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April Shore

2023-07

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Susan Pritchard

2024-04

My Girl Scouts had a blast. Kayleigh did a wonderful job.

Amy Hurst

2023-05

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Marie L.

2023-05

We planned to go here mid-afternoon as it was supposed to rain.We had been at the Tybee Lighthouse earlier and came back..... BIG mistake - it did NOT rain and finding a parking spot was difficult - drove around for 30 mins to find a spot paid for 3hrs of parking (3.50/hr with a minimum of 2 hours) went in. Paid $10/person for my 15 year old and me. It was literally 30mins and we were done. There were amazing setups and educational information. We even got to see a young Loggerhead and hold a star fish!!! However, I was kind of disappointed they did not have shark/ sting ray tank up yet and not as much to do as I thought. We didn't want to get sandy at the beach so we decided to leave. I gave an older couple our spot and the ticket 2.5 hrs of parking left.Over all it was a great place to go just wish there was more to do there.If you go, I suggest going as early as possible as the parking fills quickly especially with beach goers.

Stephanie D.

2022-05

This was a great experience! We had the opportunity to book a tour with our group. The prices are reasonable. The place is such a neat resource on the Island! If you're a tourist, you won't regret stopping by! If you're local and haven't visited yet, don't wait!As of 4/1/2022 the bathrooms are not open to the public, so use the North Beach public restrooms.This is fully wheelchair accessible.

Vinni Lovejoy

2024-02

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Nichole Clark

2023-11

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Pearl Foust

2023-11

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Carolyn Krieger

2023-05

Very informative little aquarium. The volunteers were so friendly and knowledgeable. The kids loved the touch tank, all the different sea creatures, the fossil room and getting to meet a sea turtle.

Stephanie Gassaway

2023-07

The exhibits were nice, and the staff was patient. There was a touching tank where the kids could hold starfish and hermit crabs.