Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center

Such a great little find and it was FREE! Bring cash so you can leave a donation.

The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center is a fantastic place to visit! This free informational center is packed with interactive displays and tons of fascinating information about coral reefs, local wildlife, and the important work being done to protect and restore these vital ecosystems. It’s amazing to see how the center collaborates with key agencies and programs to drive these efforts. Walking through the exhibits was an engaging and educational experience, with plenty of cool displays to explore. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast or just curious about the underwater world, this center offers a wonderful opportunity to learn and be inspired. Highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area!

Free! What a gem! My family and I (7 and 9 year olds) spent over an hour here. The displays were excellent and there were plenty of interactive displays for the kids. While they were enjoying the scavenger hunt, my husband and I got to read the signs. The man at the front desk provided a wealth of information. We finished our tour watching the twenty minute video which showcased a local free diver. It inspired us to go snorkeling the next day.

Very nice little place especially for kids Great info and cute movie Very friendly stuff

Yes absolutely bring your kids here first before heading to the beach and fort Zachary taylor! It's a hidden treasure and your family will learn so much about what makes the FL Keys and Key West so special. Happy 200th Anniversary to all my fellow Conchs!

We have been to Key West many times but this was our first time visiting this amazing center. It was a comprehensive, well done Eco-Center to learn about our environment. The volunteer staff was helpful and friendly. We'll be back!

Family had such a great time. The staff was extremely helpful and answered every question we had without hesitation.

This Eco-Discovery Center is informative, interactive, and fun....just don't expect kids to be too entertained. The information is as fun and playful as it can be, but it wasn't entertaining enough for my kids to last more than 15 minutes before they asked us to leave. There plenty of parking, it's free on Fridays, and I had fun. I would come again by myself next time.

Very cute place! The building isn't huge by any means, but for people visiting key west & looking for an hour to kill - this attraction is a nice establishment to attend. Also for those looking to learn a bit about key west history & the native ecology, this place can help you achieve that :) plus it's free! Who doesn't love a good free time??!

My husband, myself and our older teen visited here in early December 2022. Right now they're only open Fri & Sat from 9 am - 4 pm (closed Christmas Eve but open Dec 30&31). We spent about 90 minutes here and enjoyed all the exhibits, found it to be very informative. It was great to see all the touch and interactive displays for the little ones (and biggest ones). We also enjoyed the short 20 min video seen through the eyes of a girl growing up in the keys and exploring the different ecosystems. Was nice to see the restoration projects underway and the art displays featuring the wide words of children and what they'll do to protect the environment. A free centre, but donations are appreciated. The staff/(volunteers?) that were there the day we there were so lovely and informative. A recommended stop on any Key West adventure.

Tried to visit the center this morning (Tuesday) after walking past yesterday and seeing it was closed mondays. Once we arrived, the gate to the parking lot was closed. Odd. Tried to call, no one answered. Odd. Finally I look on their website and it's closed for renovations! Would be helpful to have that information posted in more places for tourists to the area.

A free, kid-friendly museum in Key West? Sign me up! This museum is operated by NOAA and provides educational material on reefs, mangroves, wildlife, and oceans. Upon arriving, you enter the section that contains replicas of hammocks, mangroves, and dunes. Each area has educational monitors about our environment. After that, there's a replica of the NOAA undersea laboratory, and again, monitors and information about different reefs. There's also a 3D video about underwater reefs and shipwrecks. They have an aquarium that contains local ocean life. My kids loved this museum and the exhibits. It's a definite stop for anyone with kids in Key West.

Nice little building where it gives you information on the ecosystem, has some props , gave a free poster , bathrooms were clean . Place looks well maintained.

What a great treat!! First off - right on the water so independent of the awesome Discovery center, there is a gorgeous scenic view. Parking is easy and free. Though it is on the property of the Fort the Center is previous to the Fort entry booth so there is no charge for entry to the area nor the center itself. Immediately you are met by a bright bold aquatic themed exterior. When you enter your immediately feel as if you have been transported to a modern big city aquarium. The lobby is welcoming and immediately you are greeted with a map of the facility. We made an immediate left and were met with a large scale replica of the various environmental areas in the Keys. Each ecosystem had it's own display and interesting facts about the area. The hallway into the next room has a TV showing a 3D movie. Glasses are scattered on the table where the TV is staged and there is a small bench across from the TV for seating. The next room introduces a very cool feature - a model submarine and underwater lab. There are portholes with video footage giving you the true feeling of undersea travel. The part I found to be the coolest was the large coral core embedded into the wall. Much like a tree trunk with it's rings, there are sections of coral that allow scientists to date the coral. The core that is in the wall is at least 12 feet tall. It's beautiful. Small arrows point to parts of the coral and pinpoint historical events that occurred while the coral was growing (Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 9-11, etc). Such a great way to realize understand the gravity of the years of growth. The main area ends there and you can backtrack to the entrance. In a small area off to the side is a small fish tank with a few native species. There is a vending machine and a door to exit the building to the back harbor area. Stepping outside you see an anchor sculpture and an oceanic society memorial / seating area. The view out into the ocean is spectacular and a fantastic photo op. This is a great place to visit and even better than that, to have available to the kids in the area as a learning venue! I will continue to visit on future trips and see if they have added or changed anything.

This was such a lovely and enjoyable part of our vacation. Excellent exhibits. Cool underwater 3D film and beautiful 20 min movie. Volunteers were great. Thanks Jim and Al! Liz in the giftshop is a new buddy.

If you are looking for something in Key West that is interesting, fun and free, then you found it!!! Not only do you get to learn about the Florida Keys Eco-culture but you get to do it in the AC!!!! It really is a cool place to check out and it will not take you all day. It is perfect if you have kids or just want to get away from crowds on Duval St. for a bit.

Can't pass up Key West FREE. Free parking, free entry, air conditioning. They had an interesting little video and nice exhibits. Pretty kid friendly exhibits too - a couple with "can you find...." games built into them...several with iPad interactive information signs. I think we stayed an hour - not hugely long time, but you couldn't beat the price.

My husband and I rented biked and decided to ride out here since we never get this far when we are just walking. So glad we did! This place is pretty interesting! You can take as much or as little time as you want and go at your own pace. If you have time, I suggest you come visit. It's free and great for families.

This was amazing! So many interactive exhibits and COLD AC! Oh, and it's free! They have a lot of great information on Florida's reefs and they have a small ecosystem with live fish, sea urchins, and coral. They also have a lot of great information on boating and areas to watch out for. This place was not crowded, the employees were super friendly and informative. Don't miss it!

I think this is a wonderful place to visit if you and your family would like to learn more about the sea life and life in the Keys. Especially if you're looking for something free to do, because this is a free exhibit, but donations are definitely appreciated! They also have a gift shop, with educational gifts. We noticed this building on the way to Fort Zachary Taylor, and I was insanely curious, so we stopped on the way out. We all thought it was very well put together and very educational for people of all ages. They have some really neat things to see, along with a little touch of the Keys' sea life in a mini aquarium as well. They were doing some kind of maintenance or exhibit work when we visited, so maybe there will be more things added on when we come back to visit. If you visit, be sure to make a donation! Every little bit helps aid in the study & preservation of local sea life, which is a honestly true beauty!

A great way to learn about Florida and its ecosystems. They have a few tanks, coral education area, and a small theater with a movie that plays every 30 minutes. It's free, but they do accept donations. Worth a stop!

$FREE.99, holla! This lovely little tourist spot is a short walk from the USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum. They are open daily from 9am-4pm and it's absolutely free! I came in just in time to catch one of their feel good/informational movies and walked through the place quickly. It's pretty small, but there's enough to take in to make it worth your time. I particularly loved the few aquariums they keep. I believe the employees are volunteers, though I'm not 100% sure. Either way, everyone I met here was very friendly and they can give you some great information for diving and snorkeling trips in the surrounding Keys.

It's free!! This Key West attraction apparently flies under the radar for a lot of visitors, but people really should take an hour or so to check it out. The film alone is worth the effort - it's narrated by a world class snorkeler and has some great footage of both land and sea creatures plus a great conservationist message without beating you over the head with it. Very nice. There is lots of information here on the Keys, so it would be a great first stop for any visitor. The aquariums are nice, too. Not huge, but we definitely had a few laughs watching one of the skittish fish swim in and out of his little dwelling. This is also a great place to buy a souvenir since they have an agenda a little more noble than the typical "pillage the tourist" shops on Duval and Greene streets. Don't miss this one - if only for the unrestricted free parking!!! I've got to go with 5 stars on this one.

On one of our days in Key West we had an all day downpour, so we needed to find things to do indoors, and this was one of the things we did that day. It's unusual to also find something to do that is actually free as well. A welcome change! This is a nice facility, that has a number of exhibits about the local eco-system. There is an area where a movie is shown, aquariums, a replica of an undersea lab, dioramas of various eco-systems and a gift shop. The on-site staff are friendly and helpful if you have any questions. It isn't a large facility, so it will not keep you entertained for a very long time, but it's worth visiting and is an option during inclement weather.

We came here because it was a free attraction in the area. It was well maintained and very clean. The AC was definitely welcoming, however, other than a short video, and some nice signs that you had to read, there wasn't much to "do" here.

Riding the Honda Metro through the roads in Ft. Zachary, just to look at what else is offered, and I came upon the Eco-Discovery Center. I appreciate the concept and the original effort that was put into creating this place. It's kind of like a quasi-marine life museum. I think could easily pass as a newly built wing for another local museum or aquarium. I stepped in just in time for the hourly video presentation run in the back room. It's about woman (well story started out when she was a little girl) that was enchanted by the beauty of nature since she was very young. I love part of the video when she was diving among the fishes. Very cool. The entrance fee is, FREE. With that said, this place is crowd sourced; their operations depends on the generosity of the locals and tourists passing through. I can see they are doing the best to keep this place up.

After discovering that the USGC Ingham was closed for the day, we swung by here instead, remembering how much we liked it. Such an interesting, informative place, and a good way to kill an hour or two. Make sure you don't miss the video playing in the theater. Visited September 2014

One word: Air conditioning! On a warm day in Key West this is the place to be. It was fascinating to learn about the ocean and various species that reside in this area. I definitely picked up some knowledge I didn't have before this visit. We toured around here in under an hour. One of the things I found most interesting were all of the Andres Franke prints. He superimposed studio images onto photos he took of the Vandenberg ship wreck. Then he sealed these images in plexiglass and they were attached to the wreck with magnets to serve as an underwater gallery. The images you see now are the ones that were in the underwater gallery, they have a unique patina from the time underwater. These images are gorgeous and well worth the visit alone. I was disappointed to find that the center doesn't sell any of the photographers work but was glad to find out that they can be purchased locally at Lucky Street Gallery.

This place is small, but they do great things! The staff were very helpful from the minute we walked in the door and they had a lot of information to provide regarding what they do and the parking was free, so if you patronize, take that money you would have paid for parking and donate it at the door for them to continue their research.

It's free, they ask for donations only. Everyone who visits or lives in Florida should visit here. It's the only place that we visited that actually talks about the environmental impact that trash, garbage, plastic, straws, and discarded fishing line has on the beautiful sea life in Florida. Please discard trash responsibly! Free parking and nice exhibits. Only takes an hour or less to visit.

I really can't complain, considering this place is one of the few places that you can visit for free when in Key West. Definitely stop in... If you have young kids, they will enjoy counting the crabs in the exhibit towards the front of the museum. There is also a short 20-minute film about Key West that plays every 20 minutes. If anything, if you don't like the museum (which you can visit in 30 minutes or less), take a few minutes to walk along the water or to go visit the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham Maritime Museum, which is just a short walk away. According to research on the web, the Ingham is a National Historic Landmark. INGHAM served our country from 1936 to 1988 and in 1985 was the most decorated ship in United States Service as noted in a letter from President Ronald Reagan in the exhibit room. It is the last American Warship afloat to have sunk a German U-Boat (626) in WWII. It served as the Flagship for the seaside operation of General MacArthur's return to Corrigedor in the Philippines. She served from 1936 to 1988.

You had me at free parking. You stole my heart with AC. It also happens to be a great eco/nature learning center. A small theater, small aquariums, things to touch and see. It is right next door to Ft. Zachary state park and beach, but DO NOT WALK TO THE BEACH from the Eco-center parking lot! It is like, a 1/4 mile walk from the guard gate in. And it's hot.

Our CityView Trolley tour driver did his best to get people to check this place out, but we were the only ones who got off. The exterior is not welcoming ... a big, unattractive parking lot, this building and the coast guard ship. It looks like nothing worth seeing from the outside. From the inside, it's a great little museum and it's FREE. There's a lot of interesting information on coral reefs, global warming, ship wrecks, Key West history, the Atlantis(?), the undersea research vessel and more. There's also a small aquarium and a 20 minute video on the sea. It's visually beautiful but boring. Working in production/post production, I found myself frustrated watching it because I knew if it had more narration and better editing, it could've been a truly entertaining film. Nonetheless, it was all a very nice experience.

Nice small museum of local wildlife and history. Great movie and aquariums. All free. Just don't trust google maps it won't get you here. Next to the US Coast Guard memorial and Fort Zachary.

Free parking! Free entrance! Might as well donate something when you are here. It is for a good cause. It is small and worth a stop to get educated on what lives and thrives along the keys. The 3D tv is great for the kids and the movie is inspiring. There are few fish tanks you can look. After this you can visit Fort Taylor and don't forget the beach there too. Bring gears to snokel.

Family friendly spot to learn about Fl ecosystems. Small building so you won't spend too much time here but it's a nice brief reprieve during the afternoon heat.

The last thing we had time to do while in Key West. This place is kind of out of the way from some of the attractions but well worth it. Admission is free, though there are donation boxes all around and the donations help them do such amazing research work. There is a lot of great educational stuff about the environment in the keys here and also a theater showing underwater life. If you have an extra hour while in town, I'd definitely recommend checking this place out.

Very interactive! Selling points- free parking, free entrance, and awesome ac! This place is great to learn about the Eco system around the Keys. Loved the 3D video and movie. Very friendly staff.

A must stop in keys esp if uve kids. Free admission but donation is accepted. Understand reef plus help to preserve reef.

Came here on the BOGO museum weekend that was going in the weekend we were in Key West. This was a very interesting spot we rode our bikes to. It explained the reef system and how fragile that is and the species that are present or protected. It was a very interesting self guided tour through the cool faculty. The staff was very helpful.

Great place to cool off and learn a few things about the Keys. The film shown in the auditorium is really nice and shows some amazing examples of the underwater ecosystems in the Keys. Highly recommend!

What a cool little place! If you're going to the Zachary place anyway, might as well stop by! There are aquariums with live sea life as well as lots of displays with explanations. There is also a little theater that plays a movie about the surrounding wildlife. In the middle there's this thing that looks like the inside of a submarine so I think it would be especially fun for the kids. Free admission - can't beat that! Also there's a gift shop and there are tidy restrooms!

Helped really explain a lot about the Keys area. Best of all its free.

Eco-Discovery Center located at the 3rd stop of the CityView Trolley Tour. It's free (donations accepted). Eco-Discovery Center was OK, but nothing special, in my opinion. They provided lots of educational written materials, their aquarium tanks are small, thus I am not sure that it will be very interesting for small kids. We watched short movie about eco system and underwater life. What I really enjoyed there is Vanderberg Project display - creative photography by Viennese artist Andreas Franke who combined the sunken submarine photos with real life studio photos. At this stop you can also tour WWII Coast guard ship (adult ticket is $10.00).

Informative and free. Gives you information on the formation of the Keys and current studies in the ocean.

Great place to get away from busy downtown. Nice little movie. Few aquariums. And its free. Took kids ages 10 and 3 and they enjoyed it. Good for about an hours worth of free entertainment and education about Florida's eco system.

fun, well maintained... and best of all, free!

FREE FREE great for kids and info. the large theater plays a 30min underwater movie that my kids really enjoyed. i learned tons going here. theres an art room for the kids to do crafts and a mini sub that the kids go through and click on to here narrations. i was happy to find somewhere i could bring my kids. this place is run solely by donations its a wonderful family spot