Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Had an amazing experience! The staff were fantastic answering our questions, they are really passionate about turtles and about sharing this! Really cute and happy to have contributed to preserving turtles

Joy one of the volunteers is an absolute gem! Her passion for the turtles is amazing - she was full of knowledge and spent a good amount of time answering our questions and showing us how she feeds some of the little turtles. Would highly recommend spending some time in the tank area viewing the rescued turtles and talking with the volunteers and staff. The interior of the museum was educational but could use a little refresh in my opinion. Otherwise a delightful experience!

The visit here was the highlight of our trip into Jekyll Island. It was very educational. The staff and volunteers here are friendly, knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions you may have. We also loved getting to see the turtles (and a small alligator) that are currently there being rehabilitated. It's not a terribly big place, but great for what it is. They dont receive any state or federal funds, so I'm happy knowing that our admission tickets, as well as purchases from the gift shop, can help to fund the important work that they do. We would enjoy a return trip upon returning to Jekyll Island.

We took the behind the scenes tour with Kristen. We were given a tour of the hospital area and introduced to the staff. They were busy working on a sea turtle and a small alligator both had been hit by cars. It was a fantastic tour so interesting. I can’t recommend this tour enough, worth every penny.

We absolutely loved our visit to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. It’s educational, engaging, and inspiring…perfect for both kids and adults. The exhibits are well-designed and interactive, offering fascinating insights into the life cycle, rescue, and rehabilitation of sea turtles. Watching the turtles being cared for in the rehab center was a highlight, you can tell the staff are truly passionate about their work. The staff and volunteers were friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to answer questions. The behind-the-scenes tour added an extra layer of appreciation for the incredible effort that goes into protecting these animals. We especially enjoyed the educational videos and hands-on stations that helped us understand the challenges turtles face in the wild. The gift shop has a great selection of eco-friendly products and souvenirs that support conservation. Whether you’re an animal lover, science enthusiast, or just looking for a meaningful stop during your time on Jekyll Island, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is absolutely worth the visit.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a must-visit on Jekyll Island! The facility does an incredible job of educating visitors about sea turtles and marine conservation while also rehabilitating injured turtles. The exhibits are interactive and engaging, making it a great experience for both kids and adults. One of the highlights was seeing the rescued turtles up close and learning about their recovery process. The staff and volunteers are knowledgeable and passionate, happily answering questions and sharing fascinating insights. The center’s efforts in conservation and rehabilitation are truly inspiring. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend stopping by to support their important work! Plus, your visit helps fund their rescue and rehab programs. A fantastic experience for all ages!

What an incredible experience. We were there the day they brought in their largest rescue ever after she had been struck by a boat. It was amazing to see how they were caring for her and how her shell had been repaired. You know your money is going to the right place when you visit here. Also the gift shop prices are really good.

This is an excellent place to visit. It is good for any age and children will enjoy the interactive exhibits. It's a working hospital and you will learn how the ill and injured turtles are treated. The hospital tanks are part of the tour and enthusiastic guides/ carers are there to discuss the process and answer questions. Don't miss it. There is also a great gift shop to tempt you.

This was a fun stop after visiting driftwood beach on Jekyl (tip to follow). It is very well organized, and a fully functioning turtle rescue facility. No operations were being conducted (I imagine the vets were off as it was Dec 30) but when conducted the public can see it televised from the operation room. There was a whole section of "hospital beds" and they did have some patients with info on their situations (NO HIPA to worry about.) And it's incredibly sad to learn just how rare it is to become a reproducing adult turtle. And if you know of any turtle lovers, they have got a fantastic gift store. I was tempted to buy so many things! Tip: if ever in the area, make a point to FIND Driftwood Beach. It's worth going a bit out of the way for.

I had never been to this sanctuary before even though I lived in Brunswick for 2 years. I don't go to Jekyll much so was relying on signs posted to find the place. I was surprised to find no mention on any of the signs until close to the entrance. The first part is the gift shop and where you purchase tickets. Mine was $12. Next are various displays with lots of information about many different kinds of turtles. There is also a big window where you can watch them work with the turtles in a laboratory. There was nothing going on when I got there, while I looked at the displays, when I left to go to the other area or when I returned. That was a disappointment. The next area is big tanks with turtles that are being treated for various diseases and injuries. It's hard to see those that are not moving, which was most of them. A very knowledgeable lady was there answering questions and giving information. The gift shop was very nice and had lots of different items, but most of it was more expensive than on st Simon's. I was disappointed that there was not more to see close up of the turtles. An informative place but you have to read most of it yourself in the first part.

Around 3 o'clock my mom and I went to the turtle museum near downtown historic Jekyll Island. They have a little QR code that you can scan and get your tickets to the website or you can go inside and purchase your tickets for the turtle museum. Each ticket per person is $12 they have a little museum that teaches you all about the different species of turtles and how many turtle nests are currently in Georgia. They have a little museum along with a gift shop and then outside they have the rehabilitation and sea turtle hospital. Each little section of water has a nameplate of a turtle that has received help from them or a turtle that has been released. They also have a little enclosure with box turtles as well as terrapin turtles. The whole museum is very kid friendly and very educational so if you're on Jekyll Island, I definitely recommend this museum and the self-guided tour. 10/10

Awesome spot located on Jekyll Island where they rescue and rehab injured sea turtles back to the wild! It's expensive to get in, but great that the money goes towards helping the turtles get back to life! I do wish there were more exhibits to look at, but we enjoyed what we saw nonetheless. It was also cool to see the staff performing a procedure on a snake (pic included) to insert a chip, from what I understood. Definitely worth a visit at least once to learn about and help the sea turtles, mate! Cowabunga!!

Fantastic place to visit. You learn all about the different sea turtles. The staff & volunteers are very knowledgeable. The best part is seeing the turtles in recovery due to dog attacks or being hit by a car or simply sick. They also had a small alligator that was in recovery after being hit by a car. We also saw babies that were so tiny. I had no idea what a struggle it is for turtles to just survive. Thanks to Lydia for answering questions.

We had such a great time checking out the wonderful work these folks do at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on our recent Jekyll Island beach vacation. The museum itself has some interesting facts about sea turtles but the obvious draw is the recovery center where sea turtles swim in their own private pools while awaiting a return to the ocean. The work they do is also observable through glass while in the actual museum which is neat. Well worth a stop if you're staying on Jekyll Island.

We came here to support the local turtle sanctuary but were disappointed with how small it was. We were done in a matter of half an hour. It is mostly visual reading and looking but the sanctuary had 2 turtles in distress and we were unable to see them. Kudos to this center as all proceeds are strictly raised by the support of the visitors and community.

There were only two sea turtles in the entire place and you couldn't really seen them well. The other tanks - probably six in all - were empty. Of course no one tells you this before you buy tickets‍. And on top of practically no sea turtles, there also were no gopher tortoises or box turtles to view in their respective pens. It says to buy tickets online ahead of time - which we did. My suggestion is to call first and ask them if they actually HAVE any turtles for viewing! After our no-turtle, we made our way through an overpriced gift store filled with a shirts promoting the place. No thanks. I felt like we were ripped off.

This is a little museum packed with a lot of data and a decent number of animals that are being helped by the Center. Kids of all ages will love to see the turtles and tortoises being rescued. The first room is a gift shops. The second room has museum exhibits, a window looking into a surgery room, and a tank with a juvenile sea turtle swimming around. You exit the room and can see two yards, one with box turtles and another with gophers. The next building you enter has hospital pools with various sea turtles and terrapins. How many creatures you see will vary depending on how many are being rescued but are not get released. The cost of entry is $12 per adult.

Neat stop although there weren't many turtles when we were here. You never know what kind or how many there will be. You can't get super close to them but the staff are very friendly and super informative about what's going on.

This is one of the hands-down coolest experiences that I have ever done! Seeing all the adorable sea turtles alive, and getting rehab in order to be released is such a beautiful thing! Everyone who works there was extremely friendly and welcoming, willing to answer any and all questions! We had such a fun afternoon, and I almost adopted a turtle... But don't worry I didn't!

We've visited the Sea Turtle Center a few times over our Jekyll vacations. It's small, but admission isn't too much, and it's for a good cause. Enter and exit through the large gift shop (takes up half the museum building), filled with aquatic life plushies and cases of silver plated sea turtle jewelry. They do have cool sea turtle exhibits hanging from the ceiling in there. The museum half of the building is interesting, though small. There is always a tank exhibit with a baby sea turtle swimming inside, as well as didactics, and kid-friendly interactive learning stations. It's meant to walk and explore at your own pace, but if your kids are too young to read, get ready for a little of reading out loud and explaining. Out the back door leads to a separate building where you'll find the hospital. In this more modest building are pool tanks, each with a sick or injured turtle resident. Hospital staff are present to answer questions and explain a few things about the hospital, the rehabbing turtles' personal stories, and this facility itself. In most people's opinion, the best sea turtle action happens during hatching season where you can witness conservation efforts as wildlife specialists count nests/eggs, and assist with the turtle hatch and crawl to the sea. Nesting season begins in May on Jekyll, and hatching occurs from August through October. During sea turtle season, you can take turtle walks, ride with the sea turtle patrol, and adopt a nest! Only certain Jekyll beaches are known nesting sites, including South Dunes and Glory Beach. If you aren't visiting during this special time, there are afterhours tours at GA Sea Turtle Center, where you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the hospital facilities. If you are lucky enough on a regular day visit, you'll happen to see activity in the operating room window. Out of 3 visits, this has only happened once while we were there. And I will caution you that there can be a lot of blood, which may be upsetting to kids. In the case we witnessed, a turtle had been hit by a car, and was expected to make it, but of course surgery can be a butchering task, so prepare your kids (and yourself) before you take a look!

A sad disappointment for me. Folks at our hotel suggested we visit as they enjoyed their visit to the Center. I personally found the Sea Turtle Center bland and boring. You must purchase a ticket to enter the exhibit, which is fine, but I was surprised when the clerk very curtly said it was self-guided. No earphones provided, no introductory comments, just walk in and begin reading little passages and opening little doors... boring! Even the area with the turtles was disappointing. It's neat what the Center does to help the turtle population, but the exhibit sorely lacks creativity and inspiration. Highly disappointing.

The sea turtle center was great! They have a fabulous hands-on educational facility in the main building that educates visitors about sea turtles, nesting, and more! There is a large window that looks into the exam/procedure room so visitors can see what is going on when the facility has a patient. They also have a camera above the exam table with a monitor in the window so visitors have a birds-eye view of the procedure. Behind the main facility is their rehab facility where they keep sick and/or injured turtles. Everyone there was extremely knowledgeable and excited to talk about the turtles. Many of the activities are engaging and educational and the experience is great for visitors of all ages.

During our summer vacation, we visited Jekyll Island for two reasons: first, my wife is a huge Walking Dead fan, so we had to see the beach where Oceanside was staged; and two, the kids were really looking forward to visiting the Georgia sea turtle rescue center. After purchasing tickets, online, we arrived right about the same time as a huge thunderstorm. Being from Southern California, where we don't get lightning, but once or twice a year, we actually enjoyed nature's light show. As we ran from our rental car to the front door. Once inside, we noted that the majority of square footage seems to be dedicated to their retail operation, with all sorts of turtle gifts, T-shirts, stuffed animals, and other assorted stuff that you wouldn't probably by unless you were on vacation. Passing through the gift shop, we entered the museum and display portion of the program. Several educational displays are placed around a room about the size of a Denny's restaurant. There was one tank with a small sea turtle in it, a couple of video game screens that simulated a turtle trying to cross the road... Think Frogger. A few model turtles hanging from the ceiling, and various displays that assigned different levels of responsibility for turtle mortality, to fisherman, litter bugs, urban sprawl, and coastal development. Thank God, my home state of California has banned drinking straws. Outside, there is the "hospital" portion of the tour -- a large covered area, features several tanks with assorted injured and recovering sea turtles floating around in them. One docent was making a brief presentation about the different C turtles in the facility, and a few others were busy in themselves with addressing the needs of the other resident Tortugas. A couple of enclosures outside for gopher, tortoises, and box turtles did not show any actual animals, but presumably, they were hiding out as turtles tend to do. Honestly, this place was just OK for me. They're doing good work, and they truly are putting their heart and soul into helping these beautiful creatures, but as marine, aquariums or museums, go, I put this place down the list from any number of aquariums, at least, from the standpoint of a kid coming in to see critters. Not a bad stop on our trip, but did not live up to our expectations. Still, this facility seems to be doing extraordinary work of preserving and restoring habitat, as well as rehabilitate in wildlife, and returning it to the sea. Far superior to a lot of pinniped rescue operations in California.

This had been listed as a place to visit, so we went one morning with the family. There is plenty of parking, including electric car charging. We had bought our tickets ahead of time, and our one year old son was free to get in. Dogs are allowed in the gift shop but not in the learning center or hospital. They have lots of information on sea turtles, the area, and the work they do. In the outdoor hospital, they had about 6-8 turtles being rehabilitated, and two baby hatchlings . It was fun to watch them swim around and learn about why they were there. We walked back in the gift shop and bought a souvenir to commemorate the trip. It's a fun place for kids and adults alike!

It's great to see sea turtles being rehabilitated and eventually sent back out. Great program! They make adjustments to tanks to make sure the turtles are in the least amount of stress as possible. This pl There was one turtle who would most likely never go back out because its hind legs were paralyzed and needed a weight to keep it buoyant. There should be a plan for this baby to have a bigger tank.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is one of the few turtle hospitals in the US. It's a small center, but def worth a visit. It will get you thinking because as you move through the exhibits, you get to learn about the lifespan of a sea turtle and the challenges they encounter. The facts were really interesting. Like how our pollution affects them so much. After you're done, don't forget to visit the hospital side. Take some time to read the turtles' bios, some are super sad. But the good thing is that if they're here then their life quality is better than whatever state they were found. We read that one turtle was paralyzed in its back fins. To make it more sad, there was a hole in its shell due to a boating accident. However it found its way to the center, it looked like it was coping, swimming around and occasionally hiding its head for some alone time. So all hope isn't lost! They are here for healing and mending. There's also a booklet of former patients if you're looking for some feel good moments. Lastly, they have some events like a creature feature and feeding time so check that out beforehand and plan accordingly.

This place is all about the sea turtles along the Ga Coast. The exhibits are excellent. The area where they are cared for is also good. What makes the place excellent is all the volunteers.

For those who are interested in conservation and the rehabilitation of animals, this is a highly recommended place to visit. This organization serves as both a sort of an animal ER as well as a rehabilitation center for injured animals, especially sea turtles. The intent is to save them and eventually return them to the ocean- the Sargasso Sea specifically. While there, we actually saw the vet working on a turtle or two. At one point it was mentioned that a turtle had been hit by a car and they even warned parents with small children that they might want to walk away because the vets do their work in real time on camera. The turtle in question when we were there was decided to not be viable. Unfortunately, they could not save it, but we did not see it because it didn't survive to make it to the ER. However, we were able to see some of their efforts such as a physical therapist might do. They gently exercised the flippers on two sea turtles that we saw there and used red laser light. These Sea turtles were recovering from injuries and had a hope of being returned to the ocean. In some tanks in that room, as well as in an adjoining room, there are tanks where turtles in various states of recovery are being fed and cared for. It was explained to us that sometimes the females are carrying eggs and once the eggs are removed, the technicians hatch them for the turtles so that the turtles can focus on recovery. They hatch them using incubators. It was explained to us that the low speed limit on the causeway nearby on Jekyll Island was specifically because this is the time of year when the female turtles go up on the causeway to find a dry place on higher ground away from the swamp marshes where they tend to swim to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, they do not know the danger in doing so and many of the sea turtles which arrive at the center arrive because they have been hit by a car. This is very heartbreaking, but it is so nice to know that these people care and do what they can to save turtles' lives. We highly recommend this place.

I was disappointed that the experience was so small. There were only 2 sea turtles to view which I guess is a good thing for the turtles. Our 7 year old granddaughter definitely enjoyed the gift shop best. You enter and exit through the gift shop so you will be spending money there. We were in and out in 30 minutes, which included 15 minutes in the gift shop. I felt like it was an expensive 15 minutes. We visited in July so in the winter, there are probably more turtles being helped.

Offers some great insight into the different turtles and the their daily lives/dangers. They also have hospital tanks where you can see some turtles being rehabilitated. They have a gift shop with quite a bit of memorabilia to purchase. It is pretty small, so once you look at the tanks and walk around the info center, you're done. You do have to pay for the experience and it's something that can be done in an hour or less. It is pretty interesting to see and really eye opening. It's great that they provide this service to save the turtles.

We came here toward the end of our weekend trip. We headed in right before lunch not knowing how long it would take. We bought tickets at the counter that is in the gift shop right when you enter. There is only one main room, but it was packed with information and very interactive. There was also a staff member there giving info. This main room also had a large window where you can watch the actual workers there taking care of animals. We saw a team working on an animal, but did not have a good view. In the back outside, there is a small display and the timed shows were great. The first show we saw was the feeding. It wasn't that exciting, but had lots of good info. The staff person stayed after and answered all of my kids' personal questions! We saw the large turtles in the tanks and they had mirrors so we could even see those that were trying to hide. We actually came back later in the day after lunch as the ticket comes with in and out privileges to see another show. This one was purely informational and was good as well. I'd say plan for an hour minus the shows to fully enjoy the space.

It was sad to see all these hurt turtles. I'm glad that there is a hospital that helps but the tanks are very small. It seems fine at first until you realize that's where they stay all day, every day for years until they are deemed to be releasable and some aren't. It seems nicer to allow the animals to be free even if it means a shorter life and let nature take its course. It's a very educational trip but turtles travel in the sea thousands of miles in their lifetime. It left us all feeling very sad and didn't want to take anything with us to remember it.

This turtle center educational activity for the young and old alike! My kids always want to come here when we are in Jekyll Island. We have adopted at least four sea turtles over the years and attended one release which was so much fun. We especially love saying hello to all the sea turtle patients there. The staff here are friendly and eager to answer questions. I like getting a family membership which includes an adoption. The gift shop is fun to browse and one gets a 10% discount as a member.

We did the behind the scenes tour and it was totally worth the $50 to be up close with more than just the sea turtles. You get a full tour of the facility and see the animals that are not on display. We got to see them do physical therapy on a baby gator that was hit by a car.

It was cool to see the turtles, but it's definitely something more for kids to enjoy rather than adults mainly because there's not really that much to it. It was nice to see the turtles but I'm not sure I would spend the money to go again if I came back to the area.

Decided to do this since my son has a yellow bellied slider turtle and he loves turtles. The price to get in is reasonable and they have a nice gift shop with lots of turtle themed items. The interactive section is informative and well put together. The turtle 'hospital' has several patients that you can observe and we were able to see one of the large loggerheads being fed. Love the idea of this place and the descriptions of the patients and why they are being rehabilitated there, when they came in and their names and how much they weigh, etc.

We really enjoyed our visit tot he Sea Turtle Center. It's not a huge facility, but it's easy to spend an hour or more there. Admission is more than reasonable at $10 for adults. We walked through the one-room information and display area straight to the feeding that started a few minutes after we arrived. The woman who gave the talk on the turtles and gave the feeding was knowledgeable and funny and super patient with all the questions and comments. After watching the feeding and presentation, we went back and walked around the various displays until it was time for the veterinary presentation. We got to see a new rescue having blood drawn and being fed, which was really interesting and informative. The setting is also just gorgeous, being surrounded with live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Items in the gift shop are slightly expensive, but it all goes to a good cause. I bought a couple of tshirts, a hat, and a fridge magnet for just under $75. Highly recommend this stop - with or without kids.

Great facility. Admission is 10 bucks. Their mission is to help heal sick and injured turtles (and other sea creatures). They are very knowledgeable and do a great presentation during the scheduled feeding times.

Such a great educational center doing amazing things for the community and the sea turtles. Admission was $10 per adult and in the front they have a great gift shop and educational center teaching you all about sea turtles. In the back they have an area where they are rehabilitating hurt turtles. Such a cool experience.

This wonderful place serves as a turtle hospital and rehabilitation center for injured and cold stunned turtles and an educational center for children and adults. They offer tours of the tanks where the patients are undergoing treatment, which is definitely worth taking the time to do. I was moved enough by the great work that they do here that I bought a membership and and a paver for the walkway, a wonderful way of raising money for the center and showing appreciation for their sponsors. You can also adopt a turtle, which helps to pay for their rehab, and they'll let you know when the turtle will be released, so you can be there.

Sea turtles are my spirit animal, so naturally I had to come here and check out the hospital and donate to my spirit animal cause. They had the inside set up really well, with a lot of information an learning nooks. They also have a glass viewing area for people to watch when they treat the sea turtles. You can view some of the patients in the structure next door and see the pools they live in and read their back story. It cost $8 for entrance. They are open 7 days a week from 8am-5pm. They have a cute gift shop as well. All proceeds go to helping the turtles. If I had kids I would take them here. When I retire I want to volunteer.

The GSTC is such a great place! If the turtles alone somehow don't draw you in, it's a solid spot for learning about the Georgia coastline, critters, and preservation programs. There's a small but well-curated museum area with interactive exhibits (puzzles, touch screens, video, tools) plus an on-site hospital area. You can easily spend an hour or two here and will come away with an expanded knowledge about these creatures as well as some up close and personal experience! The hospital area was easily the best part, with a window to see the medical staff in action, weighing and measuring turtles or even doing surgery. Their mission is to treat the injured and ill turtles in the area then ultimately return them to the wild. The holding tanks in the back allow you to see long-term patient turtles and view their treatment plans. Check the schedule at the front entrance to know when you can observe feedings and participate in Q&A sessions.

Been here before and they do great work helping injured sea turtle. There is a large gift shop with almost anything Turtle you may want! They charge admission to go into hospital area but it is very educational too with displays and all.

Wow, there is a lot of amazing work going on here! We watched as a sea turtle, that had been struck by a boat, was being tended to by the medical staff. We saw baby turtles being measured, watched others being fed and given medication, etc. The staff is really enthusiastic and you can tell they care about the turtles. Loads of information is presented throughout the exhibit. I like that you can pay and come & go throughout the day. They have different feedings and presentations throughout the day so it's nice to be able to leave and go eat lunch or to the beach and come back whenever.

Had fun here. Cool to see the turtles but souvenirs are super expensive. But the admission is a good price.

This is not a turtle museum but a turtle hospital. Injured turtles are transported here to be treated until they are well enough to release back to the nature. It's nice to see how people care for the wildlife and willing to spend their time and money to save these beautiful creatures. This is a really well established facility and I learned so much about turtles.

This place is cute and no one can hate a place that rehabilitates sea turtles! My main complaint is the cost. It was $62 for my family of five (no military discount which I thought was odd) to go in and visit and really beside one room of education there was a small area to see some large pools with sea turtles and there were maybe five in there total. They only had one toilet per sex and a lot of people there. There just wasn't much to do or see there honestly and I think $5 per person with the option to QR code more of a donation would have been sufficient. The staff were very friendly though.

This turtle rehab & research institute is simply wonderful. I learned so much about the turtles native to our area during my visit last Saturday. Can't believe this place only charges $10 per person. I easily spent 1.5 hours reading all the displays, observing the vet techs in the hospital, watching a turtle feeding, and searching for turtles in their enclosures. You must go during a turtle feeding, or better yet pay extra to help out behind the scenes. (Must reserve this ahead of time, limited slots each day.)

I am a complete and total sucker for sea turtles. I truly love them to pieces. Spend a little time in the room right off of the gift shop studying and learning. There were some things that I was unaware of as much as I adore them! The rehab center next door holds all of their patients and seeing the tiniest of babies up to a 13 year old is a treat. Heart breaking to read the stories and see some fellas with pneumonia and a missing arm, but it really drives home the importance of what they are doing. I will definitely come back and visit when I'm in the area!

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is performing a great service helping sea turtles that have been brought in for health reasons, injuries, and rehabilitation. They do a wonderful job at this. For $9 and some change per person you can get into the museum to view lots of educational exhibits on sea turtles as well as look though the big window into the hospital to watch the doctors and staff treat the turtles; once you are done with that you can go outside to another building with tanks where sea turtles are kept that are currently being treated.

This place can be summed up with one word. Passion!! The love the employees have for their jobs and the turtles is awesome. Very educational and a must for animal lovers. Nice gift shop too.

After spending several days enjoying the marshes and beaches of coastal Georgia it was the perfect time to visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and get a deeper view of animal life on the coast. Here is what you can expect: A decent sized gift shop where you purchase your tickets, a smaller than average exhibit center (informative, yes. completely engaging? no. but the point to the place IS education and awareness, not traditional entertainment.), and then for the grand finale a tour guide will take you to the actual turtle hospital behind the building where you can meet some of their patients. I was able to appreciate the front half of the experience but I was totally immersed - and watched my family do the same - in the hospital tour. Hearing stories of how wild turtles are harmed by boat propellers and speeding cars and cold snaps that leave them disoriented in the water and watching what this staff does to try to bring them back to healthy animals is incredible. That experience made us appreciate the wildlife of the islands in a completely new way - and really pay attention the next time we saw "turtle crossing" on a local highway. Donations are needed, and the cause is worthwhile. If you're in the area this experience shouldn't be missed.

Very nice turtle rescue center and museum on Jekyll Island. Informative and interactive displays. Gift shop with semi reasonable prices. Lots of turtle jewelry available. A good time was had by all.

We had an amazing time here. We booked a behind the scenes tour which may seem a little pricy but is well worth it. It was great to see the hospital side of the complex and to interact with a lot of the vet techs. We really enjoyed visiting this place.

We just visited and had an amazing lady named Isabel explain everything to us about the facility. So educational and unbelievably intelligent. We had a great visit because of her, thank you so much! Let's all be more aware as humans and help out these creatures

We come here every year. If you are coming to Jekyll island you have to come here! The money you pay to get in goes toward helping the sea turtles!! This center takes I'm injured and sick turtles and rehabilitates them and releases them when they are well enough. It's a great little educational center with a hospital attached to the back for the sick turtles. The educational center is great for kids and adults a like! Come here and support the turtle rehabilitation!!!

We liked the idea of visiting a place that takes care of sea turtles, especially ones that are hurt. When arriving, we went in through the gift shop (this is where you purchase tickets). It was free for kids 3 and under, kids 4-12 were $8.00 each and adults 13-61 were $10.00 each. I believe the ticket price for 62 and up was around $9.00. They do give a 10% military discount on ticket prices only, not the gift shop. After getting our tickets, we walked in to the next room where the sea turtle exhibit is. I had seen other reviews say it was small, but I did not realize it was one room. They did have quite a bit of exhibits to keep the kids entertained for a little bit. While we were there they brought in a turtle that had a broken leg. My kids got to see them put a "cast" on it. I have several kids that want to be veterinarians when they grow up so it was a great experience. There was one tank that had a sea turtle in it. There is no opportunity to touch the sea turtles. We were in the exhibit room for about 30 minutes or so. Jekyll Island does have bike/walking trails. We seen a post office and a snack shack. There is quite a bit of shade with all the trees and the kids enjoyed the walk. I don't know if we would have went if I knew it was just one room, but I'm thankful that we did go and my kids got to experience sea turtle life.