Sandoway Discovery Center

This place was great! Get to experience feeding the sting rays and sharks, and petting the stingrays. Great half day trip, and the employees were fantastic in answering questions and explaining the different local animals! Highly recommend

This place is incredible, so beautiful and my toddlers absolutely love it! Take a look at the times because they have feeding times and you can witness the sharks eating and all the other animals and also you can interact with one of the tanks and touch starfish. They also have exotic animals is so beautiful

I recently visited the Sandoway Discovery Center in Delray Beach. I was absolutely blown away by the experience! The center beautifully designed and offers a unique opportunity to learn about the local marine life and ecosystems. The staff were incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their work, making the visit both educational and engaging. The highlight of my visit was the shark and stingray feeding demonstration, where I got up close and personal with these fascinating creatures. The touch tank was also a hit, allowing me to interact with various marine animals in a safe and controlled environment. Overall, I highly recommend the Sandoway Discovery Center to anyone for a fun and educational experience in Delray Beach. It's a hidden gem that deserves all the praise it gets. I can't wait to visit again!

This place is a hidden gem! I was surprised to learn the center has been around since the 1930’s and yet it took me almost two decades of living in S Florida to visit. I came to see a shark feeding and was impressed by how much this small historic home-turned-center holds. Each room is themed and educational, there’s a touch tank, demonstrations (my fav is Reggie the skunk!) and gorgeous views of Delray Beach proper. Very inviting for nature lovers, including kids & kids at heart. You can tell they’ve been updating the property & continuing to build out their programming, so I’m excited to visit again in the near future. Only downside is how small the parking lot is, which is pretty unavoidable when you’re right on the beach. I recommend going early on weekends or mid-week to avoid the busy beach crowds.

Great experience! If you want to see an adult turn into a happy child let them pet a ray. Thank you to all involved.

Fun place to take the kids to see a few animals! It was clean and well taken care of.

Cute old home dedicated to the rescue of animals however I didn't think it was worth $10 a person fee. My kids ages 7 and 10 were ready to go after 30 minutes. The feedings are done at 12, 2, 4 pm and It's incredibly difficult to stick around for the feedings when you can go through the entire place in 20 mins. Cute but likely wouldn't return. This would be good for kids 5 and under.

Wonderful educational stop for all ages! I took my 20 month old and she had a blast touching the rays, watching the nurse shark and aquarium feedings, and was able to pet a ball python. There is a sweet little children’s area with books, puppets and more displays, a wonderful room filled with shells, and a beautiful butterfly garden. Even though it’s a smaller building, we definitely spent over 2 hours there. Definitely coming back when we visit from CT again.

The Sandoway Discovery Center was neat. The fact they turned a historic home into a nature center filled with exhibits is nothing short of astounding. There is a $10 fee but you can clearly see why. They support this center on those fees. There is free parking which is a great perk and the entry fee definitely covers. They have feeding exhibitions for the stingrays, sharks, and lionfish. It's neat to watch and the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. I'm including a few photos of our favorite parts... there are a lot more things to see! I forgot to mention the butterfly garden too. There is a seat outside to sit on and admire them.

Inside of a cute house right across from the beach. There's a few parking spaces right near this house as well as handicap sparking spaces. My favorite thing to do here was touch the star fishes as well as the sea urchins. In the bigger pools outside in the back, they had a few sharks and also sting rays. They have a show and will answer questions for visitors as well. This is so nice to have if you're scared to get in the water but you love sea life. Or for little kids to experience some sensory stuff. I enjoyed it here at Sandra's discovery center.

It was the historical marker that caught my eye and I enjoyed that, though the Sandoway was closed on this Saturday morning. As I'm sure Yelp will merge the two, here we go. The marker reads, "The Sandoway House Nature Center was designed as a home by Samuel Ogren, Sr., in 1936 for early Delray Beach winter resident J. B. Evans, a retired produce broker. It is one of the last remaining Resort Colonial Revival houses in Delray Beach. Significant Resort Colonial Revival elements include the board-and-batten siding, the open second-story porch, and original double-hung windows. Built during the Great Depression, the only ostentation is the cathedral window on the south side of the residence. The dune garden and native plantings surrounding the house retain the ocean front setting that was typical of the neighborhood in the 1930s. In 1998, the house opened to the public as a nature center in an historical setting. Purchase and rehabilitation was made possible through contributions from many local private and corporate sponsors and through public funds from Palm Beach County, the City of Delray Beach, the Florida Communities Trust, an the Florida Department of State. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002." This is marker number F-617 and it was erected in 2008 by Palm Beach County, the City of Delray Beach and the Florida Department of State.

Sandoway Discovery Center has been here since I was little, and I feel it's a staple place to visit if you're in the area. It may look small from the outside, but it holds so much! It's a fantastic place for little ones to learn all about the big blue ocean by viewing live sea creatures, petting sting rays, and watching the nurse sharks out back. There is also a room upstairs that offers shells from all around the world, all labeled and categorized so you can really learn all about them. This is especially exciting because many local shells are featured as well, so you can wow your friends by telling them exactly what shell you discovered! For the little ones they have a room complete with toys and books, so you can give them some time to just play and enjoy the beautiful views. Step onto the patio for a spectacular view of the ocean! They also have a little nature walk outside. It's just a small loop, but there are tons of plants, flowers, and butterflies to spot. Be sure to ask about the skunks outdoor play time as well! I came here expecting to be in and out in about 15 minutes, but ended up spending close to 2 hours. A small but mighty experience!

Very disappointed. My adult son is in a wheelchair and I called ahead to see if they could accommodate us. I was told yes., When we arrived , it was tight to get in the door., There were stairs to see some of the items and only showed us a very small elevator. I asked for my money back. Will never return or recommend this to anyone.

Fun place, not very big. Staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Great thing to do when raining. The shark and stingray feeding were incredible to watch!

What a hidden gem right across from Delray Beach. It's a historical home built in 1936 that turned into a nature center over the years. It began conducting summer programs for children and providing marine and coastal exhibits for everyone to see and interact with at the center over 60 years later. The shark feedings are cancelled until the backyard project is finished. We saw turtles, an alligator, lizards, sharks, an owl, an opossum, stingrays, a macaw, fish, and a snake while we were there. There were a bunch of shells that we were able to see that came from all over the world as well as other ocean items that had creative use on display. It's a fairly cheap cost of 6 dollars per person and there is free parking at the center while visiting the center. The staff members gave a lot of information on how the museum started and educating about the animals that were there. There's a nice butterfly garden to walk through outside and an hour is enough time to see everything that is offered there.

The facility is not entirely as it is represented. It is not conducive for an interactive experience for children with special needs. It is advertised as Interactive. Yet there were very few interactive opportunities without the abundance of restrictions. The children will be told by the staff NOT to do many things that neuro typical and non neuro typlical students will attempt to do: tap on the tanks, touch the legs of the turtle, speak loudly or splash in the sting ray tanks. Special needs children require a multisensory approach and an interactive approach in a structured yet flexible and safe environment. The provision for a safe area for eating lunch which is enclosed was sanctioned off and only accessible once a request was made due to safety concerns about the proximity to the road in relation to the designated picnic area. No animals were visible during the walk on the path. The restrictions regarding a multisensory approach is counter to the needs of special needs children.

It pains me to rate this 3 stars, I promise I put much thought into it and research. Brief history on this property, it is beachside that was built during the Great Depression for retired produce broker J.B. Evans, who commissioned local Architect Samuel Ogren to design it as a retirement home. The Friends of Sandoway House Nature Center, Inc. in 1995 restored it as a nature museum highlighting marine and coastal life.The County of Palm Beach owns it, leases it to the City of Delray Beach, who sublet it to the Friends of Sandoway House. The parking was very easy to get to, just a few steps away from the beautiful porch that exhibits a gopher tortoise, a digging-in-the-sand pen with shark teeth, some other turtles, ect. Immediately entering I'm greeted by a friendly man that I pay $5 for admission, in which he gives a parking pass to put on my dash (parking is free). Here there is also a gift shop and right across reptiles like a (baby), cuban frog, snakes, ect. Pick up a brochure here as they have times listed for feeding the nurse sharks, sting rays, and crocodile! There was an invertebrate touch tank that you can see had diff species of starfish thru the side of the glass but unfortunately it was closed. This same "living area" is also shared with a big saltwater tank with beautiful fish and live coral, and a once-was fireplace that on the mantel displays real jaws and teeth from multiple sharks. You go upstairs and theres a "nocturnal room" that is home of Lilly a opossum and a screech owl. Also a microscope room where you can look at snake skin, feathers, and other specimens under a microscope. Theres a really nice learning center for the children to color, read, sit, play, and a porch right outside where they supply binoculars. Through an overwhelmingly amount of shells displayed all dedicated in one large room leads right to the door that takes you downstairs to the nurse sharks and stingrays. The 3 nurse sharks, an adorable pufferfish, and other fish all share what once was a swimming pool. A few steps away is a VERY small touch tank holding one sting ray. Now, the reason for being 3 stars was thinking this was rescued animals that could not be sent back out to the wild. But its sole purpose is thru education. But we all know how that goes with exploitation. I thought the swimming pool was way too small, the sting ray that I did attempt to touch seemed so stressed out, kept swimming himself into one corner and this tank was about 8 ft to 4ft wide. As well as the screech owl all by its lonesome (I do not like birds caged up for any reason that only serves purpose for us, not for them). The macaw they had seemed so angry, he was out of his cage (but in an area fenced off to be a safe distance);any move I made he did a lunge, with a disturbing repetitive head motion, it was so sad to see. The positive thing is how empty it was, especially on a Saturday, even with a birthday party going on which did not disrupt me. But if that one sting ray was showing signs of not wanting to be touched by just me, I can't imagine being coddled by countless fingers in such a enclosed space. I am all for the awareness of animals, conservation work but there are SOOOO many other ways to educate the public. I did enjoy myself for sure (even though I covered everything in alittle over an hour) but I'm still weary at the "conditions" or at least space that the animals are held in.

I have lived in the area for 5 years and never knew about this place until a neighbor told me how nice is is and definitely go when they feed the sharks in the backyard pool. I planned to arrive at 10 when they opened and then stay for the fish feeding at 10:30. The parking lot was rather empty and there was plenty of shaded parking in their private lot. Admission fee included a 2 hour parking pass. I decided to purchase the year long pass as it included discounts to other local places, and if I never went back, it was a nice little donation. I will return because today was the last day of the surfboard exhibit which I really wanted to see. I was a bit bummed until they told me it will return in 3 months. Next exhibit is Shark jaws coming in June, and I wouldn't mind coming back to see that one too. The Sandoway House is literally an old Florida house where the rooms are interactive for museum knowledge and the swimming pool in the back yard is the shark/fish tank. The feeding was pretty interesting. The touch tank for sting rays was closed for service. Would have liked to see that too. Next time. Inside the house upstairs is 1 room for looking at sea shells displayed on shelves by region or country where they are found. I happen to love going to the beach to hunt for cool shells and now I am somewhat inspired to travel to other countries to go to their beaches and see if I can find shells there too. There is a cute room for kids storytime that has plenty to keep the tykes busy for quite a while. They even have little kid binoculars to step out onto the observation deck and look for birds and other things out towards the beach. The volunteers are very nice and all have some kind of eco background. Check their website for changes in feeding schedules and what the rotating exhibit they have on display.

This place was a nice surprise... I have lived in Delray 4 years and have heard about Sandoway but this was my first visit. A great place for kids to see large sharks and stingrays up front and personal. Admission $5 adults. .. small amount of free parking. Staff was wonderful especially our guide. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We went on a Saturday afternoon and had no problems. Check out their feeding schedules before you go.

We Loved it! The Sandoway Discovery Center was very educational and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable.. We had a great experience there.

I have been coming to Delray Beach for my entire life and this was my first visit here (in 33 years!). I took my 2 year old to the shark feeding (10:30 daily), and did not expect there to be so much more inside this renovated house. I have to brag on the Marine Biologist (I forget his name) and Susan (volunteer). He was so interesting during the shark feeding and really knows his stuff. Susan was so kind and really made my son and I feel welcome and special. We will definitely be coming back here on our next visit! Thank you Sandoway!

Took our 3 year old granddaughter there. I thought even though it is small, it was very educational and informative They really appeal to young children. Even have children's activity room upstairs next to a room with a huge seashell collection. We saw them feeding the sharks in the pool between the house.

Great place for kids to interact with nature and learn about the animals and their nature habitats. Although this is a "hands on" experience and you can feed the Maggie the gopher tortoise, hold Gigi the resident box turtle, hold a corn snake, create your own shark tooth necklace, get up close and personal with the sea urchins and sea stars, touch (if you dare) Chomp the live alligator there are a few things not allowed so "l'esprit de votre entreprise" - No running - No yelling or disruptive behavior - No food, drink or gum - No climbing or standing on the exhibits or railings - No tapping on the animal enclosures or tanks and please keep your shirt and shoes on for the sake of all. I must have missed the free parking, there are parking lots close by with pay to park meters that takes credit cards, don't for get to put the ticket on your dash or the $4.00 entrance fee will pale in comparison to the ticket waiting for you when you return.

Horrible experience today. After paying full price for my family, we entered the building to explore with friends only to find that 2 of the 3 main exhibits weren't accessable because of camps. I was told the animal feeding show schedule by the front desk upon paying. Within a few minutes after we paid, their scheduled feeding shows were cancelled (although it was just a fish tank with tiny fish, so we didn't miss much, I suppose). Their touch tank was also closed. I was told by front desk "no refunds" and I was only there for maybe 30 minutes max. When I spoke with the manager explaining that I would have appreciated being told before paying that most of the facility's features were not available to view... so that I could have left and come back on a day when they were open, she made a nasty face and rudely said "well, $6 is NOT a lot of money." Well, for many families, it is, plus the drive to even get there. Such an elitist thing to say. So for $18 we saw some dirty fish tanks, a sickly opossum and some frogs you can see in your back yard. Huge waste of time and money, and unfortunately a very rude manager. Her final word was "you'll know better for next time." What a sweet way to speak to a mother who came with two little ones, and was genuinely upset by how inconsiderate it was not to tell patrons the facility is more than 50% closed at the time. Had this been handled with some respect, maybe I would have gone back. But after this experience, definitely not. Skip Sandoway if you are here on vacation looking for stuff to do with kids. I live here, but if I wasted my time/money here on a vacation I would have been even more annoyed.

Wonderful. So many animals and exhibits. Nice buildings and natural areas. Wheelchair accessible

Had an amazing time at Sandoway for an axolotl themed birthday party. Madi and Alyssa were the best hosts ever. Thank you ladies!

Sandoway center was hosting a beach clean up. A ton of people showed up even though the weather was not optimal. Although the it was very windy and cloudy we still manage to pick up a considerably amount of garbage and help protect our beaches. It was definitely enjoyable.

Such a cute spot! Definitely recommend to anyone in the Delray area just for the experience. Staff was so friendly and all of the animals seem very happy and well taken care of. Go during the feeding time for the best experience!

Nice place to spend the day with young kiddos who are loving the nature and sea creatures! Sharks swimming in the backyard pool! We always enjoy our selves at Sandoway.

Nice little place. It's mainly inside with AC which is great during the summer. The sharks and stingrays are outside. It's a pretty small place probably could only stay for maybe max 2 hours. It is right across from the beach so that's makes the trip a little better.

ThIs is a low-cost marine center that my little kids loved. It's inside a house that was built in the early 1900s so it's interesting in and of itself to see the house. The staff are wonderful and super friendly. There's aquariums, a gift shop, discovery activities, microscopes, shells, and the mandible and teeth of a Megalodon shark. There's also an activity room for kids that has two small tablets with games, books, binoculars, coloring pages, and puppets. The beach is literally across the street so it's easy to go there after. Parking is free if you visit the center but you have to find other parking to stay for the beach and restaurants. Look up feeding times ahead of time and plan around them so as not to miss them.

Awesome place. Great for kiddos. The nurse shark feeding was fantastic. The shell exhibit and shark teeth were also really good

Supercross little spot I did not know own exists as I ve come to thebeachbuildingcoinc@yahoo.com tons of times accross the street they have a nurse shark min pool that they do feeding GSM so definitely make sure you schedule around that otherwise you'll be wandering around checking out cool fossils and such very inexpensive good for a couple of hours of family fun.

Not impressed at all... its fairly inexpensive but really not worth it at all... there are so many great places to go in Delray that I honestly would not waste my time/money to go to this one... you ahould now as well that it is not handicap friendly as there as stairs to go to the pool out back and no ramp so pushing a stroller through the place is not feasable either... must say I will not be going back...

We recommend visitors to park @ sandoway park near the house. When visitors purchase $5.00 admission fee for each person; you receive complimentary parking as well. There are different feeding times for different animals; nurse sharks in pool @ back of house; many beautiful aquariums; large sea shells collection; observe deck upstairs with binoculars for visitors to borrow; curious owl; macaw; tortious & turtles; snakes & clean restroom. Touch tank for children & visitors to hold marine animals such as sea stars & horse shoe crabs under the water (please speak with sandoway staff for assistance).

If you're in the Dania area, stop by. We drove up from Davie, and it wasn't quite as much entertainment as we thought. It was right across from the beach and very beautiful. The volunteers and employees were very nice.

I take kids to a lot of nature places in South Florida. A lot of good places. This place, by far, is the best we ever go to. Incredibly knowledgeable staff. Jody, one of the tours, is as good as it gets! She is a marine biologist. Sierra Club - ICO

Lame. I'll probably go to hell for writing a bad review for a non-profit but aside from having to pay the $4 donation for a self guided tour of shells and animals that you can see at a pet store, this was a huge waste of time. We missed the shark feeding, which only happens once a day. We did get to see the two little sharks, which were sitting motionless on the bottom of the tank. I didn't think sharks could do that--sit motionless. Anyway, there was no one around to explain anything--the guy that took our money just sat reading his book near the entrance. On the plus side it has air conditioning and free parking.

Great place to take the kids to learn about science. My nephews are 3 and 6, they loved the second floor which had the owl and all of the shell collections. They even have a kids room with books and coloring for them as well as binoculars for the kids to go out on the deck and see the wildlife

Visited on a weekday. Pretty nice set of displays and exhibits with explanations. Though we visited to feed the stingrays we were not able to as they were not available. Wish they had updated the website so that we knew ahead of time. But kids got to learn a lot and to touch some sea creatures. Overall good place to take kids for a couple of hours. They have free parking as well.

This place is small, but has it all. Just as the pictures depict, a small swimming pool with 3 nurse sharks, 3 rays, and some other animals (birds, baby alligator, snakes, turtles). The biologists/educators are fabulous (Jody and Evan), really enthusiastic educators (who can teach at both the adult and preschool level), and extremely knowledgeable (both have advanced biology degrees and specialties of study). For people who are less interested in marine biology, there are some great old historic pictures of Delray Beach from the past 100+ years. $5 per person, check the website or call for times that staff feed the rays and sharks.

Only 4 bucks to get in and the shark feeding is pretty cool. The guy teaches you a lot while feeding. It's a small place though, if there is a school group there, it's really congested and don't even think about bringing a stroller. The part that really brought this place down though, was the staff. There are 2 older ladies that work there that are so RUDE. Not even remotely friendly. One kept yelling at the kids to shut the door to the gift shop and I happened to be right in front of the door one time when she slammed it right in my face.

Definitely worth a trip for nature lovers of any age. I took my kids to the Sandoway House during our stay in Delray Beach. The shark feeding is a must as nurse sharks get their name from their distinctive feeding habits and sounds. The curator of the house was very informative and entertaining. So check out the shark feeding schedule and time your visit accordingly. You can easily spend 30 min- 1 hr. and at an entry fee of just $5, it is worth it.

Last Thursday I visited Sandoway House it is a historical building. It is right on the water and is a great place to stop after a day on the beach. After I went swimming I changed my clothes in the restroom conveniently outside the property and walked through the garden. They have a butterfly garden teeming with courting butterflies. I entered the porch to see the parrot that had first drawn my attention, Mr. Crystal. Beside him was a touch tank with starfish, urchins, and sea slugs. A giant tortoise was munching on corn on the cob in another enclosure. I paid my $4.00 to get in. $4.00 and it included FREE PARKING! The volunteers told me about local dives sites and other museums. They even recommended a delicious pizza place that was nearby. A young woman took out an alligator for the children to get a closer look and to pet the animals tail. I took this opportunity as well. :) I was also given a chance to pet a turtle and a snake. I was given hand sanitizer afterwards. In the backroom there is an art gallery. Outside there are three nurse sharks and some other tropical fish. The two larger sharks were over five feet long and easily over a hundred pounds. When the volunteer fed them they slid up on the steps of the tank and popped the food into their mouth with a giant percussive noise. The lecture about sharks was informative for adults, but also had bits to entertain the children. I was afraid they would give the sharks live food, but they fed them cut up pieces of fish. The puffer fish and stone crab were fun to see.There is a nice tank indoors as well. Upstairs there is a shell museum. I have never seen so many types of shells in my life. They had over a hundred species of cone snails alone. Maybe two hundred! I was told the collection include 10,000 shells. There is also a cute balcony and they let you use binoculars. Interesting for birdwatchers, but I didn't spend much time there or in the sea turtle room. I would recommend this for all children and for any adults who like nature, museums, and historical buildings.