The Outdoor Discovery Park In Florida That’s Perfect For A Family Day Trip

The Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is located on Hutchinson Island in beautiful Stuart. This one-of-a-kind center is the perfect place to relax and reconnect with nature. Visit this hidden gem for memorable, fun, and family-friendly encounters with marine animals!

The 57-acre Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon, creating a unique landscape perfect for marine education.

You can take a tour of this stunning landscape on a nature trail that leads to the Indian River Lagoon. Along the way, your guide will teach you all about the plants and animals. A shorter trail goes through the mangrove swamp, where you'll explore the magnificent marine wetlands of Florida.

At the center, kids and adults can learn through exhibits featuring fish, sharks, stingrays, and turtles, as well as lots of activities for children and a visitor center.

There are lots of opportunities for hands-on learning here.

Touch tanks give kids an up-close experience with marine life like starfish.

The 30-minute stingray program teaches guests all about different rays, and you even get to touch and feed these fascinating animals.

Don't worry, they won't actually sting!

It's also quite a sight to watch the sharks and game fish feeding in the 750,000-gallon lagoon.

The Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center offers programming all throughout the year, so be sure to check their website for a schedule of events on the day you plan on visiting!

Have you ever visited this outdoor discovery park before? What's your favorite place in Florida to learn about nature?

And for another family-friendly place offering marine animal encounters in Florida, you'll definitely want to check out Discovery Cove in Orlando.