Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center
Website // 8740 Gulf Blvd, Navarre, FL 32566 // +1 850-684-3347
There’s no better place to learn about the Emerald Coast native sea turtles than at the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center. This site is a nonprofit interpretative center that can broaden its visitor’s awareness of the region’s marine ecology.
The star of the conservation center is, without a doubt, Sweet Pea, a green sea turtle found in 2016, stranded a tangled in a fishing line on Alabama’s Ono Island. The turtle had been severely injured from the entanglement and required amputation on her left flipper so it couldn’t be released back into the wild. Now she’s got a loving and permanent home at this Turtle Conservation Center since 2018.
Besides visiting Sweet Pea, a tour of the NBSTCC includes taking a look at terrapins, tortoises, jellyfish, seahorses, and lionfish. The meat of this center is the exhibits, which are most likely to absorb young and old visitors alike. You’ll see the carapaces and skulls of sea turtles, get a look inside sea turtle nests, interact with a map that displays locally tracked turtles, take a look at the makeup of artificial reefs, and other installations like the gift shop.
This Conservation Center also holds various events throughout the year, such as the Shark School, which aims to educate the young about the misunderstood toothy fish, and the multiple “Trash Bash” beach cleanup. This center also hosts a scavenger hunt for kids and features delightful locale-made items.
For those interested in learning about local and regional marine lids and conservation, the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center is a rewarding place to stop by.