One of my favorite places and one of my biggest surprises in Key West was the Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center. This fabulous center is sponsored and operated by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA, the South Florida Water Management District, Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks, and the National Wildlife Refuges of the Florida Keys.
And the best part is that it is FREE! They have aquariums with native fish, and many interactive exhibits.
My absolute favorite thing in there is the movie they show in the theatre. First of all it is cool in there! So if you go to the Keys in the summer you will need to cool off and the best place is the theatre of the Eco Discovery Center. The movie is called “Reflections of the Florida Keys” and was made by Bob Talbot. You know all those AMAZING-FABULOUS underwater photos of whales………… yes that Bob Talbot! There is a part in that film that has millions of tiny fish swimming and the young lady seemed to be conducting a symphony by moving her hands. The fish moved with her, never touching her. I had that exact same experience twice. Once, just down the street at http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/Fort Zachary Taylor and once, at the Dry Tortugas National Park.
They also have the very cool AQUARIUS UNDERSEA LAB! Kids, and adults alike can pretend to be scanning the oceans!
Kids and adults can pretend to be in a submarine!
There is a beautiful seating area just outside for a picnic lunch. The gift shop is great, but you don’t have to go there, and it is not like some places where you have no choice but to walk into the giftshop to get out of the building. You know the ones – the museum dinosaur exhibit, that you must walk through with your three-year-old who is having a meltdown because he wants the super dooper dino statue that costs $11,000!
Some of the magic! Look at those colors! Seriously God’s Coloring Book
This was one of my favorite places on the island! A true hidden gem!
Thank YOU for visiting www.placestoplayinnature ! All photo credit for this post goes to Barbie Wilson. Barbie is a fabulous photographer. Find her on TWITTER as @barbiedoll0087 She has an amazing array of Sunrise Photos!
I would seriously consider making this a stop on the way to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. I will write more on that soon!
