- Includes Gallery Admission
- All Ages
- 1 Hour
Join us to learn about the amazing lives of these sea turtles. We’ll discuss anatomy, natural adaptations, why sea turtles cry, natal beaches, and Tybee Island’s conservation efforts.
Gallery Hours: Wed - Sun, 9:30am to 5pm. Last admission sold at 4:30pm. Click here for directions.
Come check out our Coastal Galleries with live animal exhibits, interactive stations, life-size animal replicas, Fossil Room, a pirate ship playground, and more!
We are open Wednesday through Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our last admission is sold at 4:30 p.m.
Admission is $12 per person, kids four and under are free.
Public Walks, Talks, and Treks are available year-round, Monday through Sunday.
We offer year-round programs for island visitors, scouts, and school groups on the beach, in the marsh, on the water, and in our Coastal Galleries. Group programs are offered Monday through Sunday.
Saturday, April 13th 2024 at 8:00 AM
Registration: $35/person
Online registration ends April 4th.
Click below to register and learn more about this fundraiser for our Sea Turtle Conservation Fund.
Join us to learn about the amazing lives of these sea turtles. We’ll discuss anatomy, natural adaptations, why sea turtles cry, natal beaches, and Tybee Island’s conservation efforts.
Join a marine science educator for a guided walk on Tybee’s north beach. Learn about ecology, marine life, and more while gaining an appreciation for our oceans.
During this trek through Georgia’s salt marsh, you’ll get hands-on exploration in the mud searching for animals and learning about these unique areas.
Catch and examine marine animals by pulling a seine net through waist deep water. You’ll learn about the organisms you catch, including crabs and jellyfish, then release them.
Duration 1.5 Hours About Space is limited to 15 participants for this rare opportunity to join members of the Tybee Sea Turtle Project to excavate a recently-hatched sea turtle nest.
Join Allie Hayser, shorebird biologist for Manomet’s Georgia Bight Shorebird Conservation Initiative, to learn about the remarkable shorebirds and seabirds that share our beaches.
May 1st is the start of sea turtle nesting season on the Georgia coast. Our Tybee Island Sea Turtle Project volunteers walk the beach every morning looking for turtle tracks. Once tracks are found, the nest is located and blocked off with caution tape.
50 days after the nest is found, volunteers start sitting with the nest at night, awaiting the 100 or so babies that will emerge any night. When the nest hatches, or “boils” (so many small bodies moving makes the sand look like it’s boiling), volunteers supervise and protect babies as they make their way to the water. Following the boil, volunteers wait an additional five days before performing an excavation to allow any late hatchlings to emerge naturally.
Finally, an excavation is performed, where volunteers carefully dig into the nest and extract all hatched and unhatched eggs as well as any turtles left in the nest. At that time, any live stragglers are released, or if we are ready for a new hatchling, we keep one to be our marine debris ambassador for a few years.
Check us out to meet our current marine debris ambassadors, Westie and Ossie.
Sea Camp provides a hands-on experience introducing your child to animals native to Coastal Georgia. Our engaging program teaches campers by way of the classroom, the beach, field trips and outdoor fun.
At Tybee Island Marine Science Center, we provide marine science and nature-based programs for visitors, schools, and scouts. Whether we’re on the beach, in the marsh, or in our Open-Air Classroom, our exhibits highlight Georgia’s marine life and coastal ecology.