Hidden Harbor Turtle Hospital

Turtle hospital provided a great tour… they perform a great service… and it is worth a visit!
We attended with our young kids and it was one of their favorite spots in the Keys. The Turtle Hospital treats, rehabilitates, and houses sea turtles that have been injured, suffering from tumors and disease, etc.
Tour costs about $ 15 and last around 90 minutes. The money goes back into the hospital to help support their great work. The tour begins with an interesting 20 minute slide show, led by one of the employees of the hospital and gives a good overview of the local turtle population, the increased risks they face, types of turtles, etc. Last hour of the tour shows the surgery center and then the many tanks that house the turtles going through rehabilitation. The tour guide explains their conditions, and what the hospital is doing to treat them. There is also a large pool (a swimming pool converted into a turtle habitat) for some of the permanent residents of the hospital and visitors get to feed them (which is rather fun).
Tour was fun, educational and interesting and worth attending!

We *LOVE* The Turtle Hospital. Every time we visit the Key we take a trip to the Turtle Hospital. It is so amazing, it never gets old.

Seriously, how many times have you stopped to think about injured turtles? Seriously. Well for 1.5 hours we did. And it was great.
Starts off with a 20 minute presentation about types of turtles and what happens to them. Then you visit the surgery room and then you go meet the residents (the turtles) in the tanks in the bank.
Gotta say, this was a nice break from the beach and the the pool and it was great for the kids (big and small) to see. On top of it, the money you paid for admission goes to help the hospital, so makes it all worth it. Definitely go here and help out!

These people are really doing a great thing for turtles & the environment. Great place, should stop by when in the keys and support them.

Interesting to see the poor turtles that have injuries but sad to see some of the merky waters that they are swimming in in the pools. Tour was good though.

If you are driving to the keys, the turtle hospital is a great spot to stretch your legs. They have tours every hour starting on the hour which takes you around the hospital to see sea turtles patients in treatment and rehabilitation.
The 90 minutes tour is informative and our guide most patient and knowledgeable. Keep in mind it is not a cruise ship excursion nor an aquarium. You will not get to play or swim with these turtles. You do, however, have a chance to feed them and take lots of photos.
Wildlife lovers might feel a little sad afterwards. It was a very educational experience nonetheless.

This was one of the highlights of our trip. The Turtle Hospital is a non-​profit, turtle rehabilitation clinic. They perform surgeries as well as house several turtles to get them fit for release. We waited around an hour for the tour to begin since we had just missed one and decided to read some of the info in the main building.
The information there was mostly about turtle sizes, species, and human impacts on their population over the last few centuries. Definitely an eye opener.
The tour finally started by a cute girl who did a brief overview of what the Turtle Hospital was all about and showed us the ER room. The fun part really started when we go to see the injured turtles, it was pretty inspiring to see a one limbed turtle be able to not only swim but eventually be released.
I also learned the many sea turtles are succumbing to Fibropapilloma (or what my girlfriend and I call «Turtle Aids»). It’s a pretty nasty thing to get as it causes tumors around the entire body of a turtle, including its eyes.
Before we left, I bought 2 shirts because I really enjoyed the experience plus I wanted to help support them. If they ever open one up in Texas, I’d volunteer in a heartbeat.
This is a must see if you are in the Keys!

This was easily one of my favorite stops during my trip to southern Florida. The Turtle Hospital treats, rehabilitates, and, when necessary, houses sea turtles that have been subject to numerous injuries, diseases, etc.
The tour, which lasts about 1.5 hours, costs $ 15, and I think it’s $ 15 very well spent. The money goes back into the hospital, so this is not some for-​profit attraction you’re giving your money to. The tour begins with an interesting and informative 30 minute slide show, led by one of the employees of the hospital. The slide show discusses some of the risks the turtles face, the different types of turtles, etc.
The last hour is mainly devoted to showing visitors the different turtles that are currently being rehabilitated. The majority of them have their own tanks, and the tour guide explains their conditions, and what the hospital is doing to treat them. There is also a large pool (a swimming pool converted into a turtle habitat) for some of the permanent residents of the hospital. Visitors are given food that they can toss to the turtles.
The whole tour was interesting (and, at times, sad), educational, and fun. Our guide was very knowledgable and willing to answer everyone’s questions. If you have any interest in animals, the ocean, or anything related to nature, really, this is a great place to spend a couple hours.

Have been a long time supporter and have donated many time. Such a great place that does even greater work. The tour is really good for everyone including smaller kids I would say, but make sure you call in advance to book a spot just to be safe, spots for the tour fill up really quick.

for $ 15 per person, you will enjoy a great tour where you learn a lot about sea turtles, then get to see the patients in person in their tanks, then feed them food pellets. there are some really sad stories, but i’m glad this hospital is there to care for them. go and give them your support!

I love sea life and had to go check out the hospital. We actually learned a great deal about the habits of turtles and the guide was extremely informative. Definitely worth visiting at least once while you are there.

Great experience! Our tour guide, Gunner, was extremely knowledgeable. This is a great tour for elementary-​aged children. Be sure to make a reservation at least a few weeks in advance.

What a great tour! We’d heard about the tours of the turtle hospital and I’m very glad that we decided to check them out on our last day in Key West. Located in Marathon, a solid 1 — 1.5 hours north of Key West, the hospital could easily be missed by folks going to or from Key West but be sure to make time for it.
Important note: most of the tours sell out. When we were there, all of the tours that day were fully booked. Call ahead for reservations to avoid disappointment!
Our tour was conducted by the fabulous Gunner. The beginning of the tour was very informative and educational. .. and could have been a bit TOO educational for some of the younger members of the tour except for Gunner’s infectious enthusiasm for his subject material. He definitely knew his stuff, and as he described the plight of turtles around the world, he brought the issues home by describing some of the denizens of the hospital.
After the powerpoint we were led through the pool areas. The hospital has a tidal pool in which their permanent residents (turtles with too much damage to ever be released back into the wild) are housed as well as other turtles recovering from surgery.
Takeaway: if turtles are floating on the surface and can’t dive or swim away from you, they have a problem. Always call the Turtle Hospital, the gov’t, or another licensed rehabilitator before attempting to help the turtles, though, as they are a protected endangered species.
Aso you get to feed the turtles at the end of the tour. I WILL be back for another tour. Thanks Gunner!

I called this place beforehand to make sure it was appropriate for my 3.5 year old. The lady said that there was a power point presentation that was about 20 minutes long, and if he couldn’t last through that, we could take him out or there was a table with crayons in the back. He actually made it through! The girl who led our tour had been there only a week, but she did a great job. We learned all about sea turtles, and how humans are really fracking up their world! :(We were able to peek into the ER and see an injured turtle that had just come in. We saw a bunch of different turtles in little swimming pools that were being treated for various ailments. Then at the end, she gives everyone catfish food (?) and you get to feed the turtles! My son really enjoyed this, and my husband and I learned a lot as well.

we waited for the tour. my 3 year old nephew was with us. AFTER we bought our tickets the lady (an older unpleasant red headed women) who sold us our tickets told us «this is an educational tour and NOT kid friendly». what kind of educational facility wouldn’t want to reach or teach a child??? we asked for a refund and left.

Who doesn’t love the ocean’s most laid back resident, the sea turtle! These chill creatures are totally fascinating — and sadly, totally endangered. :(
The cool thing about the Turtle Hospital is that they’re completely dedicated to saving these big guys, who are suffering from all kinds of ailments. They have life-​long residents, as well as all sorts of turtles they rehab and release back into the ocean. Right now, they’ve cleared out a whole area for turtles they expect to get from the oil spill … :(let’s hope they don’t have to use it.
I learned soo much about turtles here, I loved every minute of it. You get to meet each and every turtle in resident, and even feed them. The sad part is learning about what human beings are doing to these poor guys through pollution, boating, fishing, etc. Really a wake up call! A must visit for any animal lover — and the money you spend on the tour will go to help fund the hospital.

if you go down to the keys, please visit this place. it was really an eye opening experience. you get to meet some amazing turtles, and really some amazing people who have dedicated their lives to helping turtles (& their «bubble butts») this was one of the highlights of my visits down to the keys and i would go back and visit just to keep supporting this great local charity (and to check up on their adorable lifers)

While the Turtle Hospital doesn’t look like much from the outside, looks can be deceiving as it is a great way to get introduced to the sea turtles that live in the Florida Keys and see how they’re being protected and cared for. What started as an attraction added to entertain hotel guests has become a full time, full service turtle rehabilitation and education facility.
90-​minute tours are held three times a day at 10AM, 1PM and 4PM for $ 15 for adults, $ 7.50 for children and they recommend calling ahead to make a reservation. They start with a slide presentation talking about the different species of turtles that live in the Keys, what dangers they face in the wild from nature and man, and how the hospital helps. Next you get to see an exam room where they show you all of the medical equipment they used to treat the turtles and talk about the different procedures they do. Then it is out to the pools (one of which is the original hotel swimming pool!) where you get to see the turtles that are currently being treated, some who are permanent residents and others that will be released when they’re better. The old hotel rooms serve as overflow and the week before we went, they treated 178 cold stunned turtles in addition the the 51 turtles they already had as patients due to record low temperatures that hit the Keys.
At the end of the tour you walk away knowing a lot more about sea turtles and what is being done to help them, you’ve gotten to see these turtles up close, and you truly feel as though your admission fee is going to an excellent cause.
P. S. What was really cool was that when we returned home, we happened to see a television show called «Operation Wild» about the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and they rescued a loggerhead turtle and took it to the Turtle Hospital and we saw our tour guide as they loaded it into the ambulance.

These people are the best! A great cause if you are looking for one to support. And if you are in the Floriday Keys do not miss the tour. Make reservations, though!
When you arrive (or after the tour) you can browse the gift shop. They have very interesting displays (Hurricane Wilma!) and good looking t-​shirts, among other things to support the cause. (You can do this from their web site too!)
The hospital is located in a converted motel that was right next to where we were staying. But it is also a convenient location as Marathon is right in the middle of the Keys.
The tour starts out with a very informative slide show. We then get to tour the exam room and turtle OR in the hospital itself. After that we get to tour the tanks and see the patients.
Let me tell you these are noble creatures that are endangered but so gentle it just makes you cry what happens to them. You can get a better idea from their web site what I’m referring to.
The tour of the animals is the best part. First there are the isolation tanks for the cancer patients :-(then the surgical patients. Then we get to see the hatchlings (cute!) then feed the permanent patients in the pool.
It is really something you have to see and support.

This was one of my favorite spots on my recent trip to Florida. This is a real working hospital dedicated to rescuing and rehabbing sea turtles. Tours are available every day. It is an awesome opportunity to see the great work they do and get to meet some of the patients. It is a great place to support. The work they do is beyond important.
Note: The hospital suggests calling ahead to make sure tours are still on. They are sometimes cancelled if there is a turtle emergency. We also had a really full tour, so you may want to call ahead just to make sure you get a spot.