The Turtle Hospital
The world's first licensed sea turtle hospital. Visit the wards and rehabilitation pools to learn how turtles are treated and released.
The Turtle Hospital was founded in 1986 in a former motel in Marathon. It treats sea turtles injured by boat propellers, fishing nets and fibropapillomatosis, and more than 1,500 have been released back into the wild. Visits are by guided tour only, lasting about 90 minutes, with adult admission around US$30. The tour covers the operating room and rehabilitation pools, and visitors can feed the permanent resident turtles. Reservations must be made online, and tours often sell out in peak season. The hospital is about 80 km from Key West and can be combined with a visit to the Seven Mile Bridge.
Opening hours
09:00–17:00 (guided tours only)
Nearby sights
- Pigeon Key
- Seven Mile Bridge
- Bahia Honda State Park
- National Key Deer Refuge
- Looe Key Reef
- Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
- Fort East Martello Museum
- Smathers Beach