We had an afternoon flight out of Miami International Airport and so had time to squeeze in some final activities in the Florida Keys before heading to the airport. We reserved a morning appointment to visit the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
The tour starts in the Turtle Hospital's Education Center and Gift Shop.
The "guided educational tour" of the Turtle Hospital begins with an overview of the work done there and why it's important. The tour guide uses slides and artifacts to demonstrate conditions that can lead turtles to the Turtle Hospital. It was particularly interesting to learn about their turtle rescue efforts. After the introductory overview, the tour moves onto see the patients. It was interesting to see the surgical center in action while on our way to see the other patients.
There are multiple pools for different turtles in different conditions.
One of the highlights if feeding a large number of turtles in a large pool.
It was also interesting to see turtles of different species and different sizes.
The Turtle Hospital is a facility that used to be a hotel. Obvious advantages of this include having rooms for visiting scientists and others interested in turtle research to use when working at the Turtle Hospital.
The Turtle Hospital also enjoys a beautiful setting right on the water.
The Turtle Hospital provided a nice final "major" activity in the Florida Keys. It was a nice mix of education with learning about a nice cause and spending time with interesting animals.
We also made a quick stop at the Rain Barrel Village as we headed back to Miami.
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