Sandoway Discovery Center

About

Live shark and stingray feedings plus hands-on animal encounters happen daily at this oceanfront nature center housed in a historic 1930s home. Kids can touch stingrays in the interactive tank, meet resident animals like Reggie the skunk, and explore themed rooms filled with marine life exhibits. Perfect for families looking for an educational half-day trip. Each room offers different discoveries, plus there's an observation deck with ocean views and a butterfly garden. The center runs scheduled feedings and animal demonstrations throughout the day, so check the timing when you arrive. Parking is limited since it's right on A1A, so weekday visits or early weekend arrivals work best.

The Sandoway Discovery Center is a non-profit organization located in Delray Beach, Florida. It is housed in a historic 1936 beachfront home and offers educational exhibits and programs that provide a glimpse into South Florida's marine and freshwater

Programs (18)

• PUBLIC PROGRAM TIMES

  Homeschool Program
  · Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday· Afternoon, Evening· Membership Required

  The Sandoway Discovery Center is a really cool spot right on the beach in Delray Beach where kids get to see actual sharks, rays, and tropical fish up close—they have scheduled feeding times almost every day where you can watch the animals eat and learn what makes them so special. Your kids will get hands-on time touching invertebrates in the touch tank, meeting resident animals in person during animal encounters, and exploring interactive exhibits all housed in this charming historic 1936 beachfront home that's now an award-winning nature center. It's designed for kids ages three and up and works great for families who want something educational but fun and not too time-intensive, since you can pop in for an afternoon or evening visit. The public programs run Tuesday through Sunday in the early afternoons (they do close until noon on weekdays for school groups), and admission is just ten dollars per person, which gets you access to all the exhibits and programs happening that day. What really sets it apart is that it's small and intimate compared to big aquariums—your kids actually get to see the animals being fed and interact directly rather than just walking past tanks.

• Maggie Encounter Birthday Party

  Birthday Party
  · Paid

  Kids meet Maggie, one of the center's resident animals, during a guided animal encounter. The party accommodates 10-30 people including adults and kids.

• Schedule a Party

  Homeschool Program
  · Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday· Afternoon, Evening· Membership Required

  Throw your kid's birthday party at Sandoway and they'll get to experience hands-on marine learning in a real oceanfront building from 1936 – think shark and stingray feedings, aquarium encounters, and getting up close with live animals. The center works with kids ages 3 and up, and parties can be scheduled Monday through Sunday in the afternoon or evening, though the center doesn't open until noon on weekdays. Admission to Sandoway is $10 per person, and the party experience lets kids explore interactive exhibits while watching the center's resident sea creatures in action, which honestly makes it way more memorable than your typical party venue. It's the kind of place where your child actually learns something cool about Florida's marine life while having fun with their friends.

• Our Changing Earth

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids explore current environmental issues like sea level rise, climate change, and ocean acidification through hands-on activities and experiments. The program runs 1-2 hours and requires a minimum of 10 participants or a $100 minimum fee.

• All About Amphibians

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids explore metamorphosis, behavior, and camouflage through live frogs and toads plus hands-on artifacts like skeletons and jaws. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes listening to frog and toad calls.

• Plants & Seeds

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids learn about photosynthesis, plant parts, and growth through hands-on exploration of seeds, roots, stems, and leaves. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes discovering everyday products made from plants plus a garden tour for field trips.

• GROUP FEE FOR EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS

  Homeschool Program
  · Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday· Afternoon, Evening· Membership Required

  The Sandoway Discovery Center is a really cool spot right on the beach in Delray Beach where kids can get up close with marine life in a historic 1936 oceanfront home. They have hands-on exhibits and daily programs like shark and stingray feedings (Tuesday through Sunday at 1pm, plus an extra one on Saturday mornings), aquarium feedings at 2pm, animal encounters at 3pm where kids meet resident animals, and touch tanks where they can handle invertebrates. It's designed for kids ages 3 and up and works for families of all experience levels—no prior knowledge needed, just curiosity about ocean life and South Florida's ecosystems. General admission is $10 per person, and they're open from noon to 4pm weekdays (closed mornings for school groups) and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays, plus noon to 4pm on Sundays. What really sets Sandoway apart is that it's a non-profit nature center in an actual beautiful historic beach house overlooking the Atlantic, so your kids get the learning experience plus that special setting that makes it feel like more than just another aquarium visit.

• OUTREACH PROGRAMS

  Homeschool Program
  · Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday· Afternoon, Evening· Membership Required

  The Sandoway Discovery Center is a really cool spot right on the beach in Delray Beach where kids can get hands-on with marine life and nature exhibits in an actual historic home from 1936. They run outreach programs that are perfect for kids and families who want to learn about South Florida's ocean and freshwater ecosystems, and the center offers daily interactive experiences like watching sharks and stingrays get fed (Tuesday through Sunday at 1pm, plus an extra Saturday feeding at 11am), checking out the colorful fish in their indoor coral reef tanks at 2pm, and doing up-close animal encounters at 3pm where you might meet one of their resident creatures. The center is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm (closed Mondays and major holidays), and admission is $10 per person for ages 3 and up. It's the kind of place where your kid can actually touch and observe real animals rather than just read about them, which makes it way more memorable than your typical aquarium visit.

• Biodiversity

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids interact with resident animals while learning about classification, characteristics, and habitats across the animal kingdom. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes a live shark feeding demonstration.

• Programs are 2 hours long. We require a minimum of 10 participants

  Homeschool Program
  · Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday· Afternoon, Evening· Membership Required

  The Sandoway Discovery Center is a beachfront nature center in a beautiful historic home where kids get hands-on experiences with South Florida's marine life—think watching sharks and stingrays get fed, observing fish in coral reef tanks, meeting resident animals up close, and touching invertebrates in their open tank. Programs are designed for kids and families of all ages, running on afternoons and evenings throughout the week (Tuesday through Sunday, with some programs starting as early as 12:30pm), and each program lasts about 2 hours with a minimum group size of 10 kids. Admission is $10 per person for ages 3 and up, and the center is housed in an oceanfront 1936 home where you're literally learning about local ecosystems while overlooking the Atlantic Ocean—it's a really special setup that makes the whole experience feel more like an adventure than a typical museum visit.

• Stingray Touch Tank Birthday Party

  Birthday Party
  · Paid

  Kids get hands-on time touching live stingrays in a supervised touch tank experience. The party accommodates 10-30 people including adults and kids.

• From Beaks to Feathers! All About Birds

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids learn about flight, adaptation, and conservation through live birds and hands-on exploration of beaks, skulls, nests, feathers, and eggs. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes bird calls and examining talons up close.

• Sea Turtles... Followers of the Moon!

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids learn about sea turtle nesting, behavior, and conservation through artifacts and educational materials. The program runs 1-2 hours and focuses on these ocean visitors without live sea turtles.

• Gigi Encounter Birthday Party

  Birthday Party
  · Paid

  Kids meet Gigi, one of the center's resident animals, during a guided animal encounter. The party accommodates 10-30 people including adults and kids.

• Shark Tank & Coral Reef Adventure

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids watch live shark and fish feedings while learning about marine classification, habitats, and food chains. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes exploring the center's shell collection with artifacts like mermaids purses and sand dollars.

• All About Reptiles

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids explore reptile characteristics, adaptations, and habitats through live reptiles and hands-on artifacts like skeletons, snake skins, and skulls. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes examining scutes, jaws, and teeth up close.

• Skunk Encounter Birthday Party

  Birthday Party
  · Paid

  Kids meet one of the center's resident skunks up close during a guided animal encounter. The party accommodates 10-30 people including adults and kids.

• Creepy, Crawly Insects!

  Workshop
  · Paid

  Kids explore insect adaptations and characteristics through live and mounted displays plus hands-on demonstrations with bug eyes, antennae, and metamorphosis exhibits. The program runs 1-2 hours and includes a garden tour for field trips.