Marine Discovery Center in NSB honored nationally for boat tours
The Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach just earned a Top 10 USA Today readers’ choice award for its boat tours, winning the No. 3 spot among some tough competition.
“Over 4,000 different plant and animal species call the Indian River Lagoon home, and New Smyrna Beach’s Marine Discovery Center offers a wealth of excursions designed to highlight this rich biodiversity,” writes the media outlet. “Two-hour dolphin tours are offered on a daily basis during both daylight hours and sunset, while specialty birding excursions take place throughout the winter as well.”
Visitors can just hop onto one of the shaded pontoon boats where they can catch a cool breeze and glide across the expansive Indian River Lagoon. Along the way, knowledgeable guides point out sites of interest about the estuary and sightings of the countless marine wildlife the lagoon contains, from diving dolphins to mullet that jump unexpectedly out of the water.
What does the Marine Discovery Center have to offer?
The 156-mile Indian River Lagoon is one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America, according to the Florida State Parks organization, boasting more than 4,000 species. Marine Discovery Center tour narrators are certified Florida Coastal Master Naturalists and happy to share all the fun facts they know about the waterway’s rich ecosystem.
The two-hour dolphin tours are offered on a daily basis during the day and at sunset, while specialty birding excursions take place throughout the winter as well. Moonlight tours are available monthly during the full moon. Kayaking tours are popular as well.
Shonna Green, a spokeswoman for the center, said she was “thrilled” to make the cut in the 2025 USA Today list.
“We were nominated last year as well and came in 7th so this year (ranking at No. 3) was a big jump up!” Green said in an email to The News-Journal.
How long has the Marine Discovery Center been around?
The Marine Discovery Center was founded in 1997, and their first boat tour was in 2002 for a class of fifth-graders. Guided group boat and kayak tours were launched after that and have grown in popularity ever since. The center counted approximately 8,000 boat tour guests in 2024, according to Green.
“Participants on tours are a mix of locals and tourists each year, many of whom return time and time again as there is always something new to see,” she added.
‘MDC boat tours are the best’
The center consistently gets rave reviews on sites like Yelp and Google.
One post noted the “highly knowledgeable tour guides” and the wide variety of marine life sighted. “We even took a walk on trails and saw an osprey swoop down, pick up a stick, and carry it back to its nest. Highly recommended.”
Another comment: “Our boat tour was fabulous. The information about local history, wildlife and fauna was phenomenal. MDC boat tours are the best!”
MDC also leads the way in conservation programs and projects
But boating tours are not the only thing the Marine Discovery Center is known for. It’s also a nonprofit organization focused on protecting the Indian River Lagoon and coastal ecosystems through education and restoration activities.
In 2024, for example, a group of conservationists with MDC banded together in a project to help stabilize the shoreline of the estuary, planting hundreds of grasses and trees along the water’s edge to curb erosion.
The center also features a network of scenic trails, immersive programs, and an interactive educational facility, which is great for kids and school groups.
About the Marine Discovery Center
The Marine Discovery Center is located at 520 Barracuda Blvd. in New Smyrna Beach and is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Note: Boat tours take off from a separate location at 116 North Causeway.
Prices start at $35 per person for a guided pontoon tour; $95 for a family package good for two adults and two children.
For more information, go to marinediscoverycenter.org.
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