Apollo Beach Visitor Center — Attraction in Edgewater

MOSQUITO/SAND FLEA/SAND FLY ALERT We attended a turtle nesting night on 6/21/19. We were able to see a turtle lay an egg, cover the nest, and go back to the ocean. We also got to help screen and mark the nest. It was really cool, and the ranger and volunteers were great. Our only problem was the massive amount of bugs. The ranger said that because of the way the wind was blowing (from the west and north) the bugs would be really bad. We could have never imagined until we experienced it how bad it could be. We all wore mosquito repellent bracelets on both wrists and ankles, long pants/long sleeve shirts with hoods, and tennis shoes, plus we basically bathed in bug spray. We were only on the beach for 45 minutes-1 hour, and I got over 150 bites. The entire beach was basically covered in swarms of bugs. It is called Mosquito Lagoon for a reason! We could hardly stand being there waiting on the turtle to do her thing. Everyone was constantly swatting at the bugs, reapplying bug spray, and trying to cover their faces. You are required to stay with the ranger; otherwise, I’m pretty sure most of our group would have sat in our cars after the turtle left while they were taking care of the nest. As cool as it was, we probably wouldn’t have gone if we had known how bad it was. I think it would be great if the park could provide mosquito net suits for rent or purchase for people visiting. The ranger said they are working on that, but it is not an option at the moment. So if you’re really into turtles and want to go, I’d suggest bringing your own netting suit and using the serious DEET bug spray. Wear boots or long socks so you can tuck in your pants. Overall, it was a memorable and unique experience, but I just want to warn others so they can be more prepared...

Our family has been to over 200 national parks, lakeshores, seashores, historic parks, monuments, etc. over the past 11 years. We have NEVER had such an attentive group of staff and rangers as at the Apollo Visitor Center. Our youngest boys, ages 7 & 8, did the Junior Ranger Program, and while it was more or less similar to what most park's Jr. Ranger Programs contain, it was the staff that made it spectacular. Firstly, Norman spent at least thirty minutes talking to us about the different sea turtles, the bones and shells in the visitor center, and about the area in general. He gave us all of the information we needed to explore this small but beautiful park before we hit the road and trails. We had a great time, the waves were something close to record breaking no doubt, but it's great to see a part of Florida's coastline in this region still preserved. Upon our return to get their Jr. Ranger badges, all three of the female staff members, including one ranger, took even more time to discuss more of the facts about the endangered and threatened turtles in the area before putting the video on for us to finish the program. Then another staff member swore them in and took us back outside to talk more about the beach and lagoon and why it was so important to preserve it. I couldn't be happier with the experience and think these staff members are just absolutely wonderful people. Thank...

I was very disappointed about how we were treated. I came with my friend and we had 3 kids between us. We asked for the junior ranger books so the girls could earn their badges. The lady was very rude and short with us and told us google stuff we didn't know instead of answering our questions. She told us to leave several times even though we were trying to read the displays and stamp our book. I tried to ask questions about some of the displays and the bones they had and the best things to do, but I was ignored. So we went outside to do the books and my 11 year old finished it, by my 8 year old didn't understand so of the activities and the word search was way too hard for her. When we turned in our books, she gave us the badges, but not the patches because they didn't finish the books. My friend was not having it, so she marched back in there and asked for the batches for the girls. It was the worst experience we've ever had at a national park. We travel fulltime and go to tons of national parks. I was surprised at how badly we were treated compared to the seniors that came in that were warmly welcomed and helped without asking for assistance. There were no rangers at the visitor center either, which is very unusual. I have wanted to go to this national park for years, and I have never been more disappointed at a...