Sea Turtle, Inc. — Attraction in South Padre Island

This is a fantastic local non-profit conservation center in the heart of South Padre Island that works hard to protect sea turtles, including the native Kemp and Ridley species. I recommend spending 1-2 hours at the center so you can learn all about this amazing reptile. There are interesting displays, live demonstrations, and even a daily "turtle talk" from one of their resident experts. They are true conservationists and always focus on releasing injured and diseased turtles back to the wild -- this is not a petting zoo.

There's something to explore for all ages and the admission fee goes directly to protecting, rehabilitating and conserving the sea turtles of South Padre Island. I learned so much about the negative impacts of human trash and building development on their natural habitats, which inspires me even more to be a better friend to the turtles. Come check out the center for yourself!

Pro Tips: Don't ask to touch the turtles, they are wild animals. This isn't a petting zoo! Ask lots of questions...these are turtle experts! Follow them on Facebook so you can attend a live release of a rehab patient (an injured turtle being released back to the wild) or a nest of hatchlings! Meet Allison, their one finned turtle who swims with a homemade prosthetic fin Volunteer to help guard the nests with a field technician like Luke Be a good friend to the turtles and pick up trash next time you see some...

I had an incredibly disappointing experience at this turtle rescue. The staff member I interacted with was not only unhelpful but downright rude. Instead of being welcoming and informative the female staff member yelled at me very abrasively in front of my children and a group of people when I put my hand on the upper rim of the tank. Instead of simply saying “Miss, please stay away and off the tank” she threatened to kick me out in front of my children. She then continued to yell at me that there are signs posted everywhere. I did not see any signs posted at first. I did look around after being yelled at and saw some red pained warnings on the rim on a couple of tanks. I was simply just trying to peek in the tank as my husband was tall enough to see in. It was a simple mistake on my end and I didn’t need to be scolded as if I had caused damage or was doing it on purpose. It was clear they didn’t care about the visitors. The atmosphere felt cold and unprofessional, which completely soured my visit. I understand that rescues can be stressful, but kindness and respect should always be a priority for paying guests, and unfortunately, that was completely lacking here. I would have donated generously too but this staff member changed my mind. I won’t be returning or recommending this...

If the scheduled feeding is 10:30am....plan to arrive at least 30minutes before that. The entry is manned by 1 volunteer/staffer.

The gift shop and staff have a pretty funny vibe. For instance, deep in the shop you'll find a cat postcard...why? For laughs. Does anyone buy the cat postcard at a sea turtle rescue place? I mean, maybe. I'm sure there's some funny story behind it. But all we noticed was the funny juxtaposition of it all.

Beautiful aquarium inside, several large tanks outside, and open air amphitheatre. There's a brief little boardwalk over shallow water where you can see plants and minnows - guessing an occasional bird or snake too... but we didn't notice any.

The turtle getting fed when we were there was missing a flipper and didn't really have much sight left either...so it had to fight fish in their tank to eat the shrimp from the trainer/staff/volunteer/person. Made my heart a little sad. But also was a bit moving and caused some donors to pledge support.

Great operation. Check feeding or info/animal encounter schedule before visiting. If you visit when nothing is scheduled - you'll be done very very quickly. Half the magic is hearing about the mission from...