Ponce Inlet: Science and Family

This video and blog is about our visit to Ponce Inlet Florida. While we were there we visited 3 different places. We started out at the Marine Science Center, then went to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and ended our afternoon with lunch at Crabby Jacks (a restaurant on a pier).

I’ll start by telling you all about the Marine Science Center. This is a fantastic place to go with the family for a little fun and education about marine life. It’s a very small place with several aquariums, a sting ray bay, turtle rehab center and bird rehab center. The price is very reasonable to visit the Science Center at $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 3-12. In full disclosure we were offered free admission for this blog post. The money for the admission helps to run the Science Center and all of the amazing programs they have. They actually rescue turtles and birds who have been harmed by boats and beach litter and rehabilitate them so that they can release them back into the wild rather than keep them caged up.

Our favorite thing at the Marine Science Center was the Stingray Touch Pool. Our 3 year old got the biggest kick out of being able to pet the stingrays. The stingers have been removed from the stingrays so there was no risk of injury. The smaller stingrays were very friendly and would swim in circles at the top of the aquarium almost begging for attention. I had to drag my 3 year old away kicking and screaming because he was getting a little to confident with the stingrays. He at one point had his entire arm in the pool and was practically giving the stingrays high fives rather than petting them with his 2 fingers like he was supposed to. I believe he would have jumped in the pool to play with them had we let him.

After we left the Marine Science Center kicking and screaming we went to visit the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Florida at 175 feet tall. You have to pay admission to go to the top of the lighthouse, which is $5 for adults and $1.50 for kids. The price is very worth it for the view from the top if you aren’t afraid of heights. You can see for miles up and down the Atlantic Coast.

We decided to pay the money to climb to the top of the lighthouse. You have to climb 203 stairs to get to the top. It was quite a climb with two kids, but overall they did great. They 8 year old got a little freaked out by the climb (not sure where the fear came from since just a couple of months ago she had no problem climbing the Chimney Top in the Smoky Mountains).

Once you get to the top of the lighthouse the view is breathtaking. I must warn you the wind is pretty strong up there. I can still imagine the shrieking of the wind in my ears. The top is completely caged in so there is no risk of falling. I felt completely safe the entire time we were up there.

After we left the lighthouse we found a place to eat lunch on a pier, Crabby Joe’s (I called them Crabby Jack’s in my video by mistake). This place was awesome. Great service and affordable food. Our bill to feed our family of four including beer was around $40. Not too terrible. The cool thing about Crabby Joe’s is that it is on a fishing pier. While we were there we got to see a guy wrestle with catching a stingray. Needless to say my kids formed a bond with the stingrays while we were at the Marine Science Center so they were not too happy with the thought of this guy catching the stingray. To their relief the stingray won the battle and got away. You need to catch up our fishing tips for beginners to take advantage of an opportunity.

If you all are in the area I highly recommend visiting Ponce Inlet. It’s a nice little break away from the hustle and bustle of Daytona Beach. For more information on the Marine Science Center you can visit their web site and follow them on Facebook. They always welcome donations and you can actually sponsor/adopt the variety of species they take in to help aid their rehabilitation. For more information on Ponce Inlet Lighthouse you can visit their web site, follow the on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. For more information on Crabby Joe’s you can visit their web site and follow them on Facebook.