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About Smithsonian at the St. Lucie County Aquarium

Location:

420 Seaway Dr., Fort Pierce, FL 34949, US

Mission Statement

The Smithsonian at the St. Lucie County Aquarium is dedicated to educating the general public and school children about the critical need to preserve Florida's marine environments.

Description

The Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit is located in the St. Lucie County Aquarium at 420 Seaway Drive on South Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce. The Smithsonian Marine Station has teamed with St. Lucie County and other community partners to create this unique educational facility. The Ecosystems Exhibit is an outreach effort of the Smithsonian Marine Station, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. A fixture in the Fort Pierce community for over 30 years, the Marine Station is dedicated to understanding the character and diversity of the marine and estuarine habitats of Florida.

At the Aquarium, visitors can explore six different Florida marine and estuarine habitats and learn about the complexity and importance of marine ecosystems. The largest display is a spectacular living model of a Caribbean coral reef ecosystem. Other displays include seagrass, mangrove, lagoon hardbottom and nearshore reef habitats, as well as a deepwater Oculina coral reef. There are several smaller aquarium displays and a touch tank where you can meet some of our local sea creatures.