Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center Tours
Spock reminds you to please STILL wear your mask when you visit the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center! Masks required for all humans over the age of 5. Thank you!
THE TURTLES WELCOME YOU BACK! WE ARE OPEN FOR TOURS.
*** ADVANCED, ONLINE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED! ***
November-December hours:
Tours - Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 2:00 pm (last tour at 2:00 pm), through December 18
Gift Shop Only - Thursdays from 12:00 to 2:00 pm (no reservations needed), through December 16
A note about the turtles and your visit: You are visiting an active sea turtle hospital. Sometimes we have a lot of turtle patients, and sometimes only a few. And that is a good thing! Our goal is to help our patients recover so they can be released back to the ocean. If when you visit there aren't many turtle patients to see, please take that opportunity to ask your volunteer tour guide more questions about sea turtle rehabilitation and release! For current information about the number of sea turtle patients in our hospital, please visit: www.seaturtlehospital.org/patients.
For your safety and that of our volunteer staff, who also are our sea turtle caretakers, we have implemented the following safety measures. Your ticket purchase confirms you agree to follow these safety measures during your visit. If for any reason you are not able to meet these measures, we are happy to refund your ticket purchase. Thank you.
- We have implemented online ticketing and timed entry. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled tour, and wait, socially distanced, outside or in your car until just before your start time. We do not have indoor waiting space, nor is there room in our Gift Shop to wait. You do not need to call. You will be admitted at your scheduled time for your tour. Due to capacity limitations, we can not accommodate late arrivals.
- Please note that we are selling only a limited number of tickets (15) per time slot. If there are not enough tickets left to accommodate your group, please try a different time. The ticketing system will show the number of tickets available.
- If you have children 2 and under in your party, please select tickets for them as well. Baby and toddler tickets are free, but we need to account for them in our total group number. Thank you.
- We have implemented flexible refund policies. If you or a member of your party is feeling sick, please stay home. We are happy to offer you a refund of your ticket purchase due to illness, and we look forward to welcoming you another time.
- We have implemented small group, guided tours. Tour groups have a maximum of fifteen guests plus your guide(s) to allow for social distancing while touring our sea turtle hospital.
- We have implemented enhanced health safety requirements. Masks or face coverings are STILL required for all guests over 5 years of age, as well as for all our volunteer staff. We are sorry, but we cannot offer medical exemptions to this policy at this time. Cloth masks are available for purchase at our Gift Shop.
- Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an authorized responsible adult. Children may not be sent on a tour alone.
- We have implemented enhanced cleaning protocols. Hand sanitizing stations are available for your use along the tour route. We ask that guests refrain from touching displays. Facilities are cleaned and sanitized regularly.
Please note that, for the health and safety of our patients, volunteers, and guests - as well as your companion - pets are not allowed inside. Please do not leave your pet in your car. There is a shaded dog park available just behind the parking lot. Thank you!
Please note further that, for the safety of our patients, volunteers, and guests, KBSTRRC does not allow firearms on its premises, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes Section 14-415.11. Thank you.
ADMISSION (PLUS 6.75% sales tax and $0.23 ticket processing fee):
$7.00 General Admission (Ages 13 - 61)
$6.00 Military (Active Duty Service Member or Veteran)
$6.00 Seniors (Ages 62 and up)
$5.00 Children (Ages 3-12)
$0 Babies and Toddlers (Ages 0-2)
(Babies are free but tickets are still required to reserve their spot!)
Your ticket purchase helps buy food and medicine for our sea turtle patients!
--> PLEASE NOTE: To manage capacity and allow for social distancing, TICKETS ARE LIMITED TO 15 PER TIME SLOT! If there are not enough tickets for your party, please try another time slot. If the site only allows you to purchase one ticket, that means there is only one ticket available for that time slot. Please try another time slot. Thank you!
--> CANCELLATION POLICY: Please e-mail us at kzagzebski@seaturtlehospital.org (or reply to your confirmation e-mail) if you would like to cancel your tickets. This ensures that your slots may be made available to another guest. Cancellation requests made at least 24 hours in advance will receive a full refund. Cancellation requests made 2-23 hours in advance may be refunded at our discretion. We apologize, but we cannot offer a refund if you contact us at the last minute or simply do not show up without contacting us. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
--> PLEASE CHECK YOUR TICKETS for the correct date and time! We have reserved your date and time especially for you and we do not oversell the time slots. Most days we are completely full so we cannot accommodate you at another time. Please contact us within 24 hours if you purchased the wrong date so that we may cancel your ticket and make the slots available to another guest. Thank you!
Directions: We are located at 302 Tortuga Lane, (Mainland) Surf City. Take the turn from Rts. 50/210 onto Charlie Medlin Drive (Shipwreck Point Mini Golf is your landmark for this road.) Follow the road onto the gravel section and through the round-about. We are the second to the last building on Tortuga.
A word of advice: if you park on the side of the road beware of the drop-off into the ditches, and that sand is softer than it looks!
A word of advice: if you park on the side of the road beware of the drop-off into the ditches, and that sand is softer than it looks!
