St. Lucie County Aquarium

The St. Lucie County Aquarium in Fort Pierce, Florida, is a unique 5,000-square-foot public aquarium and educational facility created through a partnership between St. Lucie County and the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. The centerpiece of the facility is the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit, which features six living models of Florida's diverse marine and estuarine habitats, including a spectacular Caribbean coral reef ecosystem originally displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Additional exhibits recreate seagrass beds, mangrove environments, lagoon hardbottom, nearshore reef, and a deepwater Oculina coral reef ecosystem. An interactive touch tank allows visitors to encounter local marine life up close. The aquarium serves as an outstanding educational resource for school groups and families seeking an accessible and scientifically rigorous look at Florida's coastal marine environments.