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The Turtle Hospital
Marathon, Monroe County
ANIMALS
8STRANGENESS
OUT OF TEN
OUT OF TEN
WHAT IT IS
A former 1950s motel converted into a sea turtle hospital, with patients recovering in the swimming pool.
Richie Moretti bought the Hidden Harbor Motel, noticed the turtles in the saltwater pool, and turned the whole operation into a licensed veterinary hospital in 1986. There are surgical suites in the old rooms, and permanent residents who cannot be released float in the pool where guests used to swim. Some wear weights glued to their shells to correct buoyancy caused by boat strikes. It is a genuinely moving hour.
HOW IT SCORES
Rarity8/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory9/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair4/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment10/10
How far do they take the bit?
NEARBY
BEFORE YOU DRIVE
- ENTRY FEE
- $30 guided tour
- HOURS
- Tours daily, reservation required
- BEST TIME
- Book a week out. Tours sell out.
- HOW LONG
- 90 minutes
- PARKING
- On site
- PAYMENT
- Cards accepted
- ACCESS
- Flat, accessible
COORDINATES
24.7203° N, 81.0708° W
2396 Overseas Highway, Marathon, mile marker 48.5.
OPEN IN MAPS →DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.