Sandoway House Nature Center

Where Kids Can Feel, Experience
and Interact With Nature

The Sandoway Nature Center is an ecological interactive learning center with educational exhibits with actual hands-on learning! Designed to inspire the minds of young children (and adults too!) interested in marine life, the ocean, the environment, the ecosystem, and learning and helping animals.


At the Sandoway House Nature Center, you will find engaging and fun exhibits for the kids that will thrill them with excitement -- while allowing them to learn all at the same time!

Let them experience fun things like seeing the real live shark feedings, learn about reptiles, see a fresh-water turtle pond home to native turtles and tortoises. 

Or how about meeting their rescued alligator and crocodile! Yikes! :-) 

Participate in nature walks, a walk through the butterfly garden or join in a beach-walk or beach clean-up and learn about our ocean ecosystem.

Learn about the different butterfly species
in their Butterfly Garden!

Look at these beautiful orange and black butterflies sitting on these pretty purple flowers. Can you match the butterflies in the photo below with the butterfly species chart above? And match it up with the same species! :-)

Tour through their other interactive exhibits like a world-class shell collection displaying 3000 shells, a microscope lab, the observation deck, an activity room, the Delray wreck exhibit, and lots more!

In addition to their regular exhibits and activities, they also play host to temporary exhibits that come throughout the year like during Shark Week, they have their shark exhibit and in the past, they've hosted a fossil exhibit.

Shark Feedings
Tuesday through Saturday 12 PM
Sunday at 2 PM

Join the Sandoway House for their live shark feedings and a brief educational program. This is a year around event. 

Come find out what these reef sharks eat for breakfast. Shark feedings take place Tuesday - Sunday, not on Mondays.

  • Tuesday through Saturday 12 PM
  • Sunday at 2 PM

Would you like to be the lucky "shark feeder of the day?" Only one lucky person per day gets to be the designated "shark feeder". This means you can feed the sharks all by yourself (for ages 3 and up)!

Imagine feeding the sharks all by yourself! Be sure to take photos!

If you are interested in doing this, you must pre-register. Call this number 561-274-7263.

Shark Facts Just for Fun: Did You Know...

  • Most sharks aren’t dangerous.
  • Over 90% of people who are attacked by sharks survive.
  • Pigs kill more people than sharks.
  • Sharks attack less than 100 people per year.
  • Did you know there are over 330 species of sharks and only 35 species are known to attack humans?
  • Sharks are picky eaters. Sometimes they will just bite their prey once to decide if they like it or not. Sharks can store food in their stomachs without digesting for 3 months.
  • Sharks are fish, lay eggs and have gills.
  • Sharks are considered apex predators because they prey on species lower on the food chain, have few natural predators, and are less abundant than their prey.
  • Sharks do not have bones but instead have a skeleton system made up of cartilage.
  • A sharks hearing is so acute, it can hear up to one mile away.

Ice Age Florida Exhibit
Learn About Fossils and Fossil History

One of the past exhibits at Sandoway House was the popular Ice Age Florida Exhibit all about fossils. It was like going back 50 million years of fossil history!

They had life-like replicas and genuine fossils of ancient creatures that actually roamed throughout Florida such as mastodons, mammoths, giant sloths, giant beavers, bison, rhinoceros, saber tooth cats and numerous jaws of deep and cold water shark species found off the Florida coast.

Sponsorships Available

Sponsor animals at the nature center for $25 a year and help contribute to the cost of feeding them.  As a sponsor, you’ll get a special sponsorship certificate for your chosen animal.

Do you have any idea how much it costs to feed these guys? Check this out...

  • Nurse sharks eat over 50 pounds of sardines a year!
  • The lizards and toads eat over 2600 crickets a year!
  • And one turtle eats 200 worms!

Now you can see why sponsorships are so important and very much appreciated!

Have Your Birthday Party
at the Sandoway House!

Want to share your special day with lizards, snakes and lobsters? You can at the Sandoway House!

Bring your friends and celebrate your birthday at the Sandoway House and party with the turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards and more! It’s like they become your invited guests and become part of your birthday party!

Choose from a birthday list of activities and create your own party based off the events you choose.

  • Want go on an exciting shell scavenger hunt?
  • How about actually touching and feeding a lobster?
  • Or want to make your very own shark tooth necklace? 
  • Get your picture taken with the resident tortoise, Gopher?

Volunteers are Always Needed!

Volunteers are always needed at the Sandoway Discovery Center. If you are 15 years old and can commit to 3 hours a week for a minimum of six months you meet the their volunteer requirements! Click here to read about their volunteer program and to see what positions they have open.

 History on the Sandoway House

The Sandoway House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also listed in the City of Delray Beach’s Local Register of Historic Places.

The two-story wooden-framed house with an open porch on the second floor which looks over the ocean, was constructed in 1936 by Delray Beach’s first local architect, Samuel Ogren. 

It was personally built for retired produce broker J.B. Evans from Deerfield Beach. 

In 1995, The Friends of Sandoway House Nature Center, Inc. formed to restore the beachfront property to use as a nature center and museum highlighting marine and coastal life and natural native vegetation. 

The County of Palm Beach owns the property and leases it to the City of Delray Beach, who, in turn, sublets it to the Friends of Sandoway House.  The building and property were opened to the public in May 1998.

Information & Hours of Operation

Please visit the Sandoway Nature Center website for their hours and any special events (or closures) they might have so "you know before you go" so you can enjoy your visit to the fullest and enjoy every moment of it! :-)

Where to next? ...

Christmas in Delray...
It's the most magical time of year!

Christmas is a magical time of year in Delray Beach, Florida! The energy in the air is so magical it is literally palpable! We love the holidays here!

If you've never been to Delray Beach, Florida, USA to see our magical 100-foot Christmas tree and the magic that surrounds our downtown, please check out my Christmas in Delray page.

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