I Recommend This To Everyone and Would Do It Again in a Second! We chose this place kind of on a whim. Living in Orlando, New Smyrna is about an hour away. We wanted a staycation kind of deal, where we could do all of the things we wanted to do on a vacation but still be able to go home at the end of the day. This was the perfect thing! Marily checked us in and gave us our life jackets, and Mark took our kayaks down and showed us exactly what to do. He reassured us that while we would get water in our kayaks and we would hit one another, we would not tip. And we didn’t!! We were both first-timers, by the way.

Anyway, we took the one hour route on the map we were given but we took our time and it took about an hour and a half. We saw lots of cool things, including two manatees!! I highly recommend this activity and this place to anyone. We will be back. Marilyn even bandaged me up after I had a small cut on my hand. This was everything I expected and then some. Thanks guys! — NBraddock, Trip Advisor

Great Kayak experience for a novice. If you have never kayaked, I highly recommend a kayak tour through the Marine Discovery Center. The guides are very knowledgable and watchful of the group. I took my 15-year-old niece who was terrified she was going to be eaten by a shark. After a guide took the time to show her how difficult it was to tip a kayak, she relaxed and was leading the group by the end of the tour!! Wonderful experience. — roadwarrior106, Trip Advisor

To me, the Indian River which flows through the New Smyrna Beach area is fascinating, particularly the Indian River Lagoon. The Marine Discovery Center is a non-profit organization that highlights the Lagoon and the surrounding waters. It provides locals and visitors alike with an opportunity for ecotours, sunset tours and on-going education. Their goal is to preserve not only the Lagoon, but the coastal regions of Florida. They provide much needed research for marine life. The Center offers Eco-Tours and Sunset Tours by pontoon boat. The tours are very informative and interesting enough even for small children. The Center offers discounts to senior citizens, families and students. — chinch1153, Cosmo Tourist

We attended two sunset cruises with visiting family membes. Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed them, how courteous the staff in the Discovery Center and on board were and especially how much we enjoyed Mark’s informative commentary. Thanks and we will be back next year. — Lorraine Stevens