ANNA MARIA, Fla. — Visitors to Anna Maria Island now have one more attraction to soak up. Community leaders in Manatee County joined forces with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium to open its Marine Science Education & Outreach Center.
The center is located on the city pier which is one of the most visited sites in the county.
Folks visiting the Anna Maria City Pier can not only behold the sight of the Gulf of Mexico by watching from above, but they can also now get a glimpse of what's happening under the sea.
"We are coming from Sarasota, and we just dropped by for the afternoon," Mirek Petras of Sarasota said.
Petras and his family were among the first visitors welcomed to the new Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium's interactive center.
A touch portal where people can feel some sea creatures has already started drawing curious minds.
"Sea urchin. It feels spiky," Amy, Petras' daughter, said.
"It feels kind of hardish soft. It feels kind of slimy too," another child explained.
"It's very educational, lots to learn, different sea creatures and animals," Petras added.
After rebuilding the City Pier which was damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, the city of Anna Maria entered a partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory.
They turned a 1,900-square-foot space on the pier into a fun and creative center where folks of all ages can learn and connect with the environment.
"It really boils down to a decision. Do you want hamburgers or do you want knowledge? And that's truly what the essence of a center out here where people can learn about the environment," Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said.
"Visitors that are coming here from Nebraska, Kansas, no matter where they come from, they all have a very direct connection to right here in this environment because this is part of the ocean biome," Dr. Michael Crosby, president and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, said.
The displays include exhibitions about manatees, mangroves and sea turtles amongst other marine animals.
There is also a camera under the pier to bring visitors both the sights and sounds of the real lives of the creatures underneath in the Gulf of Mexico.
"We hope that people get a new appreciation for the marine environment. The invertebrate touch Portal is a fantastic way to create lasting memories with us, and we hope that after they leave the center, they have that appreciation for the marine environment, and they would want to help us conserve it," Evan Barniskis, associate vice president of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, said.
Mote's Marine Science Education & Outreach Center at the Anna Maria City Pier is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with no admission fee.