Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
4.5
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
This wildlife conservation park is home to more endangered species than anywhere else in America.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
21 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
995 reviews
Excellent
752
Very good
202
Average
31
Poor
8
Terrible
2
Kristin F
11 contributions
Mar 2020
Visitor Center attractive and informative. Helpful staff. Bring your NPS lifetime pass to avoid $10/car fee for driving loops. Black Point Drive had many birds and young alligators. Don't use google maps GPS to find. Give wrong location.
One very rude visitor yelled at me because I had blocked his passing (One lane crushed rock loop Black Point Drive) If you don't have time or inclination to stop and view wildlife please don't visit. There are spots to pull over and let others pass.
One very rude visitor yelled at me because I had blocked his passing (One lane crushed rock loop Black Point Drive) If you don't have time or inclination to stop and view wildlife please don't visit. There are spots to pull over and let others pass.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ed B
Virginia Beach, VA13 contributions
Feb 2020
After leaving the Manatee Observation Dock, we stumbled across the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. What an amazing experience. We enjoyed being close to nature from the comfort of our vehicle, and also having the experience to venture on foot to see various birds, plants, alligators and others. According to details, the refuge is 140,000 acres. There is a minimal $10.00 fee, in which you will see the envelopes and rear view mirror "hangar" at the front of the refuge. Very happy to have had the experience, and looking forward to returning again.
Written February 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ward D
Satellite Beach, FL3,394 contributions
Dec 2022
This is a wonderful starting point for an understanding of not only this national wildlife refuge but where the other ones are and what a refuge is all about. It is a beautiful Visitor's Center with wonderfully helpful and friendly staff. This is located right off the south side of the Max Brewer Memorial highway and has good signage. This is a 1 story building on the south side of the road near the south-end entrance of the Canaveral national seashore. It is definitely a great place to stop. It has a running movie that explains the seashore and the wildlife contained there. There is a small paved parking lot with an overflow gravel parking lot right next to it. The rangers were especially helpful in explaining the options to the park. There is a fee to drive specific parts of the park but, I think, it is well worth it for the pleasant drive and wildlife you will see. Behind the building is a walkway around one side of the lake and through the forest/wetlands. It also has a gift shop, restrooms, and some interactive displays to explain parts of the park. During this most recent visit, the gift shop and part of the walkway around the lake were closed. Even with these restrictions, I highly recommend this as a first stop for the park.
Written December 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael W
Edison, NJ788 contributions
Jan 2020
Starting off in the Visitor center is a must, you can pick up a pass for the reserve and get tons of information geared to what you want to see. Another thing not to pas up at the visitor center they sell little animal figurines, my Wife bought a little turtle figurine that she is going to put on her terrarium, the cost of the figurine was half of what we saw in Cocoa Beach.
We did the Black Point drive and it was great tons of birds and we saw 5 alligators, it was a really fun day.
We did the Black Point drive and it was great tons of birds and we saw 5 alligators, it was a really fun day.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KateS
Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States6,197 contributions
Jan 2023
What a GREAT use of the land surrounding the Cape Canaveral launch complex. We did a Get Up and Go kayak tour here (see separate review) in the Haulover Canal where we saw incredible amounts of wildlife including dolphins, a pair of bald eagles, & one giant alligator. On a separate visit to the area, I spent a lot of time at the visitor center. While the visitor center building only has a small space of exhibits, they were all nicely done & very informative. The staff was incredibly helpful & provided maps of the area & suggestions on what not to miss. I wandered the boardwalk behind the building & spent a great deal of time just watching all the different birds. It's hard to review this place, because it is so large. There are so many different places to explore, & each place is worth a review of its own. But if you're limited in time, I suggest you explore in & around the visitor center.
Written January 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hughesj949
North Wales, UK27 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
I visited Merritt Island after getting glimpses of wildlife being driven around the Kennedy Space Centre. We travelled to Merritt and went to the visitor centre first, sighting turtles basking in the sun and various birds including vultures. The 'drive' was excellent and we saw numerous wild fowl and waders, the highlight being the Roseata Spoonbill. A further highlight was viewing a pair of Manatee at the Manatee viewing point. I would highly recommend a visit here as well as the Lake Apopka Trail.
Written January 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stuart Beesley
St. Albans, UK574 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Visit the visitor centre first and get advice and directions. Then take your car for $10 and drive round the wildlife reserve. If you go slow and look for the many gators and birds this will take a few hours. Worth it!
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SharonEssexville
Essexville106 contributions
Jan 2020
We had this on our list to visit because there was a wildlife drive. We barely started the drive and we started seeing a lot of birds. Osprey, little blue herons, painted buntings, great egret, tri-color egret, glossy ibis, reddish egret, northern shovelers, wood stork...just to name a few! It was a very windy day, but the birds were everywhere. We had stopped at the Nature Center first for a walk around the boardwalk. We didn't see too much, but it was really cold and windy. The man working there was a great help showing us where we could go and giving us a map. The gift shop was small, but nice. We did not look for manatees, because he said it was too cold for them. You have a much better chance of seeing them in the summer or spring. Lovely place to spend 3-4 hours!
Written January 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JCSRQ
Toronto70 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We had an amazing visit and wish we scheduled more time to spend here. First we stopped at the visitor centre to learn more about the refuge and get our park pass. The Blackpoint Wildlife Drive is an great 7 mile self-drive tour where you can see alligators, tons of different birds, and wild boars. Be sure to make a stop at the Manatee Observation Deck, where we saw four manatees and a dolphin. What a great way to top off our day.
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jill Allison 76
5 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
My 3 teenagers and I really loved this place. A great break from the beaches and shops. The trail that goes out the back door of the visitors center was very pretty. We took Black Point Wildlife Drive and enjoyed readingout of the brochure at each stop. We got out of the car a few times for a short walk.
Written August 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sorry only just seen your question.
If it’s not too late I would call the visitors centre at the refuge. They are really friendly n helpful and will be able to give you up to date information
Written October 13, 2023
I read that the visitors center is closed, are the restrooms there and/or at station 9 of the wildlife drive open?
Written January 21, 2021
There are several porta-potties in the parking lot of the visitor center. Yes, the visitor center is closed.
Written March 10, 2021
This particular location doesn't have them as far as I could tell. But if you drive something like 15 minutes away towards a bridge. Going towards New Smyrna there is a draw bridge called Haulover Canal. They have parking spots around the bridge. You can get out and see some.
Written March 6, 2020
We are thinking of going tomorrow afternoon. Will we need bug spray?
Written March 14, 2019
Yes I would recommend bug spray, the mosquito's and the sand fleas can be very bad sometimes.
Written March 14, 2019
Is it currently open and is there a fee to get in?
Written January 12, 2019
It is open daily and it requires a pass to tour the area and the beaches. Beaches are actually the Canaveral National Seashore but the south beaches “Playalinda” are beautiful and are accessible from the refuge. You can get a pass at the visitors center or a self serve kiosk. Closes at sunset.
Written March 2, 2019
How is the government shutdown effecting visitors? First time in area Jan 2019.
Written January 8, 2019
There was no one to open the visitor center and no one to refill the pay envelopes by the beginning of the drive. Therefore, no way to pay. There’s no one to clean the bathrooms so they may be getting rather nasty by now. My advice, plan on visiting a local fast food place before and after the drive through Merritt Island. Take any trash back home with you so you don’t add to any accumulation. When we went, a week into the shutdown, considerate visitors were policing themselves pretty well. If they no longer are, the park may get shutdown like others have.
Written January 10, 2019
How is the accessibility there? I use a scooter... I used my scooter on the nature trails at Hillsborough River State Park and it worked fine.
Written April 14, 2018
What is th eprice of admission?
Written February 27, 2018
the only fees I am aware of are for the Black Point Wildlife Drive. It is $10. I believe there is a fee also if you go to the beach.
Written March 3, 2018
How long would you suggest for a visit? We are going in August? What time of day will be best to see wildlife?
Where & when can you see Manatees? (Thank you)
Written May 6, 2017
The best time to do the Black Point Wildlife drive, where I saw the most Wildlife, is first thing in the morning and 1.5 hours before sunset. I went both times. I went to the Canaveral Seashore for sunrise, which was amazing, and then drove over and did the loop. I came back at the end of the day about 2 hours before sunset and did it again and got lucky!!!!!! Saw a BOBCAT!!!! Take your time, you never know what you'll see!!!! I saw manatees near the boat launch. Flow the road to the drawbridge that is closed, and go to the left. Also, check the National Park Service website for closures and other info. Also see what walks or talks they may have available. They have binoculars you can borrow as well!!!! Have fun!!!!
Written May 7, 2017
Showing results 1-10 of 20
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing