Mote Marine Benefit

What would a 55th Anniversary Celebration at Mote be without a special Florida Keys Ocean Festival to benefit reef restoration? After all, Mote has been working to understand, protect and restore our coral reefs there for more than a decade. These efforts are showcased at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. Located inside NOAA’s Dr. Nancy Foster Florida Keys Environmental Complex, the Eco-Discovery Center treats visitors to an exciting array of interactive exhibits highlighting the natural environment of the Keys — from uplands to coral reefs.
Mote’s Living Reef exhibit showcases our efforts to restore and understand reef ecology.
Help us celebrate that work during the Florida Keys Ocean Festival on Saturday, March 27. Bring the kids, bring your beach chair and spend a few hours having fun and helping us celebrate our treasured waters!

If You Go
What: Florida Keys Ocean Festival
When: Noon to sunset, Saturday, March 27
Where: The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, Truman Annex, Key West
Cost: Free admission, free parking
Details: This free day-long celebration will include food, beer and cocktails, raffles, Mote’s Mobile Exhibit (with special touch tanks), a kids’ fishing clinic and other activities, local and national marine artists and live music by Keys’ legends Corey Heydon, Chris Cook and Scott Kirby. We also plan a special appearance by Grammy-nominated Nashville singer/songwriter James Slater.
Festival Exhibitors: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Key Deer Refuge, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Sanctuary Friends, Florida Keys SPCA, The Nature Conservancy, GLEE (Green Living and Energy Education), the Dolphin Research Center, Seacamp and Reef Relief.
Florida Keys Ocean Festival Sponsors: Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Fury Water Adventures, Cowboy Bill’s, Salsa Loca, Okuma Fishing Tackle, Centennial Bank, Pure Fishing, Inc., WLRN, 901 Signs, The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center.