Turtle Fest Returns to Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, NJ

Returning to the Wetlands Institute after a three-year hiatus is the popular family-friendly Turtle Fest featuring a full day of contests, prizes, and educational activities for kids of all ages.

This year's Turtle Fest will be on Friday, July 21st with a schedule of activities from 10 AM to 4 PM hosted at the Wetlands Institute located on Stone Harbor Boulevard, a half mile before the 96th Street Drawbridge.

Turtle Fest is an event for adults and kids to enjoy activities such as an Aquarium Teaching and Touch Tank, Turtle Arts and Crafts, Turtle Basking Station and Enrichment Zone, Guess the Eggs Contest, a Terrapin-themed Egg Hunt, along with Fiddler Crab Crabbing Tournament.

There will also be appearances by Scute the ‘Tute Terrapin mascot and the friendly 26 lbs. Snapping Turtle Spike, who was the blue ribbon winner at the 44th Annual New York Turtle and Tortoise Society Show.

Get our free mobile app

The Wetlands Institute is a non-profit science-based organization whose goal is to protect and preserve New Jersey Wetlands and coastal ecosystems while also educating the public about different issues and topics that impact the local ecosystems along with impact local communities.

Since opening in 1972, the Wetlands Institute has been the premier resource for all of New Jersey about the unique coastal ecosystems in the state and one of the top research entities in the United States concerning Wetlands and the coexistence of animal life with the ever-changing nature of community life and tourism in the region.

Turtle Fest first started back in 2011 at the Wetlands Institute with the goal to be a fundraiser for Terrapin Conservation in South Jersey.

For more information about the 2023 Turtle Fest at Wetlands Institute along with ticket pricing information, you can visit the event's webpage here.