Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island

First and foremost, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center's mission is to provide ill or injured sea turtles with medical attention, nursing them back to health before—ideally—releasing them back into the ocean. Fortunately for the public, the center lets other wildlife enthusiasts visit their patients and hold up get-well cards to the viewing window. Inside Jekyll Island's historic power plant building, visitors watch marine biologists care for and feed the remarkable reptiles.

Through hands-on exhibits, the center offers additional insight into the natural lives of sea turtles as well as the threats that these turtles face along the Georgia coast. In addition to educating visitors about wildlife conservation, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center also supports ecological research programs that study ways to help the area's species survive even as their natural landscapes undergo drastic changes.