FAQ’s

The Suncoast Youth Conservation Center offers an interactive exhibit hall with animal ambassadors. SYCC also offers daily animal chats and encounters for visitors to observe, as well as monthly pop-up fishing and archery events.

Yes, the SYCC is open year-round, however, SYCC is only open to the public Nov.1-April 15. Throughout the year the staff are running field trips for school groups, summer camps, and participating in outreach events.

There is no public fishing at the SYCC. However, there are monthly pop-up fishing events for the public of all ages that are hosted by SYCC staff. All gear for these events is provided. We also offer fishing clinic field trips for school groups where we teach kids how to be an ethical angler, then take them fishing on our brackish water pond.

Unfortunately, we do not offer public kayak rentals at SYCC. We use our kayaks with our field trips, summer camps, and partner groups.  

Unfortunately, no. There is no public kayak launch, however, Newman Branch Creek is a public waterway and can be accessed from other public launches. 

You can visit the exhibit hall, check out the ambassador animals, relax at any of our picnic tables on campus, borrow a pair of binoculars, try your luck at our ring toss game, and enjoy a stroll around our brackish water pond. 

Public season: Every day from November 1st – April 15th: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (ET). Closed: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. State holiday hours may vary.

Regular Hours: April 16th – October 31st: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (ET) Closed to the public during this time.

You can park either at the Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center or the overflow parking lot. Once parked, make your way to the tram pick up/drop off pavilion located next to the overflow parking lot near the Clean Energy Center, located on Dickman Road north of the SYCC facility. From there, a tram will take you to the Florida Conservation and Technology Center, where you can find the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center, The Florida Aquarium Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, and the Marine Fisheries Enhancement Center. 

Unfortunately, no. Our parking lot is reserved for staff, field trips, outreach events, and partners. Parking during the public season (November 1st – April 15th) is located at the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center or the overflow parking lot near the Clean Energy Center, located on Dickman Road north of the SYCC facility. 

The pond is connected to the tidal creek through the saltmarsh, and we have documented more than 30 species of fish living here. Common species include: Snook, Red Drum, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Ladyfish, Pinfish, Mojarra, Channel Catfish, Mullet.

Both! Our 5-acre pond is brackish water, or a mixture of fresh and saltwater.

No, the pond flows through the salt marsh and tidal creek, and connects out to Tampa Bay. Fish, shrimp, crabs, oysters, and other marine life can recruit and forage in our waters by navigating through buried culvert pipes.

Yes! SYCC is an ADA-compliant facility. Additionally, staff do everything in their power and skill sets to make the site’s programming available for everyone. If you have a special need or are curious if this facility is for you, please give us a call.

Yes! SYCC is a nationally-accredited summer camp facility through the American Camp Association. We host day camps from June to August. Online camp registration starts February 1st and camp spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis. Camp serves students grades 3 through 11, and eligibility is determined by the grade of your camper on February 1st.The cost is $220–250 per child per week. To learn more about SYCC’s summer day camp, visit the SYCC Summer Day Camp Information Page.

You may schedule field trips by emailing Suncoast@MyFWC.com. Find more information on field trips and curricula on our field trip page. All field trips programs are matched to Florida state educational standards and focus on "Creating the Next Generation That Cares^SM" by introducing and improving skills in paddling, fishing, and wildlife discovery.

Field trip programming is free! Groups will need to cover the cost of transportation and provide their own lunch. Lessons, supplies, and safety gear are all provided by SYCC.

Yes. We typically plan for a 30-minute break during your field trip as designated lunch time.

Parking is available in the SYCC private lot, including a designated space for bus parking. Passenger vehicles should be backed into parking spots.

• Shoes with a closed toe, heel, and sides for protection (old tennis shoes work great!)
• Sunscreen and other sun protection (hats, sunglasses, etc.)
• Bug spray
• Reusable water bottles
• Clothes that can get wet/muddy, as well as a towel and change of clothes
• A packed lunch

  All necessary equipment (fishing rods, life vests, etc.) will be supplied by SYCC.

Due to the nature of our programs, field trips are limited to 3rd–12th grade.

Most of our programs are designed with content targeted to specific age ranges (elementary, middle, or high school). However, our fishing clinics can accommodate a mix of grade levels from 3^rd–12^th grade on a single program.

Due to the high demand for our programs, groups must bring a minimum of 20 students in order to schedule with us. We encourage you to consider combining with other classes if needed to meet the minimum. Please communicate with us in advance if your numbers change. If you sign up and do not bring the minimum number of students, this may affect your ability to schedule with us in the future. 

SYCC can only accommodate one field trip program per day.

Each school/group is limited to a maximum of four dates per academic year.

Transportation assistance may be available. Contact us at Suncoast@myFWC.com for more information.

Please communicate with us in advance if planned transportation schedules conflict with program times. We may be able to help!

If running late day-of, please call us at (813) 922-7961 so that we can modify program plans for the day.

SYCC has staff on site who carry endorsements in adaptive paddling from the American Canoe Association. Whether your group will be kayaking or not, we are available to discuss your students’ needs ahead of your program. Please let us know in advance if any of your students may benefit from program modification due to a disability.

Our field trips are designed to accommodate students and the appropriate number of chaperones only. We do not have the capacity to allow additional participants (i.e., younger siblings, additional adults outside of the required ratio, etc.). The Florida Conservation and Technology Center campus, of which we are a part, is open to the public 10am–5pm November 1^st–April 15^th. Members of the group who are not participating in the program are welcome to explore the campus during this time. When the campus is not open to the public, group members who are not participating in the program or serving as chaperones will need to exit the campus and return at the program end time to rejoin the group.

SYCC is a part of the Florida Conservation and Technology Center campus, with many other partner facilities to explore. Please note the following:

• The campus is only open to the public November 1^st–April 15 each year (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM).
• Group visits to Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center require a separate reservation, which can be made at https://www.tampaelectric.com/forms/company/mvcreservations/.
• You will need to factor extra time after your SYCC field trip has concluded to explore other parts of the campus.

A shorter program may be possible depending on your group and your needs. Please reach out to us to discuss options.

For high school groups, Fishing Clinics can be shortened to as little as 2.5 hours if the group is able to bring snacks and forgo the lunch break.