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Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellfleet
Wellfleet Bay News

Sea Turtle Open House at Wellfleet Bay

Special Event: Saturday, November 7

11:00 am-3:00 pm

Learn more about sea turtles and why they strand on Cape Cod beaches during this all ages open house.

Location: Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary 
291 State Highway Route 6, South Wellfleet, MA 02663

Closeup of a sea turtle on wet sand

Celebrate the fascinating world of sea turtles at the Sea Turtle Open House at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary! Explore why these incredible animals strand on Cape Cod beaches, what we’re doing to protect them, and how you can make a difference.

Throughout the day, join educational presentations and get hands-on at interactive touch tables. Kids can enjoy turtle-themed games and get creative at our craft table.

Connect with staff and volunteers who help rescue these amazing creatures and shop for unique turtle-themed gifts in our nature center. Whether you're a longtime turtle fan or just curious, this fun and educational day offers something for everyone. You can even sign up to participate in a guided beach patrol and live animal demonstrations!

Featured Presentations

  • 12:00 pm: Living the Turtle Life: Research, Conservation, and Adventure on Cape Cod, presented by Eamon Caffrey
  • 1:00 pm: How Caring About Sea Turtles Can Make You Happier, presented by Karen Dourdeville

Special Programs

Dive deeper by registering for one of these unique programs, available for an additional fee. Space is limited.

Sign Up

This event (with the exception of the special prorgams) is free with a Mass Audubon membership or regular sanctuary admission. Sign up in advance for a chance to win a gift basket featuring items from the sanctuary gift shop—our way of saying thanks for planning ahead!

Join the Turtle Party

Accessibility & What to Expect

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience. Staff and volunteers will be available throughout the event to help visitors navigate the event and answer accessibility-related questions.

For more information about the sanctuary’s accessibility features, visit Accessibility at Wellfleet Bay. To discuss accommodations or request mobility equipment, call 508-349-2615 or email [email protected].

Staff and volunteers will be on site to guide visitor parking. If you require accessible parking, please let them know upon arrival.

There are two van-accessible parking spaces at Wellfleet Bay.

Additional parking spaces within 150 feet of the Nature Center will be reserved for visitors who need to park close to the entrance. These spaces will be located in the parking lot and on the lawn behind the Nature Center. The parking lot is flat and surfaced with hard-packed, crushed stone. The grass lawn is flat and connects to a brick pathway leading to the Nature Center entrance.

Visitors may also be dropped off in front of the main entrance to the Nature Center.

Most event activities will take place inside the Nature Center, which is accessible to visitors using mobility devices or strollers.

Educational and interactive tables will be in the Exhibit Hall. The Exhibit Hall is likely to be crowded and noisy, and seating will be limited.

Presentations will take place in the Auditorium. Chairs with backs and without armrests will be provided. Visitors may come and go during the presentations.

Four accessible restrooms are located inside the Nature Center. Each restroom has one wheelchair-accessible stall and one standard stall.

  • The men’s and women’s restrooms in the Exhibit Hall each have a baby changing station located in the wheelchair-accessible stall.
  • Two all-gender restrooms are located near the Auditorium. These restrooms can be locked for use by an individual visitor or by a visitor accompanied by a companion or caregiver.

Federal and state laws apply to service animals in places of public accommodation, including Mass Audubon sanctuaries. In addition to service animals as required by law, Mass Audubon welcomes emotional support animals (ESAs) that provide comfort and support to their handlers.

To help ensure a safe and positive experience, we ask handlers to:

  • Keep animals under control and appropriately restrained at all times. 
  • Clean up after their animal and properly dispose of waste.

Visitors are welcome to use their own mobility devices at our wildlife sanctuaries. This includes the use of electric or electronic power-driven mobility devices.

Wellfleet Bay’s adaptive equipment, including a GRIT Freedom Chair all-terrain wheelchair and an all-terrain rollator walker, are available to borrow for use at the sanctuary during the event.

Sea Turtle Patrols will take place outdoors at offsite beaches. Participants are expected to secure their own transportation to the meeting location. Participants should expect to walk up to two miles on soft sand at a slow to moderate pace during the program. Restrooms may not be available at these locations.

Sea Turtle Lab Tours will take place in Wellfleet Bay’s Nature Classrooms, which are approximately 100 feet away from the Nature Center. A flat brick pathway connects the Nature Center to the classrooms and is accessible to visitors using mobility devices. Seating will not be available for the duration of the tour.