View Native and Exotic Wildlife and Visit the Kid-Friendly Interactive Nature Center
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center is a 21-acre nature preserve home to more than 150 species of native and exotic wildlife and is located in the heart of Naples, Florida.
The Dalton Discovery Center at The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is an interactive learning center featuring live animals and exhibits that showcase Southwest Florida’s diverse ecosystems. Visit the center’s new interactive exhibits and galleries including an augmented reality endangered species exhibit and NOAA’s Science on a Sphere. Meet a diversity of ambassador animals ranging from jellyfish and striped burrfish to the eastern indigo snake and juvenile alligators. Take a dip into your wild side and experience the live Touch Tank featuring sea stars, a horseshoe crab, and many additional living creatures.
The 21-acre Nature Center is designated as site No. 69 on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and is the gateway to the Conservancy’s mission, where guests can learn the importance of the area’s natural resources, understand the role the Conservancy plays, and get inspired to take action.
The Little Explorer Play Zone inside Ferguson Learning Lab is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day the Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center is open. Kids can enjoy arts and crafts, multi-sensory activities, and read-along stories. There are also special Pre-K programs available every Thursday and Saturday at 10 a.m. Registration is not required. Free for Members, regular Nature Center admission for non-members. Little Explorer Play Zone is most enjoyed by children 18 months through 5 years old. See the Little Explorers program schedule here.
Visitors can explore interactive exhibits in the Sapakie Wildlife exhibit hall, meet animal ambassadors in the viewing pavilion, and learn more about how to prevent injury to wildlife.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s new daily programs explore the projects Conservancy of Southwest Florida biologists are working on and will change throughout the year. The 30-minute daily programs include Be a Biologist, Scales and Tails, Ocean Discoveries, and Wonders of Wildlife. These live programs explore the natural environments of Southwest Florida and offer a peek into the wild lives of the creatures with which we share a home.
The Conservancy of SWFL also offers free informative and relaxing 45-minute electric boat tours along the Gordon River with Nature Center admission. Tour boats depart daily (schedule changes seasonally and is subject to weather) between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Kayak rentals and excursions are also available for a fee.
No visit is complete without a visit to the Bradley Nature Store to select from nature-inspired gifts, toys, jewelry, hats, art, cards, and one of the best selections of environmental books available in Naples. Read Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center’s featured blog article here!
Rookery Bay Eco-Cruise Aboard the Good Fortune II
Take an exclusive lunchtime or sunset cruise through Rookery Bay aboard the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s 33-passenger pontoon boat, Good Fortune II. Frequent wildlife sighting opportunities including many species of birds, dolphins, manatees, and other threatened or endangered animals that live in Florida’s unique, natural environment. Narrated cruises are offered daily; private charters are also available. Reservations are required. Read our blog post about spotting manatees and dolphins.
View the Conservancy of Southwest Florida Events Calendar.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center Hours
Open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Monday and Sunday.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is a leading environmental advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the water, land, wildlife, and future of the region’s five-county area.
