List of nature centers in Florida

Last updated

There are nature centers and environmental education centers throughout the state of Florida.

Contents

NameLocationCountyRegionSummary
Amelia Island Nature Center Amelia Island Nassau Greater Jacksonville website, operated by Amelia Island Plantation
Anne Kolb Nature Center Hollywood Broward South website, located in the municipal West Lake Park, 1,500 acres of coastal mangrove wetlands, 3,500-gallon saltwater aquarium
Apalachicola Environmental Education and Training Center Eastpoint Franklin Florida Panhandle website, operated by the State, features tanks and exhibits about the river, bay and gulf habitats found in Apalachicola
Arch Creek Park Museum & Nature Center North Miami Miami-Dade South8 acres, operated by the County, museum features Native American artifacts
Archbold Biological Station Venus Highlands Central5,192.63-acre (21 km2) research institute, open to visitors, environmental education programs
Audubon Center for Birds of Prey Maitland Orange Central website, raptor rehabilitation and environmental education center, operated by the National Audubon Society
Audubon House Vero Beach Indian River County Central website, an environmental education center surrounded by 444 acre Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, operated by the Pelican Island Audubon Society
Audubon Resource Center at Lettuce Lake Tampa Hillsborough Tampa Bay Area Operated by the Tampa Audubon Society in the 240-acre park
Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge & Education Center Orlando Orange Central Facebook site, wildlife rehabilitation center
Bahia Honda State Park Marathon Monroe South524 acres, Sand and Sea Nature Center features displays about local sea and shore life, including corals, shells, crabs, sea urchins, drift seeds, sea sponges and sea turtles
Barrier Island Sanctuary Management and Education Center Melbourne Beach Brevard Central34 acres in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, operated by the County, partners with Sea Turtle Conservancy for sea turtle guided walks
Bill Sadowski Park and Nature Center Miami Miami-Dade South website, operated by the County, 30 acres
Blowing Rocks Preserve Jupiter Island Martin Treasure Coast 73 acres, owned by the Nature Conservancy, Hawley Education Center features rotating natural history and art exhibits
Bonita Nature Place Bonita Springs Lee Southwest website, operated by the City, 30 acres, preserve for gopher tortoises, bee house, bat house
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve St. Petersburg Pinellas Tampa Bay Area Operated by St. Petersburg Parks & Recreation, 245 acres, features the Boyd Hill Environmental Center
Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center Tarpon Springs PinellasTampa Bay Area,800 acres, operated by the County
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary Jupiter Palm Beach South website, nature center and wildlife rehabilitation hospital
Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium Fort Myers Lee Southwest Includes the museum, 105 acres with three nature trails, a planetarium, butterfly and bird aviaries
Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center Ruskin Hillsborough Tampa Bay Area website, 160-acre preserve, environmental education and hands-on learning center
Castellow Hammock Preserve & Nature Center Miami Miami-Dade South website, 112 acres, operated by the County
Cedar Point Environmental Park Englewood Charlotte Southwest website, 115 acres with pine flatwoods, salt marsh, mangrove fringe and hammock areas, environmental center
Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center Punta Gorda Charlotte Southwest website, provides over 20 different educational programs, manages 8 environmentally sensitive lands and provides a total of over 8 miles of hiking trail and other recreational opportunities
Chinsegut Conservation Center Brooksville Hernando Tampa Bay Area website, cover 408 of the 850 acres comprising Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area, managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Collier-Seminole State Park Naples Collier Southwest7,271 acres of mangrove swamp, cypress swamps, salt marshes, mangrove river estuaries, and pine flatwoods, nature center
Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center Naples CollierSouthwest21 acres
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Naples CollierSouthwestOperated by the National Audubon Society, includes the Blair Audubon Center in the 13,000 acre swamp preserve
Crane Point Museum and Nature Center Marathon Monroe South63 acres, includes the natural history museum, trails, wild bird rehabilitation center
Crowley Natural and Cultural History Center Sarasota Sarasota Southwest website, 185 acres, includes trails, pioneer museum and historic buildings, wild and farm animals
Crystal Springs Preserve Crystal Springs Pasco Central525-acre sanctuary with Magnitude 2 spring system, nature center and learning lab
Daggerwing Nature Center Boca Raton Palm Beach South website, 40 acres, located in South County Regional Park, operated by Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation
Deerfield Island Park Deerfield Beach Broward South website, accessible by boat only, 53.3-acre nature-oriented park with guided nature walks, trails, water shuttle
Discovery Center at Tuscawilla Park Ocala Marion CentralOperated by the City of Ocala, environmental and science education [1]
Ed Yarborough Nature Center at Geneva Wilderness Area Geneva Seminole Central website, 180 acres, operated by the County
Elsa Kimbell Environmental Education and Research Center Hobe Sound Martin Treasure Coast Located in the 11,500-acre Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Enchanted Forest Sanctuary Titusville Brevard Central website, 471-acre nature preserve, management & education center features hands-on exhibit room, discovery room
Environmental Center at Miami Dade College Kendall Miami-Dade South website, 9-acre nature preserve, features a lake, an endangered pine rockland, hammocks, butterfly gardens, native plantings, an organic garden and a variety of animals
Environmental Learning Center Vero Beach Indian River Treasure Coast website, 64 acres, environment of the Indian River Lagoon
Erna Nixon Park Nature Center Melbourne BrevardCentral54 acres, operated by the County
Fern Forest Nature Center Coconut Creek Broward South website, operated by the County, 247-acre Designated Urban Wilderness Area
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center Key West Monroe SouthNative plants and animals of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, both on land and underwater
Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center Tavernier Monroe South website, wild bird rehabilitation center, boardwalk trail past aviaries of rescued but unreleasable birds
Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville Alachua North Central Exhibits include fossils, butterfly rainforest, recreated southwest Florida mangrove forest and sea grass estuary, area Native Americans, Northwest Florida ecosystems, outdoor wildflower and butterfly garden, trails through 60-acre Natural Area Teaching Lab
Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center Hutchinson Island Martin Treasure Coast 57 acres, focus is Florida's coastal ecosystems
George C. McGough Nature Park Largo Pinellas Tampa Bay Area website, operated by the City, nature center houses live animal exhibits and hands-on activities for children, outdoor birds of prey
Grassy Waters Preserve West Palm Beach Palm Beach South website, operated by the City of West Palm Beach, 23 square mile wetlands ecosystem with nature center
Green Cay Nature Center Boynton Beach Palm Beach South100 acres, operated by the County
Greynolds Park Miami Miami-Dade SouthOperated by the County, 249 acres
Guana River Environmental Center Ponte Vedra Beach St. Johns Greater Jacksonville Exhibits and education about the ecosystem of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Boca Raton Palm Beach South20 acres of protected barrier island, operated by the City, includes saltwater tanks displaying different South Florida marine habitats, sea turtle rehabilitation center
Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Center Fort Pierce St. Lucie Treasure Coast Exhibits about marine environments and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University
Hobe Sound Nature Center Jupiter Island Martin Treasure Coast Provides support for the 1,035-acre Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge's volunteer, environmental education, interpretation and visitor services programs
Homer Powell Nature Center Titusville BrevardCentral website, operated by the County in 25-acre Wuesthoff Park
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Homosassa Springs Citrus Tampa Bay Area Park features manatee observation area
Honeymoon Island State Park Dunedin Pinellas Tampa Bay Area 385 acres, Rotary Centennial Nature Center features exhibits about the natural and cultural history of Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands and an elevated observation deck
J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Sanibel Lee Southwest 5,200 acres, education center features interactive exhibits on refuge ecosystems, the work of "Ding" Darling, migratory flyways, the National Wildlife Refuge System and a hands-on area for children
Johnnie Johnson Nature Center at Lori Wilson Park Cocoa Beach BrevardCentral website, 32 acres, operated by the County
Ladell Brothers Outdoor Environmental Center Madison Madison North Florida website, 20 acres, located on the campus of North Florida Community College
Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center Englewood Sarasota Southwest 210-acre nature-based County park, black mangrove forest, mangrove fringe along the shoreline, pine and scrubby flatwoods, educational classes, guided nature and bird walks
Loggerhead Marinelife Center Juno Beach Palm Beach SouthEducation center and sea turtle hospital, features live sea turtles, aquaria, displays of local wildlife, educational displays about South Florida's marine environment
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Davie Broward South website, operated by the County, 164.8 acres, exhibits on natural history and area Native Americans, elevated oak hammock, 14-acre orange grove, restored wetland marshes, man-made ponds and canals
Lyonia Environmental Center Deltona Volusia Central website, located in the Deltona Regional Library complex, adjacent to the 360-acre Lyonia Preserve, operated by the County
Manatee Observation and Education Center Fort Pierce St. Lucie Treasure Coast website, waterfront environmental education and wildlife viewing center, touch tank, aquaria
Margaret Hames Nature Center Palm Bay BrevardCentralLocated in over 100-acre Turkey Creek Sanctuary, operated by the City
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center Key Biscayne Miami-Dade SouthLocated in the 808-acre Crandon Park, cooperative project of three partners: Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department and the not-for-profit community support group
Marine Science Center Ponce Inlet VolusiaCentralOperated by the County, includes marine environment exhibits, sea bird and sea turtle rehabilitation
MacArthur Beach State Park North Palm Beach Palm Beach South225 acres, includes William T. Kirby Nature Center
Moccasin Lake Nature Park Clearwater Pinellas Tampa Bay Area 51 acres, operated by the City
Morningside Nature Center Gainesville Alachua North CentralOperated by the City, 278 acres, includes living history farm
Oakland Nature Preserve Oakland Orange Central website, 128 acres on Lake Apopka, environmental education center
Okeeheelee Nature Center West Palm Beach Palm Beach South website, 90 acres, operated by the County
Oscar Scherer State Park Nature Center Osprey Sarasota Southwest 1,400 acres
Oxbow Eco-Center Port St. Lucie St. Lucie Treasure Coast website, operated by the County, environmental learning center located on a 225-acre preserve
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Micanopy AlachuaNorth Central22,000 acres, exhibits in the visitor center, nature programs
PEAR Park Leesburg Lake Central website, 268 acres, operated by the County, park includes nature center with a geology lab, trails. demonstration gardens, observation pavilions, viewing blind
Pine Jog Environmental Education Center West Palm Beach Palm Beach South150 acres, a unit of the College of Education of Florida Atlantic University
Polk's Nature Discovery Center Lakeland Polk Tampa Bay Area Operated by the County on the 1,267-acre Circle B Bar Reserve
Ridge Audubon Center Babson Park Polk Tampa Bay Area website, 3 acres, owned by the National Audubon Society, home to the Ridge Audubon Society
River Center Jupiter Palm Beach South website, operated by the Loxahatchee River District, features live aquatic tanks, interactive exhibits, and a touch tank that represent the river system from a freshwater cypress swamp to seagrass-dominated estuary to marine ecosystems
Riverwalk Park Nature Center Rockledge BrevardCentral website, 6 acres, operated by the County, habitats and animals of the Indian River Lagoon
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Naples Collier Southwest 110,000 acres, features a 2,300-gallon aquarium and interactive exhibits about the park's natural and cultural history
Rotary Park Nature Center Merritt Island BrevardCentral Facebook site, 37 acres, operated by the County
Roy Hyatt Environmental Center Cantonment Escambia Florida Panhandle website, 120 acres, owned and operated by the Escambia County School District, not open to the public
Sandoway Discovery Center Delray Beach Palm Beach SouthFeatures large shell exhibit, coral reef pool with sharks
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Nature Center Sanibel Lee Southwest website, features a touch tank and exhibits teaching about the ecology of Sanibel and Captiva, 4 miles of trails
Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital Coral Springs Broward South website, 5 acres, nature center and wildlife rehabilitation hospital
Secret Woods Nature Center Fort Lauderdale Broward South website, 57 acres, operated by the County
Sense of Wonder Nature Center Miami Miami-Dade South website, 65 acres, operated by the County in A.D. (Doug) Barnes Park
Shamrock Park and Nature Center Venice Sarasota Southwest website, over 80 acres, County park, includes 1.2 mile paved multi-use trail
Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center Ocala Marion CentralProgram of the Marion County Public School System, located within the Silver Springs State Park, area cultural and natural history
Street Audubon Nature Center Winter Haven Polk Tampa Bay Area website, owned by the National Audubon Society, 42 acres, operated by the Lake Region Audubon Society
St. Andrews State Park Panama City Beach Bay Florida Panhandle 1,200 acres, Environmental Interpretive Center features ecosystem dioramas, butterfly, bird egg and sea shell collections, sea turtle nesting exhibit, saltwater aquarium
Tallahassee Museum Tallahassee Leon Florida Panhandle 52 acres, open-air museum, nature discovery center, 1880s period farm, Florida wildlife on outdoor and indoor display
Tree Hill Nature Center Jacksonville Duval Greater Jacksonville 50 acres, features a Florida natural history museum, butterfly and hummingbird gardens, and native animals
Tropical Audubon Society Miami Miami-Dade South website, Steinberg Nature Center, 3 acres, botanical garden
Trout Lake Nature Center Eustis Lake Central website, 230 acre wildlife preserve, includes the Charles Newell Hall and Museum and the Environmental Education Center
Water Works Environmental Education Center Palatka Putnam NortheastOwned by the City, focus is conservation of clean freshwater, open on a limited basis
Weedon Island Preserve St. Petersburg Pinellas Tampa Bay Area Owned by the County, features the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center
Wekiwa Springs State Park Apopka OrangeCentral7,000 acres, nature center open on weekends
Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida Pensacola Escambia Florida Panhandle website, wildlife rehabilitation center
Vera Carter Environmental Center at Tibet-Butler PreserveOrlandoOrangeCentral website, provides a variety of exhibits and displays; hike on miles of trails and participate in ongoing environmental programs.

Resources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Springs State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Silver Springs State Park, formerly known as Silver River State Park, is a Florida state park located on the Silver River in Marion County. The park contains Silver Springs, Florida's first tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge</span> United States National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

The Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, is a refuge on Jupiter Island in Florida. Its official name as of 2019 is the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the refuge is inside the town of Jupiter Island, while the rest is in the unincorporated areas of Martin County. The 1,035-acre (4.19 km2) refuge was established in 1969, to protect the loggerhead and green sea turtles. It is administered as part of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

Rookery Bay Reserve protects 110,000 acres of coastal lands and waters at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the gulf coast of Florida, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve</span>

In 1999, the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve was designated in St. Johns and Flagler counties, Florida as a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) system. The GTM Research Reserve represents the east Florida sub-region of the Carolinian bioregion. It is one of 30 NERRs in 23 states and one territory. GTM is one of three NERRs in Florida and is administered on behalf of the state by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Coastal Office as part of a network that includes forty-one aquatic preserves, three NERRs, a National Marine Sanctuary, the Coral Reef Conservation Program and the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council. Additional interests are held in the research and management of the GTM and connected preserved or conserved lands including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature center</span> Facility designed for natural and environmental education

A nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and some have special gardens or an arboretum. Their properties can be characterized as nature preserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Nature centers generally display small live animals, such as reptiles, rodents, insects, or fish. There are often museum exhibits and displays about natural history, or preserved mounted animals or nature dioramas. Nature centers are staffed by paid or volunteer naturalists and most offer educational programs to the general public, as well as summer camp, after-school and school group programs. These educational programs teach people about nature conservation as well as the scientific method, biology, and ecology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve</span>

Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve is located near the city of Buffalo in the Town of Cheektowaga in Erie County, New York, USA. Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve is a 292-acre (118 ha) forested complex that also includes wetlands and ponds, located within a developed suburban area. The nature preserve also features an environmental education center.

Modern environmental education in the United States began to take shape in the late 19th century with the Nature Study movement, which grew out of efforts to promote the field of natural history by naturalists including Harvard professor Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) and Anna Botsford Comstock, whose Handbook of Nature Study was published in 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree Hill Nature Center</span>

The Tree Hill Nature Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and wilderness preserve in Jacksonville, Florida, organized for the purpose of providing an educational experience for visitors to appreciate and learn about the natural environment in Jacksonville. The land was acquired to preserve and protect an urban wilderness area containing sensitive plants and animals from surrounding development. The city park opened in 1971.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is an organization located on 21 acres in Naples, Florida, and features the Conservancy of Southwest Florida Nature Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morningside Nature Center</span>

Morningside Nature Center is a 416-acre nature park located in Gainesville, Alachua County in the U.S. state of Florida and overseen by the City of Gainesville. It features a living history farm meant to simulate a North Florida family homestead from the mid to late 1800s. The farm includes an original Florida Cracker cabin built by Irish immigrants around 1840, which was moved to Morningside in 1976. The farm also features a one-room schoolhouse, along with newer farm buildings constructed as authentically as possible and a cash crop field that grows period-appropriate crops like corn, sugarcane, and cotton. The livestock on the farm are heritage breed and period appropriate to the time period. Visitors can view a Jersey cow, Ossabaw Island hogs, Dorking roosters and hens, and Gulf Coast sheep. On the first Saturday of every month September-May, volunteers dress in period attire and teach visitors about rural life in historical Alachua County. The farm is open year-round Monday-Saturday 9am-4:30pm, but it is closed on Sundays. Every Wednesday afternoon from 3-4pm September through May, visitors can visit the farm to participate in the Barnyard Buddies program to feed the animals hay and vegetables provided by park staff. This program is free of charge, but donations of carrots, squash, apples, sweet potatoes, and melons are accepted, however, please give these items to staff and not directly to the animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Rudloe</span> American marine biologist (1947–2012)

Anne Rudloe was an American marine biologist. She was the co-founder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory in Panacea, Florida.

References

  1. ↑ "Facebook site". Discovery Center. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.