Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center

The Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center is a 16,500-square-foot environmentally-friendly educational, research and training facility with research laboratories, classrooms, a 140-seat auditorium, aquariums and two-story visitor center. The visitor center offers a variety of hands-on experiences for all ages, including interactive exhibits, an art gallery, nature trails, and picnic areas.
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Hours of Operation

Monday – Friday: 9 am – 4 pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Address: 300 Tower Road, Naples, FL 34113

Dogs are not allowed in the building or on the nature trails.

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Holiday Closures

Christmas Eve Friday, December 24
Christmas Day Saturday, December 25
New Year’s Eve Thursday, December 31
New Year’s Day Friday, January 1
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, January 18
Memorial Day Monday, May 31
Independence Day (observed) Monday, July 5
Labor Day Monday, September 6
Veterans’ Day Thursday, November 11
Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 25
Friday after Thanksgiving Friday, November 26

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General Admission

Adults: $8
Children Ages 6-12: $5
Children Under 6: FREE
Friends of Rookery Bay members: FREE
Association of Nature Center Administrators Reciprocal Program Members: FREE
Active and Retired Military personnel and family: FREE Year-Round

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Groups and Private Tours

Self-Guided, Group Rate (adults and/or children) ​

  • 10-person minimum and 30-person maximum per group
  • $5 adults; $3 children
  • Group must be scheduled > 2 weeks prior to visit*
  • Group admission does not include special programs or tours

Guided/Special Group Rate

  • Group size variable based on type and availability
  • Group must be scheduled > 4 weeks prior to visit
    1. Guided Tour: $10/person
      a. 1.5-hour docent led tour of exhibits, estuary encounter, trail and garden
      b. Guests may stay longer.
    2. Guided Student Field Trip: $300/group
      a. 50-student maximum per group
      b. 2 to 4 hour educational program

Request Form

SO MUCH TO DISCOVER AND EXPLORE

Cultural Richness Exhibit at Rookery Bay | National Estuarine Research Reserve

Cultural Richness

Cultural exhibits on the second floor of the Environmental Learning Center showcase 3,000 years of human use in the estuary. A large topographic map on the wall depicts prehistoric and historic sites, a storytelling booth recounts memories of pioneer settlers, and a tribute to the Children’s Column on Henderson Creek tells the story of how Rookery Bay was saved from development in the 1960s.

There’s even a “Today and the Future” area that provides an overview of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and sea level rise, and how they might affect various forms of life in southwest Florida. The exhibits include an interactive guessing game dispelling myths about climate change, a touchscreen carbon calculator which gives people an opportunity to see how their personal choices measure up on an international standard, and a demonstration of ways people can make a difference in their homes and daily lives.

Mangrove Aquarium

Large windows in the Reserve’s laboratories allow visitors to observe ongoing research. A monitor displays film footage of local and visiting scientists conducting research and monitoring programs in the reseve. In the theater, a 10-minute documentary film produced by award-winning filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus, highlights the beauty of the Rookery Bay Research Reserve.

In the 2,300-gallon mangrove aquarium centerpiece, a 14-foot sculpted tree soars up through an open atrium into the Center’s second story. A climb-in “bubble” provides visitors with close-up views of mangrove prop roots that provide shelter for fish inhabitants. Interactive and hands-on exhibits provide opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore and expand upon their knowledge of Florida’s estuaries.

Mangrove Aquarium at Rookery Bay | National Estuarine Research Reserve
Estuary Encounter Touch Tank at Rookery Bay Research Reserve | National Estuarine Research Reserve

Estuary Encounter Touch Tank

Our 180-gallon Marine Life Exhibit is designed to look and feel like Rookery Bay Research Reserve’s natural environment with detailed rock formations and a variety of local marine life. In addition to self-guided engagement with these animals, docent-led programs will also be scheduled throughout the day.

The “Estuary Encounter” exhibit houses more than a dozen species of marine animals for guests of all ages to discover during regular visiting hours. Observe and interact with a sea star, spider crab or lightning whelk.

Art Gallery

The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Council of Collier County enables annual exhibitions of painting and photography juried by local art experts while other showings feature works by local students, Rookery Bay Reserve friends and family, and occasionally individuals. Most of the works are available for purchase.

Waters By Kathy Spalding

Created Exclusively for the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center

The exhibit hall is graced by a 120-foot long Continuum of Life watercolor by the late local artist Kathy Spalding, who painted 30 individual prints and stitched them all together to illustrate the connections between habitats. Beginning in the skies of the Gulf to Keewaydin’s barrier island, it flows – like nature itself – across the sand, into the shallows around red mangroves creeping into the mudflats and finally up to the high lands and swamps. All along the way are the birds, fish, plants and animals that create a living symphony here. Prints and notecards are available for purchase in the store.

Above the stairs, visitors can enjoy Gaskin 8, a 22-foot tall framed photograph donated by renowned black-and-white landscape photographer Clyde Butcher.

Observation Bridge at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center | Rookery Bay Research Reserve

Observation Bridge

The Observation Bridge transports pedestrians across Henderson Creek with educational signs luring visitors to explore their surroundings, such as looking down at the water passing under the bridge to see which way it is flowing. Salinity is the name of the game here, and summer rains across the watershed fill the creek with rushing waters, diluting the salinity and triggering creatures of the estuary to reproduce. From the bridge it’s possible to see manatees, tarpon, and even sharks when conditions are right.

As the bridge begins to slope down to meet the ground, visitors experience a brief trek through tangled mangroves, palms and oaks. Resurrection ferns, bromeliads, and even orchids can be seen growing along the furrowed cracks of oak tree bark. Looking up, it is easy to see the pockmarks of pileated woodpeckers and other insectivores in the upper reaches of expired pine snags.

Nature Trails

Along the Snail Trail, it is easy to forget you’re less than ten miles away from the city limits of both Naples and Marco Island. The Snail Trail encourages explorers to use all their senses to connect intimately with the natural world, meandering slowly like a snail, and includes a boardwalk/viewing platform at the water’s edge. Visitors can take the ½-mile walking trail with a surface suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, or two more ½-mile, unsurfaced trails for the more “adventurous” explorers.  What you’ll see:

  • An old homestead dating back to post-Civil War times when squatters began to farm this rugged terrain.
  • A primitive swale system designed to drain the land during driving summer rains.
  • Sanseveria (an ornamental plant commonly associated with early homesteads).
  • A cement rainwater storage cistern that collected rainwater running off the old home’s roof and stored it through the dry winter months, when it could be used for cooking and watering livestock.

Nature Trails at Rookery Bay | National Estuarine Research Reserve
Picnic Areas at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center | Rookery Bay Research Reserve

Picnic Area

Take in nature and views of Henderson Creek while enjoying lunch or a snack in the shade on our back patio or under the Chickee Hut. Snacks are available for purchase in the Nature Store.

Rookery Bay Nature Store

Welcome to the Rookery Bay Nature Store, where every purchase supports Friends of Rookery Bay and its mission to provide resources for Rookery Bay Research Reserve’s education, research and conservation programs. Here you’ll find an assortment of wonderful gifts to purchase for your family or maybe bring back a souvenir for yourself.

You can now purchase select items in the comfort of your own home. Free Shipping with every purchase! Saw something you liked in our store during your visit? Email naturestore@rookerybay.org with your request.

VISIT ONLINE NATURE STORE

Nature Store Hours

Monday – Saturday: 9 am – 4 pm
Sunday: Closed

Facility Rentals

We can accommodate day or evening functions for meetings, workshops, seminars, birthday parties, and gatherings. Catering can be supplied from outside vendors and our picnic area offers a delightful space for a relaxed lunch, cocktail party, or formal dinner.
General Inquiries 239-530-5973
Birthday Party Information

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