Established in 1945, this wildlife refuge occupies one-third of Sanibel Island and is a prime spot for bird watching. Fees are required for Wildlife Drive, which is open everyday but is closed on Fridays, gate times vary. The best way to plan your visit is to stop in the informative FREE visitor center first which is open daily 9am-4pm. Then begin your adventure with many activities including the wildlife drive, tram tour, kayaking, fishing opportunities, picnic benches, and even a free scavenger hunt style game and wildlife spotting app (Discover Ding) if you prefer a self-guided tour.See more..
4.5Myakka River State Park(3.399 reviews) - There is No Other River as Pristine as the Myakka Monday: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM Nature & Wildlife Areas
One of the original Civilian Conservation Corps parks.See more..
4.5Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary(3.372 reviews) - Great Day Birdwatching Monday: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Nature & Wildlife Areas
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a 13,000 acre Preserve. The Sanctuary is open 7 days a week from 8:00am-3:00pm with last admission at 1:00 pm. Be sure to reserve your ticket online. Visitors will find a gentle, pristine wilderness that dates back more than 500 years. A 2.25 mile boardwalk meanders through pine flatwoods, wet prairie, around a marsh and finally into the largest old growth Bald Cypress forest in North America. These impressive trees, relatives of the redwood, tower 130 feet into the sky and have a girth of 25 feet. Their massive branches are draped with mosses, lichens, bromeliads and ferns. The forest is also home to alligators, otters, white-tailed deer and red-bellied turtles. A wide variety of wading birds, songbirds, raptors and the fabulous Painted Bunting can be seen here. Photo opportunities are available at every turn of the boardwalk trail.See more..
4.5Lovers Key State Park(3.070 reviews) - Lovers Key is Beautiful! State Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas
Park is not associated with Bonita Springs Dog Beach. Enjoy swimming, sunbathing, shelling, fishing, hiking, bicycling, wildlife watching, canoeing/kayaking, geocaching and more.See more..
This is a beautiful preserve. It gets busy (we had to come back as we couldn’t get a parking space the first time we went). It costs $1.00 per hour to park (credit cards or bills with no change given) and I would recommend at least 2 hours. Three hours of parking time would be better. There is a boardwalk throughout so it is easy walking, and there are benches periodically to either rest, or sit quietly to allow the wildlife adjust to your presence. They provide paper guides that explain quite a bit about the slough.See more..
4.5Barefoot Beach Preserve(1.584 reviews) - Great clean beach with amenities Beaches • Nature & Wildlife Areas
Visited here today for the first time. Was $10 for all day parking, which is cheap for the area. Please note they only allow approx 350 cars into the park and after that they close until at least 50 cars leave (told this by attendant collecting the $10). Beaches were clean and family friendly. Bathrooms close by were clean. Would visit again.See more..
4.5Robinson Nature Preserve(1.281 reviews) - Nature and scenic vistas await. Nature & Wildlife Areas
With lots of boardwalk, and trails with crushed shell, this preserve is very wheelchair and scooter friendly. It does have observation tower, but it is not accessible. There are several places to sit and look out at Tampa Bay. There are a lot of open spaces, so it would be very hot in the summer, I would recommend going in the fall and winter. But a very nice preserve that should not be missed on your trip to the area.See more..
4.5Peace River Wildlife Center(1.046 reviews) - Small but impressive variety of bird and wildlife. Spent < 1 hour Nature & Wildlife Areas • Zoos
The Mission of the Peace River Wildlife Center is to contribute to the survival of native Florida wildlife through rescue, rehabilitation and education. The Center and our gift shop is open to the public for tours everyday from 11a – 4p and our hospital accepts wildlife intakes from 8a – 5p everyday, 7 days per week, 365 days per year including all holidays. We do not charge an admission fee but donations are greatly appreciated and needed to support our mission. Your donations and gift store purchases go directly to the care of our wildlife patients and residents. The PRWC does not receive any federal government support. The costs involved in maintaining these educational displays and to feed almost 120 permanent residents and more than 2,500 patient admissions annually is nearly $80,000 per year. All of the Peace River Wildlife Center’s expenses are met through donations, our recycling program, gift shop sales and small grants. PRWC’s mission is carried out primarily by volunteersSee more..
