Around Town: Places to visit

Daily News staff

February 20, 2004

It's easy to find history, adventure, tropical plants, exotic animals and more in Southwest Florida. The only problem is finding the time to see it all. We hope the following list of places to visit makes the search easier. Note: Submissions for this column must be received by noon Monday for publication in the coming Friday's Showcase.

HISTORIC PLACES

Palm Cottage, a historic house museum operated by the Collier County Historical Society, was built in 1895 and is the second oldest house in Naples. Located one block east of the Naples Pier at 137 12th Ave. S., the cottage is a rare surviving example of tabby mortar construction, a primitive homemade cement made with burnt, crushed seashells, sand and water. The antiques-filled cottage, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is open for guided tours during the winter season from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through Fridays. Cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children under 12. Other tours are available by special request and Palm Cottage is available for private and corporate functions. Special events include guided walking tours of Old Naples offered from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the second and fourth Thursday of every month through April. Participants meet at Palm Cottage. Cost is $10 for Collier County Historical Society members, $15 for nonmembers. 261-8164.

The Edison-Ford complex: The winter homes of inventor Thomas Alva Edison and automobile industrialist Henry Ford sit side by side on the south side of the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers. The Edison site features his home, laboratory, botanical gardens and a museum. Ford's home has been restored to look the way it did when he purchased the estate in 1916. Botanical tours through the gardens take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays. Tickets are $18 and $8. And Thomas Edison electric launch tours, at $5 per person, are available on a regular basis, weather permitting. Presenters in period costume offer living history performances. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:30 p.m. Location: 2350 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost of tours: Adults, $13; children 6 to 12, $7; children under 6, free. (239) 334-3614 or www.edison-ford-estate.com.

Koreshan State Historic Site, a nationally recognized historical site, was originally settled in the late 1800s as a utopian community. The site offers RV and tent camping, canoeing on the Estero River, a playground and nature trails. Ranger-guided tours of the historic site are available Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset. Cost is $1 per adult and 50 cents per child. Location: U.S. 41 South in Estero. Admission to the site: $3.25 per car. 992-0311.

MUSEUMS

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to shells. The museum features more than 30 exhibits of seashells from around the world. Exhibits are devoted to shells in art and history, shell habitats, rare specimens, fossil shells, common local shells and more. A learning lab features hands-on play area for children, displays, games and a tank with indigenous mollusks. A 30-minute video, "Mollusks in Action," is shown on the hour, and a wide selection of shell books can be found in the museum store. Location: 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission: Adults, $6; children 8 to 16, $3. (239) 395-2233, (888) 679-6450 or www.shellmuseum.org.

The Collier County Museum allows visitors to journey back over 10,000 years of Southwest Florida's unique past. In addition to regular attractions, "July 1942: United We Stand," a traveling exhibition from The Smithsonian Institution, is on display. Seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, magazines featuring the American flag appeared on newsstands nationwide. The show features 85-plus original covers spanning a variety of themes and can be seen through March 13. Museum visitors can also learn about mastodons and fierce saber cats, Calusa and Seminole Indians, and the rugged pioneers who settled one of America's last frontiers. The property is made up of five acres of native gardens and showcases early Naples cottages, swamp buggies and a logging locomotive. Special programs and exhibitions are presented throughout the year. Museum hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Location: 3301 U.S. 41 E. (County Government Center). Admission is free. Donations accepted. 774-8476.

The Imaginarium Hands-On Museum & Aquarium, a science museum, features more than 60 exhibits about the environment, physics, anatomy, weather and other scientific topics. Attractions include aquariums displaying marine life, a touch pool, a living reef tank and an outdoor lagoon. "How Things Work," a traveling exhibition, can be seen now through April 25. The show offers 20 interactive exhibits allowing visitors to see the inner workings of everyday devices such as a lock, light switch and traffic signal. The museum also features a 3-D theater, enclosed butterfly garden, citrus grove and interactive areas for preschoolers. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Location: corner of M.L. King Boulevard and Cranford Avenue, Fort Myers. Admission: Adults, $7; seniors, $6.50; children 3 to 12, $4; and children under 3 are free. (239) 337-3332.

Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch offers visitors the opportunity to experience the story of ranching and farming on Florida's frontier. Nineteen historic structures tell the story of the pioneer families of this still untamed area perched on the edge of Big Cypress Swamp and the Everglades. The museum is 40 miles northeast of Naples and 35 miles southeast of Fort Myers. It is located off Main Street at Roberts Avenue West. Currently undergoing restoration, the museum is open by appointment. Call ahead to book a tour. Admission is free. Donations accepted. 658-2466.

The Key Marco Museum, located in the Marco Island Area Board of Realtors building, 140 Waterway Drive (corner of Bald Eagle Drive), on Marco Island, focuses on the history of Marco Island. Sponsored by the Marco Island Historical Society, the museum displays artifacts of the ancient Calusa culture, which was found in the area about A.D. 800, including replicas of the Key Marco Cat and of ceremonial masks discovered during an archaeological excavation by Frank Cushing in 1896. More than 100 objects, photos and documents are included in the museum's display. Several interpretive displays focus on Marco area pioneers, as well as on the development of modern Marco Island by The Deltona Corp. The facility is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. A second location with new exhibitions with a life-size diorama is now open at the Olde Marco Island Inn and Suites at No. 168, second floor, Shops of Old Marco on Palm Street. The exhibitions are open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Admission to both exhibitions is free. 642-7468.

The Museum of the Everglades offers a unique look at Collier County's development in the early 1920s. Originally built as a laundry to serve workers on the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), the building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An exhibition of paintings by Naples artist Sam Platt is on view through Feb. 29. Platt is known for his acrylic and pastel paintings, fine drawings and humorous illustrations and cartoons. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Suggested donation at door: $2. To reach the museum from Naples, take U.S. 41 South for 32 miles to State Road 29, then travel south five miles to the center of Everglades City. The museum is on the west side of the Broadway roundabout, at 105 W. Broadway. 695-0008.

The Naples Depot and Lionel Museum Train Display, which is a nationally registered historic site, offer trains to watch, to ride and to operate. Visitors can view the scenic, multi-level display in action and ride the outdoor scale train pulled by live steam or diesel locomotives. An original 1909 Soo Line caboose and 1947 club car are on site. Unique railroad souvenirs and gifts are available at the Whistlestop Shop located in a vintage Southern Railroad baggage car. Hours vary; call ahead. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. The depot is at 1051 Fifth Ave. S., corner of U.S. 41 S. and 10th Street South. 262-1776.

Naples Museum of Art, the area's first full-scale art museum, is next to the Philharmonic Center for the Arts at 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. in North Naples. Now in its fourth season, the three-story, 30,000-square-foot museum features 15 galleries showcasing a variety of works by acclaimed artists such as Dale Chihuly, The Pollak Collection of Mexican Art featuring works by masters such as Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco; The American Modernism Collection showcasing selected paintings and works on paper from 1900-1955; and Masters of Miniature, which includes some of the world's most exquisite and rare miniatures. Exhibitions of the pioneering modernist painter Hans Hofmann and the legendary portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh, the art collection of controversial critic Clement Greenberg and a new permanent miniatures exhibition, The Grand Tour in Miniature, are highlights of the 2003-04 season. "Hans Hofmann: A Retrospective," the first full-scale Hofmann retrospective in more than a dozen years, is currently on view. Guest curator Karen Wilkin has written an original exhibition catalog for the show. Wilkin will also speak about Hofmann in February. The show will hang through March 21. Through May 2 the museum exhibits Agnes Denes: Projects for Public Spaces Saturday. One of her best known works, "Wheatfield," was featured in Newsweek and the New York Times. There is a gift shop on premises. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Now through April, the museum will be open an extra hour, until 5 p.m. Complimentary docent-guided tours are available at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day now through May. General admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children. 597-1900 or www.thephil.org.

The Smallwood Store and Museum, established in 1906 as a trading post on the western edge of the Everglades, served the remote area buying hides and farm produce in exchange for hard-to-come-by items. The store is on the National Register of Historic Places. A gift shop on the premises features Seminole and Miccosukee Indian crafts and music. Hours: Seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: 320 Mamie St., Chokoloskee. Admission: Adults 12 and up, $2.50; seniors, $2; and children under 12, free. 695-2989.

Southwest Florida Holocaust Museum, which grew out of an exhibit created by seventh-grade students and their teachers at Golden Gate Middle School, aims to promote tolerance by teaching the history and lessons of the Holocaust. A special exhibit on the Shanghai Ghetto, depicting the little known but inspiring story of 20,000 European Jews who escaped Nazi persecution by fleeing to the international city of Japanese-occupied Shanghai, China, is on view throughout February. Scenes of daily life and living conditions are included. In addition, the museum exhibits artifacts from the Nazi's "Final Solution" including prison camp uniforms, gold fillings taken from victims and arm bands, including one that identified the owner as an exempted employee at the factory made famous in the film "Schindler's List." There are photographs, posters, documents and a lending library. Location: 4760 U.S. 41 N., suite 7, Sandalwood Square. Hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays. Docents make tours vivid and informed. Admission is free but donations are welcome. 263-9200.

Southwest Florida Museum of History, housed in the former Atlantic Coastline Railroad depot, includes exhibits on the history of Calusa Indians, Seminole Indians, Spanish explorers and early settlers in Southwest Florida, in addition to a pioneer "cracker" house, a 1929 private Pullman rail car, a 1926 La France fire pumper and a recovered Airacobra fighter plane. Admission: $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, and $4 for children ages 3 to 12. Hours: Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.; closed most holidays. Location: 2300 Peck St., Fort Myers, off Jackson Street, one block south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. (239) 332-5955.

The Teddy Bear Museum includes a, 8,000-square-foot collection of nearly 4,000 bears, ranging from life-size to 1 inch, and from soft bears to bears of marble and bronze. The museum features interpretive displays of antique and limited-edition bears, teddy bear art and one-of-a-kind items including a signed first-edition copy of A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh." The Teddy Bear Express is the latest attraction at the museum. Departing from Libeary Station, the four-wheeled steam locomotive is the exact replica of the type used on the sleepy countryside tracks in Eastern Germany until the 1960s. The system travels above the heads of visitors, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. "Teddies To Go," a teddy bear-making experience, takes place at 10 a.m. the first Saturday of every month. Participants stuff and create their own bear, panda or rabbit. No sewing skills are required. Location: 2511 Pine Ridge Road, Naples. Admission: Adults, $8; seniors, $6; children 4 to 12, $3; and children under 4, free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. 598-2711 or www.teddymuseum.com.

The von Liebig Art Center, the 16,000-square-foot home of the Naples Art Association, offers changing exhibitions of contemporary American art by regional, national and internationally recognized artists in six galleries, free and open to the public throughout the year during gallery hours, which are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The center is currently featuring "Outside/In: American Self-taught Art." The exhibition is on loan from the Mennello Museum of American Folk and the City of Orlando Folk Art Collection and can be seen through March 13. In addition, landscape paintings by New York artist Adam Straus are being featured. The 29 paintings focus on modern man's intrusion upon the wilderness. The von Liebig Art Center is at 585 Park St. 262-6517 or www.naplesartcenter.org.

NATURE ACTIVITIES

Adventures in Paradise, located at Port Sanibel Marina on the Fort Myers side of the Sanibel Causeway, provides a variety of interesting and fun-filled eco-excursions for all ages. Free guided tours of the marina's nature boardwalk are offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. Guided canoe and kayak tours may be scheduled daily. Rentals available for self-guided tours. A variety of eco-cruises are offered aboard two power catamarans with experienced crew. Backwater fishing trips and sealife encounter cruises are also available daily. Activities also include wading with dip nets and examination of sea creatures, barrier island shelling and snorkeling cruises to the outer islands, nightly sunset dolphin-watching cruises and more. Call for times and prices. (239) 472-8443.

The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium is a private, not-for-profit environmental education center. The museum and trails are open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daily programs allow visitors to get up close and personal with some of the creatures of Southwest Florida. The snakes are fed every Sunday at 11:15 a.m. The center consists of a small natural history museum, an Audubon aviary which houses permanently injured birds of prey, nature trails, a picnic area, a gift shop with an assortment of nature books, and a planetarium which features astronomy programs and laser light shows. The center also offers guided walks every Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. Grand opening ceremonies were recently held to unveil the center's one-of-a-kind butterfly aviary and native plant nursery. The 1,000-square-foot screened aviary is home to about 30 different species of Florida butterflies, making it the largest butterfly display between Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. All the plants are for sale to help people create butterfly habitats in their own backyards. Visits to the aviary are included in the regular admission price. The center is located at 3450 Ortiz Ave. in Fort Myers. Admission to Calusa Nature Center and the Planetarium is $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 3 to 12. This one-price admission includes the museum, trails and all planetarium shows scheduled that day. Group rates are available. 275-3435.

Caribbean Gardens: The Zoo in Naples, a nationally accredited facility, features animals from apes to zebras within a botanical garden founded in 1919. Zoo guests get close to lions, tigers, leopards, alligators, hyenas, kangaroos and many other species throughout the 52-acre setting. The zoo features a variety of wildlife presentations. Safari Canyon offers live animals exhibiting natural behaviors while narrators show custom graphics and wildlife videos. The zoo also includes the Primate Expedition Cruise, a boat ride around islands where monkeys, lemurs and apes live in natural habitats, along with the audience-participation Scales & Tails Show, the Meet the Keeper series, alligator bay feedings and more. Featured exhibits include Tiger Forest where guests see Indochinese tigers, the rarest tigers in America; Panther Glade, a cooperative exhibit with the National Wildlife Federation; and African Oasis with the rare African wild dogs. Private guided tours of Caribbean Gardens after dark, allowing participants to observe the nocturnal activities of rare animals using night vision scopes, are occasionally offered during the winter months. Starting time is 7 p.m. on the following dates: March 12 and 26; cost is $49.95 or $43.95 for zoo members. There is also a restaurant, picnic area and gift shop on site. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, with last ticket sold at 4:30 p.m. Location: 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road. Regular admission follows: adults 16 and up, $15.95; children 4 to 15, $9.95; under 4, free. 262-5409 or www.napleszoo.com.

Cocohatchee Nature Center features narrated boat tours through a pristine mangrove estuary. The preserve is home to a variety of bird species including herons, egrets, ibis, osprey and pelicans. Dolphins are often discovered in the backwaters near Wiggins Pass. There is a patio area in the center where visitors can relax and enjoy the natural setting and expansive view. Kayak and canoe rentals are offered at the nature center. Guided and self-guided excursions allow visitors to discover first-hand the natural beauty of the Cocohatchee River estuary and the white sand beaches near Wiggins Pass. Educational programs for schoolchildren are also conducted at the nature center, and group tours for up to 40 passengers are offered; call for details. The nature center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $18 for adults, $20 for sunset cruises and half-price for children under 12. Boat tours depart daily at 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and one hour before sunset. Reservations recommended. Cocohatchee Nature Center is at 12345 U.S. 41 N., just north of Immokalee Road. 592-1200 or www.cocohatchee.org.

Collier-Seminole State Park, a 4,760-acre wilderness preserve, offers a 0.9-mile interpretive boardwalk/nature trail, RV and tent camping, a 51/2-mile mountain-bike trail, a 61/2-mile hiking trail, canoe rentals, a 131/2-mile aquatic trail, playground, picnic area, pontoon boat tours and historical displays, including a huge "walking" dredge, a National Historic Engineering Landmark. Location: 17 miles south of Naples on U.S. 41 East. Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset. Admission: $3.25 per car, up to eight people, and $1 per person more than eight people. 394-3397.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida operates two nature centers in Collier County to educate residents and visitors about the area's natural resources. The centers offer numerous exhibits and activities. The Naples Nature Center includes the Conservancy Museum of Natural History, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a butterfly garden and short trails featuring a broad variety of native Florida trees and plants on the 14-acre site. The museum provides hands-on exhibits, special programs, daily presentations about water, turtles and snakes, and daily guided tours of the nature trails. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has a behind-the-scenes hospital for injured native wild animals. Permanent residents, including owls, hawks and a bald eagle, are on view. Canoe and kayak rentals are offered, plus narrated boat tours of the upper reaches of the Gordon River. Boat tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Naples Nature Center is at 14th Avenue North, off Goodlette-Frank Road. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays now through April 30. Admission is $7.50 for adults; $2 for children 3 to 12. Kids under 3 and Conservancy members are free. Briggs Nature Center, six miles north of Marco Island, features a boardwalk and butterfly garden. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Yearly family memberships to The Conservancy of Southwest Florida begin at $35 and include admission to nature centers, education publications and other discounts. 262-0304.

The CREW Marsh Trail System, which offers five miles of hiking through pine flatwoods, sawgrass marsh and an oak/cabbage palm hammock, is located at the edge of the 6,825-acre Corkscrew Marsh on Corkscrew Road in northern Collier County. The trails are free and open to the public seven days a week, sunrise to sunset. In addition, guided tours or group outings may be arranged by calling the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) office from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 657-2253. The CREW Trust, formed in 1989, assists with wetlands acquisition, management and public-use activities in Lee and Collier counties. Location: From Interstate 75, take exit 123 and travel east for approximately 18 miles. Entrance is on right. 657-2253.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, owned and operated by Audubon of Florida, is an 11,000-acre preserve where visitors can find a pristine wilderness that dates back more than 500 years. A 21/4-mile boardwalk winds through pine flatwoods, open prairie and finally into the largest forest of ancient bald cypress in North America. The forest is also home to hundreds of alligators, otters, Florida black bear, white-tailed deer, red-bellied turtles and almost 200 species of birds, including egrets, ibis, herons and wood storks. Corkscrew's Blair Audubon Center features six exhibits that help explain what visitors will see and what they should look for on the boardwalk. Among the exhibits is the multimedia "Swamp Theatre," which depicts the daily and seasonal changes in the swamp. The center also features a tea room, nature store and art gallery. The sanctuary is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 1 through April 10 and 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 11 through Sept. 30. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for full-time college students, $5 for Audubon members and $4 for children 6 to 18. Children under 6 are free. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is at 375 Sanctuary Road, Naples. Directions: take Interstate 75 to exit 111 and drive east for 15 miles. 348-9151.

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area, a 166-acre tract located on the south side of Wiggins Pass in North Naples, features shaded picnic areas, grills, a pavilion, bath house, short nature trail and an observation deck. The beach, which was purchased from Collier County in 1970, frequently has ended up on the national "Best Beaches Survey" by Stephen Leatherman, director of the University of Maryland's Laboratory for Coastal Research. Shelling is usually good, and while swimmers are not allowed in the dangerous currents of Wiggins Pass, fishing is allowed there. Swimmers may go into the Gulf of Mexico on the south side of the pass. Native gopher tortoises, manatees, dolphins, osprey and a wide variety of wading birds are commonly seen. The park, at the western terminus of Bluebill Avenue, is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. Entrance fees are $3 for one driver in a vehicle, $5 for more than one person, and $1 for pedestrians and bicyclists. The address is 11100 Gulfshore Drive. 597-6196.

Everglades Wonder Gardens, Southwest Florida's oldest attraction, includes botanical gardens, native and exotic birds, Florida panthers, black bears, a museum and a gift shop. The facility also features a display of Florida reptiles, including alligators, crocodiles and venomous and non-venomous snakes. Hours: Seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs. Admission: Adults, $12; children 3 to 12, $6; under 3, free. 992-2591.

Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, the largest cypress strand in the world, is comprised of more than 80,000 acres of land in the Big Cypress Swamp. Its slough is the deepest in the greater Everglades and borders U.S. 41, Interstate 75 and State Road 29. Approximately 15 miles long and five miles wide, Fakahatchee Strand is the only remaining natural forest of royal palm and bald cypress. The strand's Big Bend Boardwalk, six miles west of State Road 29 on U.S. 41, is always open. Free admission. It's home to a pair of bald eagles, a resident alligator, bears, white-tailed deer, raccoons, otters, birds, reptiles and amphibians, offering many photo opportunities. To best view the royal palms and wildlife, drive along Janes Scenic Drive, and turn left four miles north of U.S. 41 off State Road 29. Tram roads lead off the gravel road in two directions, and hikes can be arranged. Swamp buggy walks can also be scheduled. 695-4593 or www.friendsoffakahatchee.org.

Picayune Strand State Forest is one of Southwest Florida's newest natural areas. The Florida Division of Forestry manages more than 65,000 acres in the forest, made up of South Golden Gate Estates and Belle Meade. The area is the home of many threatened species, including the Florida panther. The boundaries of Picayune Strand begin one mile east of Collier Boulevard and stretch eastward to the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. Fishing is allowed in the area's canals. In addition, Belle Meade has two trails. To reach the 22-mile-long Belle Meade Horse Trail, go one mile south of Interstate 75 on Everglades Boulevard, then right on 52nd Avenue Southeast and three-quarters of a mile to the trailhead. There are picnic tables, 10 horse paddocks and a portable restroom. The Sabal Palm Hiking Trail is located 3.1 miles east of Collier Boulevard on Sabal Palm Road. The trail, more than three miles long, has two loops. Primitive camping is available. The trails are best enjoyed during the first five months of the year and are always open to the public. (239) 348-7557.

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of the few remaining relatively pristine mangrove estuaries in the United States, is located between Naples and Marco Island. As one of just 25 National Estuarine Research Reserves in the country, this 110,000-acre reserve serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for students and scientists from around the world. The bay provides habitat for fish and shellfish. Dolphins, manatees and birds use the shallow waters for feeding. Seclusion affords recreational opportunities for canoeists, kayakers, bird watchers and boaters. The reserve's headquarters is at 300 Tower Road. An environmental learning center, currently under construction, will be open to the public in 2003. The field lab, classroom and interpretive walking and canoe trails are at the end of Shell Island Road, six miles north of Marco Island. The Briggs Nature Center is also located on Shell Island Road. Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in cooperation with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Hours are Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 417-6310 or www.rookerybay.org.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education & Experience Center is a nonprofit designated corporation that's home to wolves, wolf-dogs, coyotes, fennec foxes, sugar gliders, prairie dogs, Florida gopher tortoise, cougars, a leopard and a LepJag. Many of the animals are friendly and interact well with visitors. Private tours and educational visits are available seven days a week by appointment only. Admission is free but donations are always appreciated. The sanctuary is located in the Golden Gate Estates area. Directions will be given when an appointment is made. 455-1698 or shywolfsanctuary@aol.com.

Wooten's features airboat and swamp buggy tours, as well as a park with animal exhibits including crocodiles, snakes, Florida panther and alligator wrestling. Location: U.S. 41, Ochopee. Admission to park with animal exhibits, $6; admission to sanctuary, $8 for adults and $6 for ages 4 to 12; 30-minute airboat or swamp buggy tours, $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 4 to 12. A combination tour is available for $42.40. Prices subject to change. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. (800) 282-2781.