Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center

Today was Darwin Day, so we got BOGO entry! Nice learning center with a small gift shop. We enjoyed walking the Snail Trail and while checking out the water from the viewing platform, we saw a manatee! Nice way to spend an hour or two; kids would love it.

Great displays and wonderful learning experience. Great walkway. You can learn a lot about the area environment.

Really lovely spot to visit when near Naples and Marco Island. Great video talking about their fabulous work and the fragile econsystem in the area. The day we went, a few of their paths were closed due to storm damage, so I can’t wait to come back and take a nice, long hike!

We set out to see some birds and do some kayaking.
We didn’t really see either. But that didn’t stop us from really enjoying this place.
Warning: Bring mosquito repellent.
Before you plan your trip, check their events calendar for kayak tours, movies, and guest speakers. I might actually plan a trip all the way back out here just to do their kayak tour.
This place is also fairly small. I’m a museum junkie (re: It’s what I do for a living), but we were in and out of here in 3 hours (including a mile hike) and we *seriously* took our time.
Be sure to visit the cowfish in the main lobby for ALL your cute fish needs (I literally can’t even). Their open-​top tank (also in the lobby) is also really cool. they have some «ambush predator» ugly fish thing that is cool to watch. When they feed it, they’ll be having you thank God those things can’t survive on land.
Be sure to fully capitalize on the oral history corner in the upstairs. It’s nestled on a fake little porch. Hit the buttons and prepare to explore the history of the 10,000 islands on the West coast of FL. If you are even remotely open to it, the recordings and tales are of high quality. And my husband and I still joke about a couple of them – including the tragic tale of a historic freeloader. RIP, dude.
Wrap up your visit with a hike. They have three different hikes of different lengths. While we didn’t see any birds on the short hike, we were able to see a bunch of cool jelly fish, a monstrous Snook, and a ray going about her daily business. It was magical.
But be sure to wear good shoes and bug spray.

Great place for the kids to hang out and learn about the local environment and animals. They have classes and a nice nature walk. This is not a full day activity. Nice air conditioned exhibits when it is hot out and some exercise (walking) in the fresh air. Very knowledgeable people here will teach the whole family some great tid bits. Highly recommended for the kids.

Nice facilities for families with young children. They have aquariums and a touch tank available. Unfortunately, after being to corkscrew swamp down the road, this is a bit of a letdown. Not much wildlife since the trails are right up against a major road and no elevated walk-​ways other than the bridges.

Wonderful nature preserve, great for kids, adultts, birders and nature lovers. Nice hikes both short and long. Informative and helpful staff. Many scheduled activities and trips if interested. Nice educational center.

My girlfriend and I love the outdoors and everything to do with nature. This was a great stop for us, a lot if information inside with knowledgeable staff and some hands on exhibits. One caution: BRING INSECT REPELLENT. We bought the repellent they sold and I can’t imagine what would have happened if we didn’t put anything on… we still got eaten alive. I would recommend bringing some heavy duty repellent for the trails, which by the way were very cool… when we weren’t swatting Mosquitos.

I highly recommend this as a stop over for those that enjoy nature. There is plenty of free parking and the interior of the building is loaded with exhibits and friendly staff. We got to sit in a classroom-​like room with a naturalist, Patrick Higgins, who discussed all about shells. Patrick is an excellent speaker — clear, concise, well organized and answers everyone’s questions. The room was packed but Patrick was able to keep everyone’s attention from young to old — a difficult thing to do with a lecture type of setting. I enjoyed his session very much. I wish we were able to visit the Rookery Bay during the beginning of our vacation so we could see the full schedule of events to plan around it. They also have an outdoor trail for anyone to freely walk around and a couple of paid tours /​sessions like kayaking, boat ride, etc. Go here early as they close around ⁴⁄₅ pm. Entry is $ 5 per person to explore the building and walk the grounds and free learning sessions.

We stopped in to check out the educational center. It was a fun, informative place.
The nature trails outside were good to walk through, too.

Plenty of natural land to hike, walk and water pathways to canoe or paddle. They have much to offer as far as exploration and wildlife.
I didn’t go to school here but I was told that it is a common field trip that the schools go to. So check on line and see if there are any programs that interest you. It is a great place to visit and learn about nature and our mangroves.
Geneneral tips, As usual give a hoot don’t pollute. Flip flops or prison slides offer no support or foot protection at all. Wear good shoes for trail and if going on a canoe or paddle wear water boots since the oyster beds can be razor sharp. Pack drinks and snacks since this is not a restaurant. (They do have a drink vending machine). Clean up after yourself!!! Your mom doesn’t work here. And if she did she doesnt want to deal with your trash either. The canoe, kayak small boat launch has specific hours 9 – 4?
Also foursquare app is offering a check special. Discount. For up to 4. and if you have a printer you can go to
for a dollar off admission.
Admission to the learning center.
Adults $ 5.00
Children Ages 6 – 12 $ 3.00
Children Under 6 No Cost

I am really reviewing the whole Rookery Bay area itself as we did not go to the building. The boat launch is outstanding for kayaking, canoeing and boating in general. The canoe trail is a nice couple of miles in the ocean in a protected bay, but paddlers will have to watch out for boats and on windy days, this is probably not the place for anything other than a sea kayak or maybe a sit on top. If you paddle around anyone fishing, chances are you’ll see dolphins up close as they angle to steal fish and they will come right up to your kayak to check to see if you might possibly have a fish to share. This is a very nice paddle in a quiet bay right smack up against the madness of Marco Island. If you want to paddle away from the beach madness but be close by, this is 15 minutes up Collier Blvd and miles away in attitude. This is a great place for solitude, although you will find it is popular with paddlers. There are ranger led kayak tours available for those that want to paddle with a guide. The Shell Island canoe trail is marked with numbered PVC pipes and is easy for anyone to follow. This would be a great trip for a family.

I was lucky to visit Rookery Bay while it had free admission… unfortunately, I was unable to go on the boat or kayak tour because I had to fight with other sweaty bodies.
Meanwhile, it’s crazy to think that less than a mile away is a Wal-​Mart. Nature is the trend here. The trails bring you through insanely thick trees and you can already see wildlife in the watery backyard. Inside the tiny museum there’s touch tanks and little aquariums showing the local wildlife.
The staff is very knowledgable and friendly. I can’t give this place too much props because of how tiny it is… but I guess that can work for some people because the experience can be more personal.
PYRA SAYS: This is definitely the place you bring school groups to.

This is a great place to visit if you like being out in nature a bit, especially for marine life. I went out in a boat on a tour and our leader dragged the bottom to see what he could dredge up.
The results were remarkable. He brought what he found into the boat & put them into tanks to show them to us. We had 3 different kinds of crab, silverfish, very cool batfish, squid and quite a few other things.
This would be especially neat for schoolkids, although it’s certainly interesting for all…