For over 60 years, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been a leading environmental advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the …
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4.6/5 · 462 reviews
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Mar 14, 2025
Great experience all around!! Loved the boat ride so relaxing and wonderful staff/volunteers.we had a lot of fun on a Friday AM!Full review by Resort63216923329
Mar 12, 2025
The boat ride and guide was so relaxing and informational. The learning center building really exceeded all my expectations. So well thought out, informative, and FUN. Great for all ages for anyon…Full review by Virginia J
Feb 24, 2025
Great opportunity to be in the natural habitat and learn more about the flora and fauna of Naples. There are hands-on exhibits that appeal to all ages and a boat ride that takes people out into mangr…Full review by Katherine S
Do you make reservations for the boat tour or are they available multiple times per day upon walk up?
A:
It depends on when you're going I've always been able to get right on but I've only had two or three people. It's a good idea to check on their first and if you do have to wait you can …
It depends on when you're going I've always been able to get right on but I've only had two or three people. It's a good idea to check on their first and if you do have to wait you can enjoy other areas of the Conservancy while you're waiting. It runs on a regular intervals so the weight isn't very long anyway. It's a very nice place to visit and the boat tour is interesting
How much is outside, and how much is outside? Have friends coming in August and am concerned about heat and bugs!
A:
Note that the Conservancy has a main campus, but conducts lots of other activities scattered around the Naples area as well as in the rest of Southwest Florida. Their “kingdom” is …
Note that the Conservancy has a main campus, but conducts lots of other activities scattered around the Naples area as well as in the rest of Southwest Florida. Their “kingdom” is really the waterways (or former waterways) of Southwest Florida, so you’ll find them at a variety of sites, mostly out-of-doors. They conduct nature walks routinely at a variety of different spots and most notably do some weekly cruises and explorations of different natural areas in SW Florida. One tour not to miss is an evening/sunset cruise which departs from the south end of Naples Bay (actually west off the road to Marco and the cruise itself stats in Rookery Bay). The tour boats hold a dozen and a half or so passengers, have a canopy protecting passengers from the sun and rain. Details of that and other events are available on the main campus in Naples. Another short cruise is available right on the main campus which is a short boat ride along the Gordon River which borders their campus to the east and south. These electricity driven boats come with canopies too. Both the sunset cruise and the Gordon river exploration are inexpensive and safe trips with an eye to successfully hosting BOTH ELDERS and kids (without breaking the bank). They include both volunteer and staff guides who know the flora and fauna of the area well and share that knowledge with good humor and grace. In-doors on the main campus (east of Goodlette-Frank adjacent to the south of the Naples Zoo), you’ll find the aforementioned displays and tanks (see previous comments), but there are also several other in-door venues on the main campus. Initially there is the main meeting hall which hosts a variety of speakers and educational events. A second in-door venue includes a tour of the “nursery” where injured local animals (lots of pelicans, gulls, turtles, squirrels, local song birds, and an occasional exotic like bats or raccoons) are treated and held until healed. This tour needs to be scheduled. Finally on campus you’ll find the book and gift store - which has some really nice nature stuff, good price on local cards, maps, great posters and some local crafts plus a few snacks available (like those pre-made sugar cone drumsticks). Prices at the bookstore are also reasonable. AS others have indicated however, it is pretty much of an out-door campus. I've been a volunteer working on the short trails and note that almost all of the paths and the boat trip offered on site at the Gordon River are characteristic of mangrove areas and are well shaded. Finally, I note that both on or near the main Conservancy "campus" and on the sunset cruise, I've never been aware of mosquitoes or other pests. No guarantees of course, after all it is outside in Florida so you would expect some insects, especially in the heat, but I've worked on their trails and done the boat trips a number of times and really can't recall any big bug problem. I’m sure the volunteers and staff have environmentally friendly insecticides and sun protection items and I’ll bet those items are available at the book store. All in all, visiting the Conservancy campus and its larger “kingdom” provides insights into Southwest Florida that you might not get otherwise.
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