The 21-acre Nature Center features a collection of indoor and outdoor exhibits and artifacts curated to showcase Southwest Florida’s unique ecosystem. The experience includes the newly renovated Susan and William Dalton Discovery Center with the new John & Carol Walter Discovery Wing, which features an invasive species and climate change galleries.
The Nature Center is listed as site #69 on the Great Florida Birding Trail and also boasts electric boat tours featuring live flora and fauna along the Gordon River; docent-led visitor programs on topics such as reptiles, birds of prey, oceans, and wildlife injury prevention; and a wildlife exhibit.
NATURE CENTER HOURS
Tuesday - Saturday
9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Admission
Adults
Children (3-12)
See new exhibits and revisit your favorites!
Between the classic Touch Tank and Little Explorer Play Zone to the new Augmented Reality and Science on a Sphere exhibits, the Dalton Discovery Center has something for everyone.
Programs funded in part by:
Additional Programs at the Nature Center
Daily Talks
Our Education Team will lead two daily talks at the Nature Center! Join us to learn about the Southwest Florida environment and the wildlife in our area.
Daily Talks
11:15 a.m. & 1:15 p.m.
Invasive Species: What is an invasive species? Where do they come from? How do they impact our lives? Come to our Invasive Species talk and learn the answers to these questions along with how invasive species are causing harm to Florida’s ecosystems and ways you can help!
Saving Wildlife:Step into the world of wildlife rehabilitation with us where we share the stories of our patients and explore the leading causes behind their injuries. Become a wildlife steward by learning easy ways to prevent injuries and what to do if you find an injured animal.
Our Changing Planet:Climate change is already having a big impact on our Earth - both for wildlife and humans. Using our Science on a Sphere, we will see how climate change is affecting our world, in particular, our oceans. By exploring hurricanes, sea level rise, and coral reefs, guests will get a better understanding of what is to come and ways we can lessen the effects of climate change.
Bracing for the Storm: Understanding the Power and Impact of Hurricanes:Explore the profound impact hurricanes have on the natural world and our lives in this educational talk. Gain insights into the origins and formation of hurricanes, alongside an understanding of how climate change is shaping their behavior. You will also discover practical steps you can take to effectively prepare for the impacts of these powerful storms.
Little Explorers Program Schedule
We offer special Little Explorers programs on Thursdays at 10 am at our Nature Center. The specific dates and information are listed below.
Our Little Explorers Play Zone and Thursday program has been temporarily moved to our Eaton Conservation Hall.
Best for kids 18-months to 5-years-old
Bring your little ones to our Little Explorer Play Zone to participate in multi-sensory, interactive activities, stories, and crafts. You will have the opportunity to learn about topics that relate to our mission of protecting Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife, and future. Little Explorers will also get to explore the entire Conservancy campus!
JULY
July 4: Closed for 4th of July
July 11: Fin-tastic Sawfish!
What’s that fish with a funny nose? Join us as we learn about sawfish and raise awareness for this critically endangered fish species. Explorers will get to see what it’s like to have such a unique nose while playing games and will make their own rostrum to take with them.
July 18: Way Down Deep
Get ready to dive deep into our story and meet the many sea creatures that roam the ocean! Then visit our Dalton Discovery Center and meet some of our sea creatures up close.
July 25: The Grouchy Lady Bug
Help our ladybug friend tell time as she goes on a wild adventure! Make your own ladybug clock craft so you can follow along with the story!
AUGUST
August 1: Commotion in the Ocean
Learn about the many different animals that live in the ocean, from barnacles to blue whales, through fun, under the sea rhymes. Then join us for a guided touch tank encounter. Also, create your very own whale to take home!
August 8: One Little Lot
We are talking about the importance of nature in our communities. Gather as we read the story of a neighborhood turning their abandoned lot into a community garden. Learn the value of working together and understanding where our food comes from. Become a gardener with our activity of planting native seeds and take some home to plant yourself! Then complete a craft designing your very own neighborhood garden.
August 15: Little Owl Lost
Little owl has fallen from his nest and can’t find his mommy! Along the way, little owl makes new forest friends who help him find his way home. After the story, we’ll learn even more about owls, sing an owl song, and make an owl craft to take home!
August 22: Pitter Patter
Join us in learning about two rain drops that travel through the world. They meet animals and plants along the way while sharing their journey of what it is like to be in the water cycle. We will sing a song and create our own raindrop story in this Little Explorers program.
August 29: The Busy Tree
Discover how many friends you might find living in just a single tree! Help us put together our own “busy tree” and meet one of our tree-climbing animal ambassadors!
Weekly Live Feedings & Cleanings
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO DALTON DISCOVERY CENTER CLOSURE
Touch Tank feeding
Tuesdays at 10:00 am
Interpreters will explain horseshoe crab biology, importance to humans and the threats they face in the wild.
Scuba Patch Reef cleaning
Wednesdays at 2:00 pm
Interpreters explain the issues of climate change, excess nutrients, coral bleaching in the context of staff divers cleaning the tank which is necessitated by excess nutrients in a closed system.
Alligator exhibit target feeding
Saturdays at 10:00 am
The exhibit alligators are target fed by a staff member while another explains the process and purpose of target training to illustrate alligator biology and potential causes of human conflict with alligators.
Toad exhibit feeding
Saturdays at 2:00 pm
Our live southern toads are fed on exhibit while the interpreter explains toad biology, the threats of invasives (Cane toads) on native wildlife and humans.
