Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium

Fort Myers, Florida: A top rated attraction in the Fort Myers area, the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium gives visitors a look at the natural world around them from the earth to the sky and all inhabitants in between.

Our visit began with the nature center. Here they had exhibits of the native wildlife that can be found in Southwest Florida. While some were just stuffed, there were plenty of live animals here including a large collection of reptiles.

Beneath the nature center is a few aviaries featuring a bald eagle, several hawks and owls. There is also some alligators, foxes, raccoons and skunks. Next to the aviary is a butterfly garden with colorful plants and butterflies.

Then we went on the hiking trails. Calusa offers three hiking trails. We started with the Wildlands Trail, but the trail was not accessible for my nephew’s stroller so we backtracked to the Cypress Swamp Trail. The Cypress Swamp Trail was a nice walk on an elevated boardwalk through the swamp. While there wasn’t much wildlife to observe on this trip, we did enjoy the walk.

After finishing our walk, we concluded our visit with a trip to the planetarium. The planetarium is the only one in Southwest Florida with the closest being in Bradenton or Miami. Before our show, they provided us an overview of the current night sky including what planets are visible as well as how to find constellations, a great presentation since it has been forever since I had astronomy class. Our planetarium show was a Journey to the Stars narrated by Whoopi Goldberg.

We enjoyed our visit to Calusa Nature Center and decided to purchase an annual family pass to come back throughout the year. It was a short drive from our home and provided a great variety of activities we enjoy including the planetarium.

The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium is located at 3450 Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers, just a short drive west of Exit 136 off I-75. They are opened daily and admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Click on the photo above to view my Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium photo gallery.

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