Everglades Wonder Gardens

Bonita Springs, Florida: Not to long ago, family road trips were a staple of family travel. Parents would load the kids up and hit the road, stopping at roadside attractions along the way. This nostalgia is captured at Everglades Wonder Gardens, one of Florida’s original roadside attractions. This tropical oasis of tropical gardens and wildlife has been entertaining travelers for over eighty years.

Back in the 1930’s the Tamiami Trail was the only road to connect the bustling cities of Tampa on the west central coast with Miami on the southeast coast. The Piper Brothers saw this as the perfect place to open their reptile garden along a stretch of road on the edge of the Everglades. In 1936 the opened a roadside attraction that allowed travelers to take a break from the drive and get close to some native wildlife. Since then, the attraction grew but still managed to maintain that vintage roadside attraction feel. That is evident the moment you walk through the doors of the historic visitor’s center through the tropical foliage along the walkways of the gardens.

Today your visit begins at the visitor’s center. There you check-in and purchase food to feed the animals should you choose. As you leave the visitor’s center, you enter the tropical walkways and disappear into the gardens. The first animal we came to feed was the alligators. They had several large alligators but unfortunately none of them felt like eating.

We continued the stroll through the gardens and next came across the flamingos. The second food we purchased was to hand feed the flamingos. A pair off flamingos were not shy and quickly went to work eating the food right out of your hand. It’s a weird feeling at first, you think they are gonna peck your hand but then they quickly turn their beak sideways and take the food from your hand.

Next to the flamingo ponds were a few colorful peacocks and some albino ones as well as a real nice butterfly garden. The final feeding spot on the tour was a nice aviary filled with mandarin ducks, wood ducks and much more.

As your tour winds through the gardens, it finishes back at the visitor’s center and a natural history museum feature exhibits that tells the story for the gardens, its mission as a wildlife rehabilitation facility and a look at local wildlife. The museum enters into the gift shop, this finishes your trip back in time as you exit the gift shop and back into modern day Bonita Springs.

Everglades Wonder Gardens is located halfway between Fort Myers and Naples at 27180 Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs, Florida. It is opened daily (expect Thanksgiving and Christmas) from 9 to 5. Admission is $12 for adults with discounts for children and seniors.

 Click on the photos above to view the Everglades Wonder Gardens photo gallery.

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