Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd.
Naples, FL 34113
RookeryBay.org
The attraction at 300 Tower Road in Naples features aquariums, touch tanks with marine critters, natural history, environmental and wildlife exhibits, an art gallery, picnic area, guided walking trails, butterfly garden and a scenic overlook bridge. Special events and activities for all ages are held year-round including watercolor and photography classes, gallery nights, presentations about wildlife and conservation, birding field trips, marine science camps and more! The hours are 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults, and $5 for children ages 4-12 and 3 and under are free.
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Rookery Bay Boat and Kayak Eco-Tours
Rookery Bay Research Reserve also offers guided boat tours or kayak adventures into the tranquil waters of Rookery Bay Reserve. Guests can choose from a variety of tours including shelling trips to deserted white sand islands, sunset tours or bird rookery excursions. Visit RookeryBay.org or call 239-530-5972 for more information.
December and January 2026 Events
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Moon Walk: Nights in Nature
December 4: 5 – 8 p.m.
January 3: 5:15 – 6:45 p.m.
January 18: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
$20
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Experience Rookery Bay Research Reserve like never before, this time under the moonlight! Join a Rookery Bay biologist for magical evening walks beneath the full moon, where the wild world comes to life after dark. As the sun sets, explore the trails (Briggs Boardwalk or the ELC Snail Trail) and tune in to the sounds of birds settling down and night creatures waking up. From flying bats to croaking frogs and unusual nocturnal insects, you never know what might be seen under the stars and moonlight. Perfect for nature lovers, night owls and the curious of all ages. This monthly moonlit adventure only happens from October through May, don’t miss out! Register now!
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Watercolors & Wildlife: Painting with Jan
December 11 & 18 Manatees
January 15 & 29 – Birds
9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
$85, (including all materials)
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Get creative with watercolor while celebrating the “Spirit Animals of Rookery Bay”! These fun, no-stress classes are perfect for both beginners and experienced artists. With all supplies provided and friendly guidance from local artist Jan, you’ll explore color, technique and wildlife inspiration, without the pressure. Each session ends with a beautiful, matted painting to take home. All supplies included.
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Birding with Biologists Workshop – (especially beginners!)
December 12
January 24
8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
$30
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Enjoy this fun and informative class designed to help you identify birds around you. Oriented toward the beginning birder, this workshop explores how to use birds’ plumage, shape, behavior and habitat to recognize various species. Practice using your binoculars and field guides as you tour the paved paths of Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Community Park, led by local expert biologists from Audubon Florida and Rookery Bay Research Reserve.
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Rookery Bay Nature Collage
December 5
January 16
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
$40
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
All materials provided.
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Unleash your creativity and connect with nature in this fun, hands-on art class led by local artist Monique Olsen. Explore the natural world through a blend of painting, collage and organic materials like shells, leaves, sand and feathers. Learn how to build layered artistic creations with texture and color that tell the story of the beauty of the Gulf coast. Perfect for all experience levels. No prior art skills needed, just a love of nature and a bit of creativity!
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Essentials of Digital Photography Workshop
December 20
January 17
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
$55
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
If you want to get the best pictures possible and a true understanding of your camera’s features, this camera workshop is for you. The class covers the essentials of your digital camera. You will learn how to use your camera’s shutter, aperture, ISO control and the drive modes to create images with impact and creativity. Sonny Saunders has over 35 years of experience in photography and instruction and is renowned for his ability to communicate to a wide variety of students. No previous camera or photography experience is necessary, just a desire to learn.
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Science Nite at Rookery Bay
December 17 – Enhancing Well-being and Personal Resilience Through Connection to Nature
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Adults – $10, Students – $5, Teachers – Free
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/eventsÂ
Rookery Bay’s popular after-hours program “Science Nite” is back with a series of three events. Rookery Bay’s Science Nites serve up an interesting mix of nature, wildlife and environmental topics suitable for all ages. Science Nites also includes a scavenger answer hunt to win prizes, food and drinks as well as time for mingling with fellow participants amongst interactive displays, aquaria and an art exhibit in the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
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On December 17, Dr. Brent Jackson presents anecdotal evidence and a growing body of literature highlights the multitude of well-being benefits associated with spending time in nature. This program will highlight research exploring the specific role that connection to nature plays in further enhancing the well-being benefits associated with exposure to nature, as well as its potential as a means of enhancing resilience in the face of global stressor events like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
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Perfect Paint Pairs: A Colorful Escape for Every Duo
December 13 – Manatees
January 10 – Wading Birds
10 – 11:30 a.m.
$50 per pair
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
All materials provided.
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Bring your favorite partner-in-creativity for a Saturday watercolor adventure at Rookery Bay! Perfect Paint Pairs is designed for all kinds of duos including mom and child (ages 9+), grandma and grandkid, siblings, best friends or even couples looking for a fun and unique experience. Explore the colorful world of Rookery Bay’s coastal wildlife together. Paint fish, manatees, sea stars and more with step-by-step guidance from Artist Jan Deswik. No experience is needed! Each pair will create their own postcard while sharing laughs, learning about local wildlife and making memories to take home.
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Nature Journaling at Rookery Bay
December 17
January 16
1:30 – 3 p.m.
Adults $35, Students $20
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
All materials provided.
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Uncover mysteries all around you and wonder at fascinating natural phenomena with Nature Journaling. It’s all about slowing down and taking in your surroundings. Discover how deep attention leads to curiosity, and how curiosity develops into a vibrant experience that strengthens your connection to the world around you. Whether spending time with a hermit crab, studying a leaf, or watching an estuarine fish, class participants will find writing, drawing, and asking questions to be valuable tools in making that connection.
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Forest Bathing Wellness Walk at Rookery Bay
January 3
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
$50
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events
Enjoy a slow, quiet, guided-sensory and meditative experience in nature at Rookery Bay Research Reserve. A Certified Forest Bathing Guide will conduct a guided-meditation session and offer a series of invitations to use your curiosity and senses to connect with nature and yourself. Look, listen, smell and feel what the forest is offering you.
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Rookery Bay’s 22nd Annual Festival of Birds
Jan 15-19, 2025
Registration Opens: November
rookerybay.org/events/festival-of-birds
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
Preregistration is required for all field trips, keynote presentation and activities.
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The annual Festival of Birds will be held Jan.15-19. There will be guided field trips to wildlife hotspots around Southwest Florida, bird-featured activities throughout the month and a special keynote presentation and reception.
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Field trips include birding walks, boat trips, kayaking adventures, swamp tromps, swamp buggy excursions, a moonlight hike, boardwalk walk, biking and car caravan to locations such as Six Mile Cypress Slough, Bunche Beach, Clam Pass, Corkscrew Swamp, CREW Marsh Trails, Eagle Lakes Park, Fakahatchee Strand, Six Mile Cypress Slough, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Harns Marsh, Rookery Bay Research Reserve and Tigertail Beach. There are three new adventures this year – Picayune Strand Forest, Sunrise Walk; Tigertail Beach, Sleuthing the Lagoon; Big Cypress, Birding Caravan and Wet Walk in the Swamp and Rookery Bay Research Reserve, Sunset Kayak Trip.
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Festival of Birds Reception (with appetizers and drinks)
Jan 15 – Festival of Birds Keynote Reception (5:30-7 pm)
Keynote:Â Paul N. Gray, Audubon Florida, Science Coordinator in Everglades Restoration Program
Brief History of Ornithology in the Americas, Florida and the Birth of the Audubon Societies
Paul will talk about the discovery and history of avian life in the new world – the Americas and Florida. At one time, birds were heavily hunted in Florida for table meat, market meat, decorations for hats from their plumes and recreational hunting. Many populations of avian life were on the verge of extinction. The exploitation inspired the establishment of Audubon Societies to protect them. Shooting and hunting is now controlled, but habitat loss and degradation continue to threaten them. Paul will tell this story and how Audubon’s Everglades Restoration program continues this work today in South Florida.
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Festival Bird-themed Activities (vary from $25 to $85):
Jan 16Â Friday: Nature Collage (9:30-10:30am)
Jan 16Â Friday: Nature Journaling Workshop (1:30-3:00pm)
Jan 16Â Friday: Birds & Butterflies: Shell Decoupage (1:30-3:00pm)
Jan 17Â Saturday: Essentials of Digital Photography (9:30am-12:30pm)
Jan 18Â Sunday: Moon Walk: Nights in Nature (5:30-7pm)
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Rookery Bay’s Lunch & Learn Lecture Series: Coastal Research in the Reserve
Jan. 21
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113
RookeryBay.org
$20, includes buffet lunch from Carrabba’s Italian Grille
Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar
Please join Rookery Bay for one or all of the 2024-2025 Lunch & Learn Lecture series presented in Rookery Bay’s comfortable auditorium. A hot lunch buffet is included and provided by Carrabba’s Italian Grille. Each lecture features a multimedia presentation about the wildlife, habitats and key conservation projects occurring within Rookery Bay’s 110,000 acres of land and water. Rookery Bay scientists and partners will present their current findings and ongoing research to protect the wildlife, plants, water and communities of Southwest Florida.
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Amy Gray
Regional Communications Coordinator
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
300 Tower Rd, Naples, FL 34113
Office:Â 239-530-5959