Naples Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Naples, Florida, the Garden consists of 170 acres of cultivated gardens and preservation land, representing seven distinct natural habitats and ecosystems, and featuring over 1000 species.
In 2000, the late Harvey Kapnick, Jr. donated $5 million for the purchase of 170 acres of open space 3 miles from downtown Naples. In January 2010, The Florida Gulf Coast University Harvey Kapnick Research and Education Center, a shared use facility, opened. Later in 2010 the Garden opened the Scott Florida Garden, Buehler Enabling Garden, Garden Club of Naples Idea Garden, Lea Asian Garden and the Water Garden. Located just 4 miles southeast of downtown Naples, Naples Botanical Garden offers nature-loving visitors access to a wide variety of flora (and even some fauna). The nature sanctuary showcases more than 1,000 species of plants throughout its nine tropical themed gardens and untouched 90-acre preserve, as well as different educational children's activities monthly in the Smith Children's Garden. When visiting be sure to budget ample time to peruse the grounds; recent visitors recommend at least a few hours. Spend a peaceful afternoon enjoying the exotic species and visual spectacle of this large and dynamic parkland. Take some time to absorb the colorful landscapes and ambiance of this multifaceted parkland, made up of seven distinct sections, each with its own charms, is a great place for a walk, a relaxing picnic or study of rare plant species. Explore each of the botanical garden’s diverse sections. Browse the Florida Garden to find some of the most beautiful grasses, flowers and trees of the area’s landscape. Highlights include a circular design in the center of the garden lined by sabal palms, the state tree of Florida. See exotic species alongside tobacco and cocoa plants in the Caribbean Garden. This section includes a themed Explorers’ Garden that showcases the importance of these plants to the development of the American nation. Continue on to the Asian Garden where you’ll see bamboo forests, water terraces and Thai-style temple gardens. For a look at South American plant species and designs, visit the Brazilian Garden Cross boardwalks over river-dwelling grasses or enjoy one of the frequent shows on an island stage at the Water Garden. Take a full-day or half-day tour of the lively Children’s Garden that provides fun for both kids and parents. Longer tours will take you around the butterfly gardens, through water jets and to an herb garden where you’ll learn about the uses and health benefits of incredible plants. If you get hungry, choose from a range of meals at the garden café.
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The Revs Institute in Naples, Florida is non-profit organization that presents the Collier Collection of over one hundred significant automobiles built between 1896 and 1995. The automobiles on display at Revs are some of the rarest and most important cars ever built at anytime, anywhere. They are the ones that variously blazed technical pathways, redefined aesthetic standards, made history, and changed the world.
Attended to by a staff of full time restoration technicians, these meticulously selected rare vestiges of automotive history remain operational and continue to demonstrate their engineering prowess on race tracks and roadways the world over. The Institute primarily serves as a haven for scholars, preservationists and passionate connoisseurs of automotive history. In keeping with Mr. Collier’s vision to embolden the legacy of the transformative impact the automobile had on 20th century society, The Revs Institute is also one of the leading repositories of historical automotive documents, photographs and ephemera. There are Cunninghams, Jaguars, 1919 Indy Ballot, 1914 GP Mercedes, 1962-65 BRM ‘Old Faithful’,1967 Belgian GP-winning Gurney Eagle-Weslake, Porsche 908 Langheck Coupe and 917PA Can Am car and so many other cars drawn from this fabulous museum, in which the vast majority of the exhibits are runnable and are regularly exercised. While all of these have run either in the home Park around Goodwood House, or on the Motor Circuit at the Revival Meeting, there are plenty more back home in the box. While Naples is known for its pristine beaches, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - known for its ancient cypress forest and colony of nesting American woodstorks. Nature lovers will find plenty to like at this preserve. Located 30 miles northeast of the 11,000 acres of marshland is home to 600-year-old trees, otters, alligators and a beautiful collection of endangered birds. A boardwalk cuts through the sanctuary on which you can take a self-guided tour and get a feel for what Florida was like before it was developed. Naturalists are stationed throughout the boardwalk to answer questions. Recent visitors say it takes about three hours to walk the sanctuary's nearly 3 miles.
The Sanctuary’s is within the Big Cypress Swamp and they contain the country’s largest remaining stand of 400 to 700 year-old virgin bald cypresses. A two-mile long boardwalk passes through the sanctuary and through distinct environmental areas including pinelands, freshwater marshes and wet prairie, cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks. The main attraction here is the boardwalk, constructed of sustainable wood. If you have ever wanted to experience the Everglades, but were too scared to venture out for fear of disturbing a sleeping alligator or stepping on an unsuspecting snake, then the walkway wanders through habitats that include prairie marsh and pine flatlands and continues into the heart of the old-growth forest, offering a taste of primeval Florida. Today, the boardwalk of a little under 2 miles provides walking access through (actually 'over') pine flatwoods, wet prairie, pond cypress, bald cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the sanctuary. If you spend a couple of hours to take theself-guided tour along the boardwalk, A nature center educates you about this precious, unusual habitat with a dramatic re-creation of the preserve and its creatures in the Swamp Theater. The sanctuary is a 'gateway site' for the Great Florida Birding Trail. It is an important breeding area for the endangered wood stork and other wetland birds. It also has wintering passerines, including the painted bunting. Numerous wading bird species can be found in the wetlands of the sanctuary, including the yellow-crowned night heron, black-crowned night heron, tricolored heron, great egret, and snowy egret. Specialist birds include limpkin, barred owl and, in summer, swallow-tailed kite. The sanctuary visitor center is a Living Machine demonstration site. The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens was opened in September 1969 in Naples, Florida, in what was once the gardens for botanist Dr. Henry Nehrling's collection of plants. The gardens were neglected after Nehrling's death, but reopened in 1954. Animals were added in 1969, and the gardens were reopened as a zoo. The zoo has about 70 species, though not all of these are on display at any given time. The main path is about a mile long, and winds past the main animal exhibits through a tropical garden first planted in 1919. Primates in the zoo are housed on islands in a manmade lake, and can be viewed from catamarans when visitors take the Primate Expedition Cruise.
The Naples Zoo is laid out with one major loop about 1 mile long that winds through the botanical gardens past the main exhibits. The main exhibits, going clockwise around the main loop, Predators and lush gardens in one of the only zoos where you can enjoy views of animal habitats from a catamaran. Spend half a day exploring the natural wonders of the Naples Zoo. This conservation zoo is home to a large number of plant and animal species. The Naples Zoo began when Dr. Henry Nehrling bought the site in 1919 with the intention of creating a haven for nature to “preserve what is still left.” Throughout the 20th century, the zoo and its surrounding gardens have built on its collection of flora and fauna and retains its focus on conservation. Walk around the camouflaged enclosures to admire fierce and intriguing species. See the rare honey badger, an incredibly savage predator that is found in only four zoos in America. Try hand-feeding the tall giraffes or delight in the snapping jaws of alligators as they are fed by their keepers. Explore and engage with different animal species including lemurs, leopards and hyenas. Fans of the movie "Madagascar" will surely recognize one of the Naples Zoo's inhabitants, the fosa, in Petrof's Primate Pavilion exhibit. The exhibit is also home to another Madagascar native, the lemur. As you walk around the grounds, stop and check out the rare Indochinese tigers and a collection of other interesting mammal. If you're looking for an educational experience, take in a live show, where zookeepers show off some of the zoo's animals. You can also watch live feedings. Nationally accredited as both zoo and botanical garden, Naples Zoo plays host to creating a truly memorable experience through diverse educational presentations, guided cruises, special animal encounters and more. As a natural crossroads for families, biologists, and educators, Naples Zoo plays a critical role in nurturing appreciation for the natural world by providing an educational nature experience for people of all ages. The unique combination of lush, tropical flora and exotic animal habitats creates a beautifully inspiring backdrop for visitors to connect with nature and to enhance their understanding of wildlife and the habitats in which wild animals live. After all, if we can inspire our guests to make just one change toward the conservation of our natural world, then we have succeeded at a most important task. |
Naples Private ToursThere are plenty to do in Naples, here is our recommended points of interest for Groups of friends and family to get together and enjoy. Categories
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