Lee Parks: Manatee Park offers free garden tours on Sundays
What’s happening: Enjoy a free garden tour of the Manatee Park butterfly garden and habitats. Participants also have the opportunity to see manatees with the weather bringing cooler water temperatures to the area.
Where: Manatee Park, 10901 State Road 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard), Fort Myers.
When: The Park is open 8 a.m. to sunset daily. The Kayak Rental and Gift Shop is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Garden Tours are offered at 9 a.m. Sundays through March 31.
Cost: Free admission; fees for parking, kayak/canoe rental. Parking fees are $2 an hour or maximum of $5 per vehicle, $20 per tour bus, $10 per tour van per visit. Lee County annual parking stickers are accepted at this location.
What to expect
A volunteer naturalist will lead the tour though the butterfly garden and native habitats.
Learn about the park’s history, its butterfly gardens and the native flora and fauna that reside in some of Florida’s habitats.
Meet the volunteer naturalist behind the Welcome Center prior to the start of the walk.
Optimum viewing times of manatees are mid-December to March, particularly on cool mornings and winter days. Manatees are present in the warm waters of the discharge canal and Orange River.
The Florida manatees live along the coast of Florida and generally visit the park when the gulf temperatures dip below 68 degrees. Manatee Park is a non-captive refuge for the Florida manatee so manatees may not be present on the day of your visit.
You’ll also find picnic shelters, a fishing pier on the Orange River (saltwater license required), a program amphitheater, playground, gift shop, visitor center and paddle craft rentals.
Tips
Manatee updates and live viewing camera can be found online at leeparks.org/ManateePark.
For Kayak rentals call the Manatee Kayaking Company at 239-913-9993.
Kayak launch available for self-launching.
For group program requests, call 239-533-7521.
No pets allowed in the park.
History
Opened in 1996, this 17-acre regional park is built and operated through a cooperative effort of partners and sponsors.
While the land is owned by Florida Power & Light, money for facilities came from the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau.
Seasonal staffing is provided by Lee County Parks & Recreation. Native plant habitats and gardens are maintained by the Coccoloba Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and volunteers.
Lee County residents provide visitor services as Volunteer Interpretive Naturalists trained in part by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
While small in size, Lee County Manatee Park provides information and programming for over 200,000 visitors annually.
Information: leeparks.org or 239-533-7521.
Driving directions: Take I-75 to exit 141. Go east 1 1/4 miles. The park is on the right (directly across the street from the FPL power plant).
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Lee County Parks & Recreation has 263 positions, a $42 million budget and more than 31,500 acres of parks, preserves, facilities and other sites. The department oversees four recreation centers, 10 community centers, community parks, Conservation 20/20 lands, greenways, the Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, four year-round pools, seven boat ramps, sports complexes including the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins spring training facilities, dog-friendly facilities and Gulf of Mexico beach parks.
Contact: Learn more about Parks & Recreation by visiting our website leeparks.org, email questions to [email protected], 239-533-7275 or visit leeparksandrecreation on Facebook and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee Parks: Manatee Park offers free garden tours on Sundays