Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is a coastal and marine experience that is not to be missed! Located in Boca Raton, Gumbo Limbo offers 20 acres of beauty that provides refuge to many varieties of plants and animals. Enjoy a walk on the boardwalk, get up close and personal with thousands of fish in the aquariums, relax in the butterfly garden, visit with the turtle patients in the rehab facility, and enjoy the tranquility of nature, right here in our backyard!
Ashley Trail and Butterfly Garden
The north area features a Butterfly Garden, which is in full bloom during the months of May and June, an outdoor amphitheater, the Ashley Trail, and a Seminole Chiki which overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Ashley Trail is a great place for a relaxing walk through nature. The Butterfly Garden attracts many species of butterflies including monarch, sulphur, and zebra longwing (Florida's state butterfly). Explore the mangrove forests along the Ashley Trail, some of which is accessible by Mobi Mat ADA Beach Access Mats, down to an authentic Seminole Chiki overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.
Boardwalk Trail
Enjoy a 1/4 mile boardwalk through a preserved Hardwood Hammock - a rare opportunity to visit an ecosystem which once flourished throughout Florida. The Hardwood Hammock shows what Florida looked like before modern development and industrialization. You can see various flora such as gumbo limbo, strangler fig, and cabbage palm (Florida's state tree). If you're quiet and look carefully, you may also see animals like grey foxes, red-bellied woodpeckers, and five-lined skinks.
Nature Center
Visit the Nature Center featuring several exhibits including the Sea Turtle Garden, a container garden with herbs and local flora, a gopher tortoise exhibit, a butterfly nursery, a sea turtle safe lighting exhibit, a rain barrel, and a solar exhibit. You may also sign up for public programs, shop the Friends of Gumbo Limbo Gift Store, and pick up information.
Outdoor Marine Aquariums
Housed under beautiful pavilions constructed with wooden beams and green metal roofs, each of the four saltwater aquariums represents a different South Florida marine habitat. The aquariums feature both natural and manmade elements, and offer differing views from each side. The two shallow aquariums represent the coastal mangrove community and a near shore reef, and the two deeper aquariums represent a tropical coral reef and an artificial reef/shipwreck. These aquariums contain custom designed and built habitats to represent the communities.
Visitor Information
1801 North Ocean Blvd. Boca Raton, FL 33432
561-544-8605
Nature Center & Aquariums:
Sunday 12 PM-4 PM; Monday-Saturday 9 AM-4 PM
Nature Trails:
Sunday-Saturday 7 AM-Dusk
Experience nature and all its glory at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. For more information on the finest homes in the Palm Beaches, contact a Tauber Real Estate Services specialist today at 561-626-4633.