Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center Fall Events

The Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center 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 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Tuesday – Saturday.  Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages four to 12 and three and under are free.  

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. 

Check out these events scheduled for this coming Fall. All will be held at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, 300 Tower Road in Naples except where noted. 

Essentials of Digital Photography Workshop 

October 19, November 23 

9:30 AM – 12:30 PM 

$55 

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar 

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. 

Forest Bathing at Rookery Bay 

October 5, November 2 

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM 

$50 

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar 

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. 

Sixth Annual Rookery Bay Classic Car Show 

November 16 

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM 

Location: Florida Southwestern State College 

7505 Grand Lely Drive, Naples 34113 

RookeryBay.org 

$10 for adults, $5 for ages four to 12. Children three and under are free. 
Car Show Admission includes same-day admission into the Rookery Bay 
Environmental Learning Center 

Attention car enthusiasts! Join the Friends of Rookery Bay at Florida Southwestern State College for this annual event. Building on the success of prior car shows, the Sixth Annual Car Show features more than 100 antique, classic, muscle, exotic and high-performance cars. Also includes 20+ vendors, entertainment, and family/dog-friendly activities for all ages.

Rookery Bay’s Lunch and Learn Lecture Series: Coastal Research in the Reserve  

Nov 21 - Crocodiles in South Florida: Makinga Come Back? 

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. 

$20, includes buffet lunch from Carrabba’s Italian Grille 

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar 

Please join Rookery Bay for one or allof 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.

Watercolors and Wildlife: Painting with Jan  

Oct 8 – Birds 12:30 – 3:00 PM 

Oct 24 – Birds 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM 

Nov 12 – Manatees 12:30 – 3:00 PM 

Nov 21 – Manatees 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM. 

$85, (includes all materials) 

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar 

Paint the beauty of coastal Naples and the wildlife of estuary waters in this watercolor painting class. Local artist Jan Deswik offers step-by-step simple instructions and creative support perfect for beginners or anyone inspired by the coastal environment and wants to bring it to life in a one-of a-kind painting. Each class spotlights a natural theme from shells to birdlife to local waterways. Held in classrooms at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, all materials are included. Participants will complete a painted piece with matte at each session.  

Birding with Biologists Workshop – for All Levels of Birders (especially beginners!) 

Oct 11, Nov 13 

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM 

$30 

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar 

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.