Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation
34725 W. Boundary Road • Clewiston
877-902-1113
daily 9am-5pm (last boardwalk entry 4pm)
Nestled in the heart of the Everglades on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is home to more than 200,000 works of art and historic objects. Learn about the Seminole people and experience their rich cultural and historical ties to the Southeast and Florida as they have made Big Cypress their home since creation.
544 Cultural Park Blvd. • Cape Coral
239-275-3435
Wed-Fri 11am-4pm & Sat 10am-2pm
Since 1987, the Cape Coral Museum of History has sought to discover, preserve, and share the history of Cape Coral and Southwest Florida through its archives, museum exhibits and public programs. The Museum serves as a public resource for all sectors of the community, as well as tourists.
all museums open Tue-Sat 9am-4pm
3331 Tamiami Trail • Naples
239-52-8476
Collier Museum at Government Center showcases the full panorama of Collier County’s history. Meet the people who shaped Collier County, from Calusa Indians to Spanish Conquistadors to brave pioneers. Stalk prehistoric mastodons. Explore unique artifacts like a steam engine, a swamp buggy, restored cottages, and more
1215 Roberts Avenue W. • Immokalee
239-252-2611
Step back in time at the Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch and imagine what it was like to live and work on an early 1900s Southwest Florida pioneer homestead. With 15 carefully preserved original buildings and numerous exhibits, you’ll learn how ranchers and their families overcame this unforgiving wilderness.
180 S. Heathwood Drive • Marco Island
239-252-1440
Tour the Marco Island Historical Museum to discover the Calusa Indians, a vanished civilization whose cultural sophistication is on display in a recreated village scene. See many of the remarkable artifacts that have helped define the archaeological importance of Southwest Florida, including the renowned Key Marco Cat.
105 W. Broadway Avenue. • Everglades City
239-252-5026
Visit Museum of the Everglades to learn about the growth of Everglades City and the entire Chokoloskee Bay region. Learn how this once remote trading town in ‘Florida’s Last Frontier’ played a critical role in the creation of the Tamiami Trail—today Highway 41—the first road across the Everglades.
1051 Fifth Ave. S. • Naples
239-252-8419
Temporarily Closed for Hurricane Recovery
Transport yourself to the past at the Naples Depot Museum. Located inside a restored railway passenger station, you’ll learn how various means of transportation—including dugout canoes, mule wagons, swamp buggies, and mostimportantly, the railroad—helped turn this once sleepy village into today’s popular Gulf Coast resort town.
239-495-8989
Performing Arts Center
10150 Bonita Beach Rd. SE • Bonita Springs
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm & Sat 9am-2pm
The Performing Arts Center is home to the 400-seat Hinman Auditorium and the 200-seat Moe Auditorium & Film Center. At this diverse center, patrons can enjoy an ongoing array of live music, theatre, comedy, film, lectures, and youth and adult classes in art, music, theatre, and dance.
Visual Arts Center
26100 Old 41 Rd. • Bonita Springs
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
The Performing Arts Center is home to the 400-seat Hinman Auditorium and the 200-seat Moe Auditorium & Film Center. At this diverse center, patrons can enjoy an ongoing array of live music, theatre, comedy, film, lectures, and youth and adult classes in art, music, theatre, and dance.
Langdon Playhouse
1182 Market Circle • Port Charlotte
941-255-1022
box office: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm & Sat 10am-1pm
& one hour before performances
Charlotte Players is one of Charlotte County’s oldest performing arts organizations. They have been presenting live theater since 1961. The Community Theater provides a theatrical series in their Langdon Playhouse (in Murdock) and an additional entertainment series at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center (in Punta Gorda).
Conservancy of
Southwest Florida
1495 Smith Preserve Way • Naples
239-262-0304
sunrise to sunset
CREW (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed) offers hiking, biking, equestrian trails and camping. If you love nature, explore old-Florida wilderness at the 4 different CREW trails. See alligators at CREW Bird Rookery Swamp, enjoy wildflowers along CREW Marsh Trails, photograph swallow-tailed kites at CREW Cypress Dome Trails or find a wildlife paw-print at CREW Flint Pen Strand Trails.
Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena
11000 Everblades Pkwy. • Estero
239-948-7825
games Wed, Fri & Sat 7pm
Hertz Arena is a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue located in Estero, Florida. Home to the Florida Everblades, the arena offers a wide range of events, including concerts, family shows, and sporting events. The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team affiliated with the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers and American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers.
performances at
Norris Center
755 8th Avenue S. • Naples
239-261-7529
Gulfshore Playhouse is committed to enriching the cultural landscape of the region by producing professional theatre to the highest artistic standards and providing unique educational opportunities to diverse groups of people. Their work is inspired by a belief in the magic of theatre to expand the imagination, challenge the senses, provoke discussion, and revitalize in the audience an understanding of our common humanity.
2000 Cranford Avenue • Fort Myers
239-234-0043
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 12-5pm
Bringing inspiration to life, the IMAG History & Science Center is a family-friendly destination featuring interactive exhibits, activities, aquariums, touch tanks, animal encounters, history displays, live science and animal shows, 3D movies, and other attractions for guests to discover and explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, math, history, humanities, and the arts.
Shirley St. & J&C Blvd. • Naples
239-261-8164
Thu 1-5pm & 2nd Sat of month 1-5pm
The Naples Art District features 100 working artists with free Thursday afternoon Open Studios, Second Saturdays, and other special events in season. The District offers studio tours and over 50 art education classes. The Naples Art District is a premier visual arts destination to discover, buy, and commission original artwork. See website for special events times.
Rookery Bay
National Estuarine
Research Reserve
300 Tower Road • Naples
239-530-5972
Tue-Sat 9am-4pm
The two-story nature center features aquariums, touch tank, interactive exhibits, nature trails, picnic areas, butterfly garden, art gallery, gift shop, adult and youth education programs, volunteer opportunities and special events. The provider of their boat and kayak eco-tours was voted #1 in the country twice recently by USA Today. Only 15 minutes from downtown Naples and Marco Island.
1161 27 Street NW • Naples
855-749-9653
by appointment only
Shy Wolf Sanctuary rescues wolves, wolf dogs, and other captive-bred exotic animals, offering a permanent home for over 60 resident animals in Naples. Through community presentations and collaborations, they educate on wildlife coexistence. Their Healing Hearts program shares tales with those who’ve faced neglect and suffering by offering hope.
27180 Old 41 Road • Bonita Springs
239-992-2591
daily 9am-3pm
The Wonder Gardens is a nonprofit botanical garden with rescued & non-releasable animals. Established in 1936, the gardens are an oasis of Old Florida with a modern mission to educate and inspire visitors by nature! Explore the Wonder they have to offer.
239-277-1700
Fort Myers
Gulf Coast Symphony, the Gulf Coast Chamber Orchestra, and the Gulf Coast Jazz Collective offer over 100 performances and events, presenting the best in classical music, jazz, dance, opera, and musical theater at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall and the Music & Arts Community Center.
13411 Shire Lane • Fort Myers
239-277-1700
box office open hour before performances
The Music & Arts Community Center (MACC) is Fort Myer’s newest professional live music venue. This year over 100 events will present the best in classical music, jazz, dance, and musical theater. The MACC is located on the campus of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers.
Marco Island
Center for the Arts
1010 Winterberry Drive • Marco Island
239-394-4221
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm
Marco Island Center for the Arts
Arts Center Theatre
1089 N Collier Blvd. • #432 • Marco Island
239-394-4221
marcoislandart.org/arts-centre-theatre
Marco Island Center for the Arts brings a wide variety of arts to its community through art exhibitions, engaging educational programs for adults and children and a diverse assortment of events. The Art Center serves as a professional and financial driver for visual and performing artists and educators through exhibition, performance and teaching opportunities while being a catalyst that fuels economic development, an understanding of cultural diversity and community cohesion.
Peace River Botanical
& Sculpture Gardens
5827 Riverside Drive • Punta Gorda
941-621-8299
Oct-May Tue-Sun 9am-4pm
Jun-Sep Tue-Sun 9am-2pm
Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens provides a natural setting along the Peace River showcasing world-class sculptures and spectacular botanicals to inspire creativity throughout the community. Daily admission and annual membership passes are available.
506 S. 1st Street • Immokalee
239-658-1313
open 24 hours a day 7 days a week
Southwest Florida’s premier gaming and entertainment destination. The casino offers 1,400 slots, 39 live table games including craps & roulette, 3 restaurants, nightlife in the Zig Zag lounge, “where the party never ends” and the best in live concerts in the Seminole Center.
210 Maud Street • Punta Gorda
239-658-1313
Mon & Fri 10am-4pm, Tue-Thu 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-2pm
The Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda is home to the prestigious 14th Biennial National Art Exhibition, on display through April 12, featuring fine art from all over the world. Also, three galleries, classrooms, gift gallery and art supply store. Exhibits are free to the public and wheelchair accessible.
1380 Colonial Blvd. • Fort Myers
239-278-4422
Tue-Sun evenings & select matinees
Broadway Palm has been Florida’s Premier Dinner Theatre for more than 30 years. The theatre entertains over 170,000 guests annually by combining an impressive array of Broadway musicals and an award-winning buffet. Broadway Palm features nationally selected performers, dazzling sets and costumes, and a live orchestra.
2075 Bahia Vista Street • Sarasota
941-355-9335
office: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
The Circus Arts Conservatory is a nonprofit organization that combines world-class professional circus performances, the nation’s longest-running youth circus training program—the Sailor Circus Academy, and arts integrated STEAM education and Circus Arts in Healthcare programming that educates, inspires and enriches lives of area youths and seniors throughout the community.
375 Sanctuary Road W. • Naples
239-348-9151
daily: 8am-3pm (May-Oct 8am-1pm)
Located about 20 minutes from Bonita Springs, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to alligators, otters, wading birds, songbirds, and more. Guided experiences and a 2.25-mile boardwalk immerse visitors in the natural wonders of an ancient, bald cypress forest and serve as a gateway to the Western Everglades environment.
J.N. 'Ding' Darling
National WIldlife Refuge
1 Wildlife Drive • Sanibel
239-948-7825
visitor center: Sat-Thu 9am-4pm
wildlife drive: Sat-Thu sunrise- sunset
Part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States, J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge is world-famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations. Visit the free Visitor & Education Center, then bike, hike, drive, or kayak to Find Your Wild at ‘Ding.’
2267 First St. & 2268 Bay St. • Fort Myers
239-332-4488
box office: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
& 2 hours before shows
Founded in 1998, Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully professional, live theatre in the Fort Myers River District performing in the Historic Arcade Theatre and the ArtStage Studio Theatre on Bay St. between Jackson & Hendry. Visit their website to see what’s on stage now.
975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd. • Naples
239-263-9200
Tue-Sun 1pm-4pm (reservations requested)
The Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center was inspired by a local middle school class studying the Holocaust and its lessons. Newly expanded with updated displays, new galleries, and exhibits. Multi-year ‘Best of the Gulfshore’ Museum category finalist.
Marie Selby
Botanical Gardens
941-366-5731
Downtown Sarasota
1534 Mound Street. • Sarasota
Historic Spanish Point
401 North Tamiami Trail • Osprey
daily 10am-5pm
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries via two distinct campuses connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens focuses on botany, horticulture, education, historical preservation, and environmental conservation.
701 5th Avenue S. • Naples
239-263-7990
box office open daily
Voted ‘Favorite Local Theatre’ by Broadway World, The Naples Players is your hometown theatre and cultural hub building community through exceptional access to the power of theatre, and leading the shift in the national perception of how theatres can impact their communities.
March 5-23
2024 venue
Peace Lutheran Church
15840 McGregor Blvd. • Fort Myers
239-344-7025
Classical concerts of the highest standard featuring preeminent global concert artists David Finkle and Wu Han, cello and piano; the Boston Trio with Irina Muresanu-violin, Heng-Jin Park-piano, and Jonah Ellsworth-cello; Opera Theater of Connecticut singing Gilbert & Sullivan; and more.
390 Nokomis Avenue S. • Venice
941-485-7136
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm & Sat 9am-1pm
Enjoy art and all that art has to offer! The Venice Art Center is worth the trip, from classes, workshops, and uncorked fun to monthly exhibitions with free opening receptions. Visit VeniceArtCenter.com for the listing of concerts, the Fine Arts Show, the Annual Art Auction, and other fabulous events.
ADVERTORIAL