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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Review

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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Address: 375 Sanctuary Rd. W, 16 mi east of I-75 on Rte. 846, Bonita Springs, FL, 34102 | Map It
Phone: 239/348-9151
www.audubon.org

Category: Nature Preserves
Location: Estero/Bonita Springs

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Fodor's Review:

To get a feel for what this part of Florida was like before civil engineers began draining the swamps, drive 13 mi east of Bonita Springs (30 mi northeast of Naples) to these 11,000 acres of pine flatwood and cypress, grass-and-sedge "wet prairie," saw-grass marshland, and lakes and sloughs filled with water lettuce. Managed by the National Audubon Society, the sanctuary protects North America's largest remaining stand of ancient bald cypress, 600-year-old trees as tall as 130 feet, as well as endangered birds, such as wood storks, which often nest here. This is a favorite destination for serious birders and is the gateway to the Great Florida Birding South Trail. If you spend a couple of hours to take the 2¼-mi self-guided tour along the boardwalk, you'll spot ferns, orchids, and air plants, as well as wading birds and possibly alligators and river otters. 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.

Cost: $10
Open: Oct. 1-Apr. 10, daily 7-5:30; Apr. 11-Sept. 30, daily 7AM-7:30PM

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