Visit the Gore Nature Education Center

The Gore Nature Education Center is a 10-acre “Old Florida” preserve in Naples’ Golden Gate Estates neighborhood. The property is adjacent to Conservation Collier’s 170-acre Dr. Robert H. Gore III Preserve. It includes natural terrain hiking trails winding through a mixed hardwood and cypress swamp forest near the Stumpy and Lucky Lake Strands. Visitors exploring this preserve will have a rare opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the sounds, sights and smells of a rapidly disappearing subtropical ecosystem.

Trail cameras throughout the property regularly capture images and videos of the panthers, racoons, black bears, skunks and other native species that both live on the property and pass through it on their way to larger swaths of habitat. Maintaining the land as a connecting corridor for the endangered Florida panther, and many other native species that have been negatively impacted by the development in the area, is one of the Center’s most important priorities.

The newly renovated Gore Nature Education Center building was once the home of environmentalist Dr. Robert H. Gore III. This Cracker-style building now includes a nature-learning classroom, a demonstration kitchen and an expansive gathering room for programs and meetings. This iconic house highlights architectural features such as the dog-trot hallway, elevated floors, a cupola, metal roof, porches surrounding the house and expansive windows that offer a birds-eye view of this unique property.

The Center’s original study, with walls of pecky cypress, is dedicated to honoring Dr. Gore’s legacy. This is where one will find copies of his published books and articles, photographs and creative musings. After a walk on the trails, a visitor can sit back and observe nature on one of the wrap-around porches, clad in board and batten cedar, or relax in front of the Center’s welcoming limestone fireplace.

The Gore Nature Education Center is the perfect setting for community events. We look forward to hosting a wide variety of programs designed to educate, entertain, and inspire. Our slate of offerings will be based on Senses in Nature, Habitat Awareness, Gardening, Reading & Writing in Nature and Stewardship, all designed to foster curiosity, creativity, empathy and teamwork. Join us for our Grand Opening celebration on Sunday, November 7, 2021. Click HERE for more information.

Consider the Gore Nature Educational Center for small corporate retreats. The kitchen facilities provide refrigeration, warm-up capabilities with a microwave and stove, media hook-ups, and classroom or board room configurations in either of our two general rooms. Contact Kathy Reno at kathy@cclandkeepers.com. to discuss your event needs.