Gumbo Limbo Nature Center: Field Trip

This is the first field trip I've blogged about in a while. We've been on a few, but some of the ones I had planned fell through at the last minute. We'll hopefully get a few more in now that things have calmed down a bit with other things in our life!

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center was recommended to us by a good friend for when we visited family in Florida the next time. I'm so glad we gave it a chance! This beautiful nature preserve is tucked away in Boca Raton, FL and worth the drive no matter where you are in the South Florida area.

I have a strong desire to instill in my girls how important it is for us to be good stewards of the earth given to us by our Creator. I love how Gumbo Limbo is more than just an aquarium. They work in coordination with Florida Atlantic University and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to rehabilitate and help injured sea turtles along 5 miles of the east coast of Florida. Admission is free to the public and the volunteers are extremely knowledgeable.

In the main building there are lots of aquariums housing all sorts of reptiles in addition to the large salt-water aquarium pictured above. These were some really fun things to see.

Rose enjoyed the bird guessing wall. It may have a different name, but this is what she called it! Birds which are native to Florida are pictured along with their names on the bottom along with a button. When you push the button the correct bird lights up on the board! She really enjoyed guessing these.

We were incredibly blessed to arrive about 10 minutes before feeding time! We didn't realize it when we got there but the nice lady at the front desk let us know we'd want to hang around for that.

Can you see the eel? There are three eels in the tank and they have to use a special contraction in order to let them eat. Otherwise the other fish will devour the little shrimp!

Next we got to see the seahorse feeding! The girls thought this was really cool because they dump a bunch of food in and the sear horses look like they vacuum up each piece with their noses!

Next came the sea turtle tanks! In these tanks are injured and baby sea turtles who are waiting to be released back into the ocean. This was probably my favorite part!

Here is one of the little babies waving to us...reminds me of Squirt from Finding Nemo!

We also very much enjoyed the butterfly trail. 

I wouldn't begin to call myself even an amateur, but I do enjoy dallying in nature photography every once in a while. The trail and garden provide many opportunities for this. We saw many beauties fluttering around as well, but they never stayed still long enough for me to capture them. It may have had something to do with my own three little beauties flitting and dancing their way through the garden rather boisterously. 

Just outside the main building is a fun little play area with sea turtle statues. My daughters loved this part. These beautiful sculptures are available for climbing, sliding, and overall enormous amounts of fun! The girls hopped from one to the other singing, laughing, and playing. 

This was an excellent field trip for us. If you are going to be in South Florida make plans to travel up to Boca Raton for a few hours and check out this truly amazing facility with genuine, pleasant, and knowledgeable staff. You won't be disappointed!