Daggerwing Nature Center

We almost didn't come here because my husband read that it was a very short walk. However, we are very glad we did. It was fun and memorable!

We were immediately engaged by the stork walking around the lakefront by the parking lot. We actually didn't know what it was, but we found it later on inside the Center as one of the exhibits.

After that, we immediately saw a whole bunch of turtles while looking over a footbridge. I'm not kidding you when I tell you we saw 10 turtles all at once. They kept swimming up to us and passing by. We were convinced they were looking for food, but We concluded that was not the case. The turtles were different from each other and were fascinating to watch. We spoke with some folks who had seen an alligator an hour before that. But, don't worry, you are well out of the way of the alligators.

The walk was indeed short, less than a mile, but if you pay attention to the educational signs and look for the bits of nature that they describe, it is a fun and engaging time. We saw some cool native plants that grow in the trees and we learned about bald cypress trees and how they are deciduous and their roots pop up and are called knees. I've been around the block in these types of places, yet I've never known these little facts!

The signs didn't talk about them, but I saw some spiders I've never seen before. I'm not a spider lover but I could not help but appreciate how amazing they were.

After our walk we went inside the Exhibit Center and were pleasantly greated by a nice lady named Rona. From start to finish, we had a really great visit. As far as it being small, I kind of liked that fact. Sometimes you just want to have a little outing, perhaps with kids or perhaps you just want to get out of the house for a little while but not commit to a whole day. This is perfect.

Love this little nature center inside the massive county park. We took elementary age kids and basically entertained them for free. My bargain hunting friends looking for daytime activities with kids will surely love this place. We spent just under two hours here. The indoor nature center has a few exhibits that were educational. A side room had story and picture books and crayons and pages to color. The nature walk in back of the building was the highlight tough, featuring an elevated boardwalk through the natural area. The boardwalk had viewing spots where we saw many turtles, fish, and birds. At the end, the boardwalk led to a three story observation tower that the kids loved to climb. The experience offered a glimpse of South Florida in its original natural state.

Excellent place to spend time with the little ones and to know about our beautiful Florida ecosystems! We had a blast visiting the Exhibition Hall, reading books in the Book Nook corner, and then walking along the elevated deck along Trees and wild animals. We had the great surprise to see an alligator swimming along with snap turtles.

Free. Can’t beat that. Cool turtles and tortoises. Alligators. Nature boardwalk. Friendly and informative staff. Huge park.

This is a delightful park that has a little bit of something for everyone. The center itself is a fun and interactive place for kids and adults to experience a small,taste of florida nature up close and personal. Their exhibit room is stunning and informative. They also have daily animal feedings :-) my kids adore this place!

Super nice walk during December. We saw a few birds, turtles and iguanas. Water park was not open, but looks super fun: slides and a lazy river. Lots of walking trail.

I always like to walk on the trail which is so beautiful and so clean! Kids got to see a lot turtles and even one alligator! The butterfly garden is beautiful too where you can see different kinds of butterflies.

It was a good tour with kids, educational tour to show them with birds, insects lifecycle. Also, few small trails. Altogether it takes about an hour of visit. Worth spending time.

We visited the trail behind the center, kids saw an alligator and turtles; a nice nook of nature inside the city.

This is such amazing place. We got to meet the cutest little alligator named Dash and the rest of the animals there. The nature center was a great experience but the boardwalk outside is a little underwhelming. In all, a great afternoon trip.

We saw one small 3’ gator and a bunch of turtles congregating at the first section of the boardwalk. The rest of it has a lot of foliage and a bunch of cool spiders, don’t worry though as they aren’t blocking any paths. There is also a tall observation post here too!

A really nice walk and great sights from the observation deck. Well maintained and clean. Saw a lot of turtles and an alligator. Saw many birds also.

Really nice park with lots to offer. If you like butterflies they got you covered as soon as you are walking in by the butterfly crossing. If you like birds , they got you covered before you start the trail. Lastly if you like trails they got you covered with a lovely elevated trail . It also has a tower over looking the treetops at one of the trail ends .

Nice nature center west of Boca Raton on the edge of the Everglades. Peaceful. Nice way to spend an hour or so if you're looking for a nice quiet walk.

Daggerwing Nature Center is a great public resource they have wonderful staff when they are open and beautiful outdoors available even when the indoors is closed
Nice walking trails, with much animal life to see from the butterfly garden to the turtles and gators, won’t disappoint

Very educational for children that love Science, animals and love to save the Earth 🌎.

Great local place for a nature walk with our dog.

Three armadillos were investigating under the bird feeders outside the nature center.

The turtles are really friendly and swim right up to you when you're on the bridge. The nature center was educational with lots of models of animals. There were live animals in aquariums that were fun to look at too. Beautiful walk ways outside. The tower was fun to climb and get a birds eye view of everything down below.

Great fun and educational experience for the whole family!
We went there for a walk and then were present at the feeding of George the skunk.
Few days later attended the "Animal Keeper for a Day" event and the kids (9 & 7 yrs) loved it!
Even the 2,5 yrs toddler had a great time.
It was so nice to see the people who take such a good and loving care of the animals!