Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium

The Travel Tots and I were excited to visit the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium in Fort Myers last Thursday. Kim at the CNC&P was gracious enough to allow us to come and check the place out, and we truly had an amazing experience!

We arrived at the Nature Center at 10:20, put the Travel Toddler in his stroller, and headed up to the entrance of the Nature Center. On the way in, the Travel Tots were thrilled to see the Center's alligator exhibit. The Center boasts a breeding pair of 'gators, and their most recent batch of (dud) eggs are on display in the museum.


We arrived in the museum entrance, put on our yellow Visitor stickers, picked up a map, and spent a while wandering through the amazing museum exhibits. The Travel Tots spent a long time checking out the venomous snakes on display, and the Travel Toddler fell in love with the baby 'gators swimming in their tank.

We decided to head outdoors to the butterfly house, where the Travel Tots were utterly enchanted by the sheer amount of butterflies floating lazily around their heads, landing on their heads and shoulders, and delicately sipping nectar from the flowers.


Just a few feet away from the Butterfly House are the Aviary and mammal exhibits. All of the animals on display are injured or disabled in a way that they cannot survive in the wild. We particularly enjoyed the bald eagles, great owls, Bob the bobcat, Tails the gray fox, and Elvis the Russian boar.

We decided to hike out to the wetland area to find a pavilion to eat our lunches from home, and enjoyed the peaceful trail listening to the chirp of the insects and observing the natural plant life. The hike was short, blessedly easy, and remarkably stroller-friendly. The Center has other trails that aren't as short (or stroller-friendly) for avid hikers.

We headed back with just enough time to make the Touch Tank presentation, which was an absolute blast! The Travel Toddler decided to nap in his stroller, so the Travel Tots and I had a bit of peace and quiet as we handled and learned about local aquatic life. The presenter was knowledgeable, friendly, and most of all, great with kids! He was very patient, and took time to answer any and all questions about the critters. The Travel Tots' favorites were the Spider Crab (which is fuzzy to touch!), Horseshoe Crab, and the Lightning Whelk (pictured below).

After the Touch Tank, we headed over to the Planetarium, where we enjoyed a truly amazing (and marvelously air-conditioned) presentation! Our presenter was very engaging, extremely witty, and you could tell that she truly enjoyed her job. We learned a lot about the night sky in Southwest Florida, and were fascinated by the myths and legends about the constellations. The Travel Tots came home and chattered about Cassiopeia, Pegasus, and the three fuzzy blobs (you'd had to hear the presentation to get it!).


The final event on our itinerary for the afternoon was a presentation on the mammal exhibits, where we were excited to see the same presenter from the Touch Tank that morning! We all had a great time seeing the different diets for each animal, learning interesting facts about each, and watching them up-close as they were fed for the day.

After all of these exciting presentations, and walking around inside the museum and out, the Travel Tots and I were bushed. We had a truly amazing and educational day, and look forward to returning again and again. Check out Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium's website at www.calusanature.com for hours and directions, and be sure to tell them who sent you!

Alliance for the Arts

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with Chelsea from the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, FL for a tour of their facilities and a chat about what the Alliance is all about, and the amazing activities that are upcoming in Southwest Florida.

The Alliance for the Arts is a non-profit organization whose mission statement is to "facilitate and nurture the creation, development, promotion and education of arts and culture in Lee County”. At their campus, they offer three art galleries, a 150-seat Foulds Theater, youth education programs (including summer camps, after-school programs, and youth exhibitions), adult educational classes, and much more!

I was so excited to view the current exhibitions - Cone of Possibilities, with artists' work about hurricane season, and the Member Gallery, with Art By The disABLED. I was thoroughly impressed by the quality and beauty of both galleries, and by the talent that shows through adversity from the Art By The disABLED exhibit. The upcoming exhibit, entitled "What I Used To Believe" sounds so intriguing. I can't wait to see what the artists come up with!

The Alliance also finds art in food - yes, FOOD! Every Saturday morning from 8-noon, the Alliance is host to the GreenMarket, a farmers' market with locally-grown and organic produce, cheeses, seafood, flowers and herbs, breads and pastries, honey, eggs, soap, and much, much more! Check out their website (www.artinlee.org) for a full list of vendors, and be sure to stop by on Saturday mornings to listen to the live music and bring your kiddos so they can have fun too! I plan on attending next weekend with the Travel Tots, and we'll be sure to post the pics.

Upcoming Events at the Alliance:

October 4th - Italian Festival (presented by the Rotary Club) - a free family event with entertainment, kids area, and traditional food from local Italian restaurants

November 7th - Empty Bowls Luncheon is sponsored by the Harry Chapin Food Bank, and will feature a meal of soup and bread served in student-created ceramic bowls with entertainment and pottery demonstrations ($10 donation is suggested)

November 21st - Walk Through the Arts is a free family event that has artist demos, theatrical, musical, and dance performances, hands-on art activities for kids, chances to win gift certificates, and good and drink.