Okeeheelee Nature Center

Okeeheelee Nature Center is a free visitor and environmental-education destination inside Okeeheelee Park, with hands-on ecosystem exhibits, live animal ambassadors, a preschool Discovery Zone, a wildlife-viewing window, and 2.5 miles of trails through 90 acres of pine flatwoods and wetlands. Navigate to the exact Okeeheelee Nature Center pin rather than the general Okeeheelee Park marker. Use the exact Nature Center pin and turn left just after Pooch Pines to reach its dedicated lot. Building hours are much shorter than park and trail hours. Pets, food, alcohol, running, biking, skating, smoking, and fishing are prohibited in the sanctuary. The center is not a wildlife rehabilitation facility and cannot accept injured or baby animals.

Enter Okeeheelee Park from Forest Hill Boulevard, continue on the main park road, pass the Pooch Pines entrance, and take the next left for the Nature Center's dedicated parking lot. Use the exact Nature Center pin rather than the broad 1,659-acre park address because the playground, golf course, lake, and south trailhead use different internal approaches.

The exhibit building is open Wednesday-Friday 1:00-4:30 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; it is closed Sunday-Tuesday and on observed County holidays. Trails are open daily sunrise-sunset. Reserved programs may operate Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., but a program reservation does not make the public exhibit room open.

Use the Nature Center's developed visitor facilities during building hours and confirm access with staff when arriving close to opening or closing. Trail hours extend well beyond exhibit hours, so do not assume the building or its restrooms will be open for an early-morning, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or evening trail visit.

General exhibit-room access and self-guided nature trails are free. Staff-led programs, school visits, group programs, room rentals, birthday parties, fundraising events, and other reserved activities can require registration and separate fees.

Palm Beach County says the 2.5-mile network includes paved trails that are wheelchair- and stroller-accessible plus soft-surface trails into more remote sanctuary areas. Start at the building for the current map and choose the paved route when a firm surface matters; contact the center before travel for a specific exhibit, sensory, mobility, or program accommodation.

Pets are not permitted in the Nature Center sanctuary or on its trails. Pooch Pines is the separate designated dog park nearby. Qualified service-animal access and any disability-related accommodation should be confirmed with the center before entering wildlife-sensitive exhibits or trail areas.

The exhibit room includes hands-on ecosystem activities, live owls, young alligators, snakes, turtles and an opossum, plus a Discovery Zone with books, puppets, puzzles and coloring for toddlers and preschoolers. Adults must supervise children, keep hands off enclosures, and choose a trail length that fits heat, weather, insects, and stamina.

Use the exact Nature Center pin and turn left just after Pooch Pines to reach its dedicated lot. Building hours are much shorter than park and trail hours. Pets, food, alcohol, running, biking, skating, smoking, and fishing are prohibited in the sanctuary. The center is not a wildlife rehabilitation facility and cannot accept injured or baby animals.