What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

Wonder Gardens

Wonder Gardens Fun, immersive, and interactive for all ages...come and experience Wonder! Zoological park & gardens Our current Hours are 9AM-2PM.
(1040)

We are open daily (except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Sunday). Admission is $12.00 for adults 13-64, $10.00 for seniors 65 and older, and $7.00 for children 3-12. Please consider the purchase of a membership and get unlimited free admission, reciprocal programs, and a 20% discount in the Wonder Shoppe. THE PAST
In 1936, the Piper family established The Reptile Gardens as a roadside attr

action along the newly built Tamiami Trail from Tampa to Miami. As the animal and botanical exhibits grew, the attraction’s name was changed to the Everglades Wonder Gardens to appeal to visitors. The Wonder Gardens captured the nostalgia, history, and wonder of old Florida, augmented with tropical flora and fauna from around the world. For nearly eighty-five years the Everglades Wonder Gardens has inspired, educated, and engaged our community and visitors with a one-of-a-kind experience. In April of 2013, the Pipers closed the Wonder Gardens, and local photographer and conservationist John Brady took over the property as a tenant and reopened the park. With the help of Ellie Krier, they started the formation of the non-profit 501(c)(3), Bonita Wonder Gardens. In July of 2015, the City of Bonita Springs recognized the economic, cultural, and historic value of this zoological and botanical attraction, and made a loan, enabling the nonprofit to purchase the 3-acre property and assets from the Piper family, saving it from potential commercial development. The property was later purchased by the City of Bonita Springs, while our charitable organization continues to manage all operations. Thus, began a new chapter of our public-private partnership to save this beloved attraction. THE PRESENT – YOUR WONDER GARDENS! Today, under the leadership of our Executive Director, Neil Anderson, and our board of directors, the Wonder Gardens is home to rescued and non-releasable birds and reptiles nestled among the sprawling banyan trees and plantings. While preserving the very best of The Wonder Gardens, the charitable organization cares for more than 300 resident animals, is upgrading wildlife enclosures, growing the botanical beauty of the property, adding education programs and events, and further engaging the community to enjoy this jewel in historic Downtown Bonita Springs. A historic icon, the Wonder Gardens stands as one of the few remaining cornerstones of Old Florida. Here, we tell a story of The Wonder Gardens’ past, present, and future, while educating our region about our environment and wildlife. Throughout its history, the Wonder Gardens has been supported by the community. Our partnerships with educational partners and businesses have allowed us to be contributing members of redeveloped and growing Bonita Springs. Visitors and Annual Memberships help us provide professional and high-quality care to our resident animals. Generous donor support allows us to improve and expand our exhibits. If SWFL area residents have not visited in some time, we hope they will enjoy the gardens along with our record 105,000 visitors!

04/26/2025

It's International Flamingo Day🦩

Did you know that what we think is their knees is actually their extremely long ankles? Their knees are actually hidden just beneath their wings!

04/25/2025

Did you know that we sell stickers of our very own animal residents in the Wonder Shoppe? Be sure to check them out and let us know if there is anyone you'd like to possibly see on a sticker😎

🎨: .arts

04/24/2025

Rita wanted to remind everyone that we're open at 9AM daily with last admission at 3PM.

We hope to see you soon✨

04/23/2025

Have you ever smelled buttered popcorn while strolling through the gardens🍿 If so, you were most likely walking by our blooming False Rubberwood tree.

These white flowers fill the air around them with a buttery popcorn scent that is pleasantly unusual! Be sure to keep a nose out for this tree by our teahouse during your next visit👃

04/22/2025

Happy Earth Day
🌎🐍🦜🐊🦩🦚🦦🐢🌺
“If children grow up not knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it, and if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it, and if they don’t protect it, who will?” -Sir David Attenborough

Today and everyday, we are committed to educating others on the importance of protecting the natural world and all of its inhabitants. We must all ensure we are doing everything we can to keep this planet WONDERfully wild✨

04/21/2025

Last week a group from came out to volunteer their time to help the gardens! They painted, laid mulch & sod in the otter grotto, removed tree limbs, and raked the grounds. We're incredibly grateful for their support and wanted to give a big THANK YOU from Team Wonder!

04/20/2025

🐰Happy Easter🐣

We hope your day is gatorific🐊

04/19/2025

Pan hopes you slither on by the Wonder Gardens this weekend to visit🐍

Pan sounds like a funny name for a snake, but since he is a labyrinth morph Burmese python, we thought it would only be fitting to name him after the movie Pan's Labyrinth!

04/18/2025

It's time for another otter grotto update!

Landscaping is really shaping up and we're getting ready for the fence installation. We're getting closer to welcoming Ivy & Mae to their new home🦦

04/17/2025

Check out our Little Free Library📚

Located across from the Flamingo Lagoon, grab a book to read during your visit, take it home with you to enjoy later, or bring one for someone else to enjoy!

04/16/2025

Meet Spike the Red-footed Tortoise!

He lives among the Golden Pheasants here at the Wonder Gardens and is usually following our zookeepers around trying to get as many shell rubs as possible💆‍♂️

Make sure you keep an eye out for him on your next visit🐢

04/15/2025

Calypso our Catalina Macaw is ready to greet you on your next visit to the Wonder Gardens🌟

📸:

04/14/2025

Have you ever wanted to get inside of our Rainbow Lorikeet habitat?

Our Wild Wonders Encounter gives you the chance to go inside our not only our Rainbow Lorikeet🦜 habitat, but also our African Spurred Tortoises🐢 habitat to feed and interact with them!

These encounters occur once a day on select days, so make sure to book ahead of time to be part of this wonderful experience✨

For more details & to book follow the link below:
https://wondergardens.org/product/wild-wonders/

04/13/2025

Did you know the Wonder Gardens is home to different species of butterfly🦋

Pictured here is a Monarch butterfly caterpillar. They can consume up to 200 times their body weight in milkweed leaves during their time as a caterpillar. This diet gives them the toxic chemicals they need to protect themselves from predators🐛

04/12/2025

It's another gorgeous day here in Bonita Springs! Make sure you stop by today between 10AM and 1PM to experience our Early Earth Day celebration! There will be plenty of fun and wonder to go around🤩

04/11/2025

🎉TOMORROW🎉
Join us from 10AM – 1PM tomorrow for our annual Earth Day Celebration!

An array of local vendors & small businesses along with various family fun activities, & special animal meet & greets will be taking over the Wonder Gardens to help us celebrate this WONDERful planet we call home🌎

This event is FREE with paid admission. Special activities may be subject to an additional charge.

See you soon!

04/10/2025

It's time to shell-ebrate Gopher Tortoise Day🐢

Gopher tortoises are designated as a threatened species and protected in the state of Florida, so that means it is illegal to harm a gopher tortoise, its eggs or its burrow, to relocate without a permit, or to possess a tortoise, its eggs, or any parts of a tortoise.

There are some easy things you can do to help gopher tortoises!

🔹 If you see a gopher tortoise crossing a road and it is safe for you to do so, you may pick it up and place it in a safe location along the roadside in the direction it was heading. Never put tortoises in water, as gopher tortoises can’t swim like turtles can.
🔸 Report sightings of gopher tortoises and their burrows or notify the FWC of a sick, injured or dead tortoise.
🔹 Consider making your home and neighborhood gopher tortoise friendly by planting gopher tortoise friendly plants.

04/09/2025

Did you know that ginger is not a root? It is a rhizome with an underground stem that can produce root and shoot systems of a new plant. The ginger plant is also an herb and has many health benefits such as anti-inflammatory properties, blood sugar regulation, and gastrointestinal relief🩺

Address

27180 Old 41 Road
Bonita Springs, FL
34135

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

(239) 992-2591

Website

http://www.wondergardens.org/

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Our Story

Admission is $12.00 for adults 13-64, $10.00 for seniors 65 and older, and $7.00 for children 3-12. Open Monday-Sunday from 10 am - 4 pm, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. This cultural icon has been a focal point of Bonita Springs first started as a facility to rehabilitate injured animals. The gardens remained with the original owners for over 78 years and has been non profit since 2015. It has become a place for visitors to enjoy the botanical gardens and see wildlife in an intimate way, something that modern parks cannot provide. The modern Everglades Wonder Gardens focuses on interactive and immersive experiences, some of our wildlife includes beautiful birds, large alligators, reptiles (including a 16 ft python), a flamboyance of flamingos. A mature botanical garden, which has some of the most exotic specimens from around the planet. The Gardens appeal to the many visitors who frequent Southwest Florida from all over the world, as well as the local community and its residents. Follow us on Twitter as @WonderGardensFL, on LInkedIn and on our YouTube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/WonderGardensFlorida. Sign up to be on our email list at http://bit.ly/1xx4W0f.