The Wonder Gardens and the City of Bonita Springs are teaming up to renovate Southwest Florida’s oldest roadside attraction!

The Wonder Gardens has remained a beloved attraction in Bonita Springs since it opened in 1936. The garden pays an ode to Old Florida by providing a sanctuary for an enormous variety of native plants and over 300 animals. The lucky animals that inhabit the Wonder Gardens have been rehabilitated and are unreleasable to the wild.

The Wonder Gardens has had to overcome its share of hurdles, but its future is bright. The garden was devastated by Hurricane Irma and sustained damage from Ian as well. In 2015, rumors circulated about redeveloping the property. In response, a group of Southwest Florida residents started a nonprofit called Bonita Wonder Gardens, LLC, and purchased the property to save it from developers with the aid of a $3 million loan from the city. After defaulting, the city reclaimed the title in 2018.

Now, The Wonder Gardens and the City of Bonita Springs are teaming up to bring some new life into Southwest Florida’s oldest roadside attraction. The new operating agreement states that the nonprofit will pay the city $50,000 a year for the next 10 years and will make at least $3 million in capital improvements. The comprehensive agreement will allow the Wonder Gardens to move forward with a master plan to renovate current exhibits and add some exciting ones.

The Wonder Gardens recently unveiled their preliminary site plans in a city council meeting. The plans include turning the former Twisted Tangle Cafe into an education center and adding a ton of new features including a new otter exhibit, a treehouse/canopy experience, a nature-based playground, an event space with a walk-through aviary, and an animal care facility.

The otter exhibit is currently under construction and more projects will be starting soon! To stay up to date on this exciting project and others across SWFL, subscribe to our newsletter!