Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex

Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex
Trail through the hammock
Map
Established1984
LocationRed Reef Park
1801 N. Ocean Blvd.
Boca Raton, Florida
Coordinates26°21′59″N 80°04′14″W / 26.366336°N 80.070434°W / 26.366336; -80.070434
TypeNature center
WebsiteOfficial Website

The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, commonly known as the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, is a nature center operated by the city of Boca Raton, Florida, in conjunction with the Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards (Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Inc.) and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, and located at 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. in Boca Raton. Gumbo Limbo sits on twenty acres of protected barrier island, the area between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. It is on land which is part of the beachfront-to-intracoastal Red Reef Park, though Gumbo Limbo does not have land directly on the beach (though it does have Intracoastal Waterway frontage). Its name comes from a popular name of the Bursera simaruba tree species, which is abundant in the park.[citation needed]

The center includes an indoor museum with exhibits, small aquariums, and a gift shop, plus more major outdoor facilities including several large aquariums featuring ecosystems for fish, turtles, and other sea life, a boardwalk trail through the adjacent woods, and a garden designed for observing butterflies. Events organized by the center include observations of sea turtles during their nesting season. Volunteers from the local community significantly assist in the operation of this center and its events.