Hobe Sound Nature Center

Hobe Sound Nature Center Review

Though located in the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, this nature center is an independent organization. The exhibit hall, renovated in 2010, houses live baby alligators, crocodiles, a scary-looking tarantula, and more—and is a child's delight. Among the center's more popular events are the annual nighttime sea turtle walks, held between May and June; reservations are accepted as early as April 1. Just off the center's entrance is a mile-long nature trail loop that snakes through three different kinds of habitats: coastal hammock, estuary beach, and sand pine scrub, which is one of Florida's most unusual and endangered plant communities and what composes much of the refuge's nearly 250 acres.