SWFL botanical garden wins $1.3M in state funding for event center

Wonder Gardens, a nonprofit zoological park and botanical garden in Bonita Springs founded nearly 90 years ago, has been awarded $1.3 million in state funding to build a new event center. 

The funds were secured with the support of State Rep. Adam Botana, R-Bonita Springs, according to a statement. The funds will allow “Wonder Gardens to build the new event center to serve as a vital space for private events and educational programs, including classes, summer camps and field trips,” the release adds.

The space will also be available for the community to rent for private events such as parties, weddings and other gatherings. It will include an onsite kitchen area, additional public restrooms for guests, an entry point to an adjacent aviary and an outdoor deck overlooking the Imperial River and Riverside Park.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support from the State of Florida and Rep. Adam Botana, which will allow us to rebuild a vital part of the Wonder Gardens,” Wonder Gardens  president and CEO Neil Anderson says in the statement.. “For nearly three years, we’ve been without a place to host educational programs and community events. Many of our educational programs and camps are held during the summer months, when Florida’s rainy season often makes an indoor space essential. This new event center will not only restore these opportunities, but it will also create a welcoming space for the entire community.”

Wonder Gardens was founded in 1936 and today is a refuge for rescued and non-releasable birds and reptiles. The facility, on 3.5 acres, also has lorikeets, tortoises, alligators, flamingos and more.