J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Ciri Duasso

a month ago

We always enjoy spending some time at Ding Darling National Wildlife Preserve. Upon this visit, the visitor center has a black and white photography exhibit of the Everglades by Clyde Butcher that is absolutely stunning. I highly recommend a visit to the preserve. There is a 90 minute tram tour right on the premises. Pro tip: There is a handicap entrance.

Andrew Schlichting

a month ago

Maybe we were just expecting something different, but this place was wildly underwhelming. The park is clean, easy enough to navigate, has nice visitor center, and perhaps has some (very little) wildlife that I couldn't see back home (Minnesota). That's the good. The bad is it was just so boring. The mangroves are so overgrown, it's all you can see while on the walking path. There are a few openings for viewing, but with nothing happening. We stopped at every spot and stood for a while until the bugs and/or sweat got to us. We saw: small lizards and 4 different species of birds, and trust me, we were looking - spending 4 hours at this place. Be sure to bring your own water, and plenty of it. Since it's on an island, it takes incredibly long to get there and to leave the island. Bottom line, if you're staying on Sanibel, then MAYBE it's worth checking out at sunrise/set, otherwise it certainly isn't.

Rachel Schlichting

a month ago

It was clean but crowded and there wasn't much to see. We walked a 4 mile trail with dense trees on either side of it and saw one bird and a handful of small lizards... Overall, not worth the walk. If you're nearby the wildlife refuge already already, it might be worth driving through the loop to check for wildlife, but you'll probably just see a few birds. In my experience, there's much better areas in Florida to see wildlife!

SOPHIA’S VLOG!

3 months ago

the rangers answered all my questions i had and the tours were amazing. there were so many animals that were so beautiful. the restrooms were amazing since they won the best restroom contest. i highly recommend bug spray since it is a little buggy. highly recommend the refuge!!

Michael Oak

2 months ago

Such a wonderful place for a walk, bike ride, or slow drive. Always wonderful viewing of birds and wildlife. Sunrise and low tide are our favorite times to visit. Bring your camera and binoculars! We generally spend 2-3 hours per visit here. Sometimes longer.