The Conservancy of Southwest Florida's Nature Center won't reopen this season, and probably not next season either. Its own page now says the current Nature Center is "closed through December 2027." The project page puts the opening of the new John & Carol Walter Nature Experience in "the first half of 2028."
For Brookside, the change is bigger than one building. The Conservancy campus at 1495 Smith Preserve Way was the one place on this stretch of the Gordon River where a staffed operation put people on the water: electric boat tours, guided kayak and canoe trips, and talks in Eaton Conservation Hall. Until the new campus opens, the river next to the neighborhood is a self-guided river. Getting on it now runs through public launches, county and city trails, and the one big operator nearby that is fully open: Naples Zoo.
From "About Seven Months" to the First Half of 2028
In May, the timeline looked much shorter. WGCU reported on May 13, 2026 that the campus would reopen in "about seven months," with a new amphitheater, a food truck and picnic area, more walking trails through the preserve, and more electric boats for the Gordon River. The station said the reopening was expected in "late 2026."
| Source | What it says about reopening |
|---|---|
| WGCU, May 13, 2026 | About seven months away, "late 2026" |
| Conservancy Nature Center page | Closed through December 2027 |
| Conservancy Nature Experience page | Opening expected in the first half of 2028 |
The new opening window is roughly a year and a half later than the one WGCU reported in May. The $25 million project is funded by a grant from the John and Carol Walter Family Foundation, which WGCU called the largest gift in the Conservancy's history. When the campus does reopen, it will still house the Susan and William Dalton Discovery Center and its John & Carol Walter Discovery Wing, the Jeannie Meg Smith Theater and the Ferguson Learning Lab, alongside the river excursions.
Part of the campus is still open. The von Arx Wildlife Hospital at 1495 Smith Preserve Way is taking injured and sick animals from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout construction. The Conservancy has also extended memberships to 18 months, which covers the gap for members who joined to use the campus.
Where the Conservancy's Programs Went
With the campus closed, the Conservancy is running free programs at libraries, parks and partner venues. For Brookside, most of those programs are now a short drive away. Here is what is on the calendar between now and the holidays:
- Wild Saturdays: Gopher Tortoises, November 14, 11:00 to 11:45 a.m., at Golden Gate Community Park, 300 Santa Barbara Boulevard. It's free and open to the public, with games and crafts aimed at children ages 4 to 12.
- Evening Lecture Series, "Where Curiosity Meets Conservation: The John & Carol Walter Nature Experience," December 9, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Naples Regional Library, 650 Central Avenue. It's free and open to the public, and its subject is the new campus on Smith Preserve Way.
- A family program about alligators, December 12, with games, activities and crafts.
Every program requires registration, and registration opens two weeks before each event. For the December 9 lecture, that means registration opens in late November. The Conservancy's events also use the Greenway itself. Its member naturalist tours have met at the Greenway Zoo Entrance, 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road. For now, the river's guides come to the river by trail rather than by boat.
The Water Is Reached by Public Launch Now
Until 2028, the Conservancy's boats aren't running, so getting onto the Gordon River beside Brookside means bringing your own kayak or canoe. Collier County's Gordon River Greenway has a canoe and kayak launch with a rack, along a 2.5-mile network of paved, mulch and boardwalk trails. The county lists the Greenway as open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Downstream, the City of Naples' Baker Park has its own kayak launch, a 1.3-mile loop, and the Blair Foundation pedestrian bridge that connects it to the Greenway. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Together, the two parks give Brookside a continuous public riverbank with two places to put in. Neither one comes with a naturalist on board.
Before the closure, a weekday morning on the river could also mean one of the Conservancy's 45-minute Gordon River cruises, which left hourly under the old tour schedule. The new campus plans call for more electric boats. Until those arrive, the only boats on this water belong to the people paddling them.
Naples Zoo Is the One Staffed Stop at Full Strength
Naples Zoo sits at the south end of the Greenway, and it is the one major staffed attraction on this stretch of river that is fully open this season. Its summer schedule of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ended September 30, and regular hours of 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. resumed October 1.
The newest residents are on the South American Trail. Toco toucan chicks Cassava and Guava hatched this summer. They are the second and third toucans hatched at the zoo this year, after Mango, the first toco toucan ever hatched at Naples Zoo, on April 6. All three belong to the breeding pair Manu and Macy, who were matched through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. Earlier this year, the zoo announced the public debut of Xander, a giant anteater, on January 14, 2026.
For Collier County residents, the most useful date this fall is Saturday, November 7. The zoo is free that day from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with proof of residency. Free admission on the first Saturday of every month for Collier residents has been a long-standing zoo policy. CEO Jack Mulvena told Naples Press that "there's no better affordability than free." November 7 also falls a week before the Conservancy's November 14 tortoise program, which makes it an easy pair of Saturdays for families with young children.
The Conservancy's closure also limits kids' programs. The zoo's Fall Camp WILD sessions on November 23, 24 and 25, themed "Not So Creepy Crawlies," "Harvest Helpers" and "Wild Thankfulness," are already sold out.
Freedom Park's Fall Hours Are Unclear
At the northeast corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and Golden Gate Parkway, Fred W. Coyle Freedom Park covers about 50 acres, with a 5-acre lake, roughly 3,500 feet of boardwalk and six lookout pavilions. It is the corridor's quietest wetland walk, and right now it is also the hardest to plan around.
Collier County's park page gives two different answers. An announcement at the top says "Freedom Park is open seasonally from January through April." Further down, the same page lists park hours of 8 a.m. to sunset, Monday through Sunday, and lists the Education/Exhibit Center building as closed. The page doesn't say which one applies to a walk in November. The number listed on the page, 239-252-4062, is the quickest way to find out before you go.
If the January opening is the one that holds, Freedom Park returns about the same time season peaks, and the north end of the corridor wakes up while the Conservancy's riverfront in the middle stays closed for construction. From now until then, the open parts of this stretch of river are the Greenway trails and launch, the Baker Park loop and launch, the zoo gates on Goodlette-Frank Road, and the wildlife hospital's intake door on Smith Preserve Way.
Lynna Follis keeps track of how changes like the Conservancy's longer construction timeline affect daily life along the Gordon River, and how they come up when Brookside homes change hands. If you want to talk about what the next two seasons on this stretch of river could mean for your property, Don Winkler is glad to have that conversation. Let's Connect.
