Visiting Peace River Wildlife Center

Peace River Wildlife Center is a rescue and rehab center located in Punta Gorda, Florida. It is open for visitors daily from 11 AM to 4 PM and for wildlife patient intakes from 9 AM to 5 PM every day of the year. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. This Wildlife Center receives no state or federal funding and relies on donations, so make sure to leave a donation (you can leave cash or use a QR code) and shop in the gift shop to support them!

The current facility is small, but they are fundraising to build a larger facility. You can check out their website to read more about what they do and plan your visit. We really enjoyed our visit, and plan to come back regularly since we live nearby!

You might remember that we also visited Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, which also sustained a lot of damage from Hurricane Milton and Helene but is also open to the public once again. Peace River Wildlife Center is similar, and a must do in Southwest Florida, especially if you love animals! PRWC also sustained major damage from the hurricanes but has thankfully re-opened and is welcoming visitors.

Peace River Wildlife Center Loccation

You can find the Wildlife Center at 3400 Ponce de Leon Pkwy, Punta Gorda, FL 33950. Punta Gorda is located in Southwest Florida, about 30 minutes north of Fort Myers and about an hour south of Sarasota.

The Wildlife Center is located within Ponce de Leon Park, which is over 10 acres and includes a boat ramp, playground, restroom facilities, a fishing pier, pavilions, and a beach!

If you’re visiting the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda/Fort Myers area, you should definitely check out Peace River Wildlife Center. Plan to spend about an hour here, but you may be here even longer as the volunteers are happy to share their knowledge about the resident animals.

There are several habitats for the resident animals as well as a gift shop. While Peace River Wildlife Center rehabilitates wildlife, there are some residents who live onsite that cannot be released for various reasons. These reasons are generally due to either injuries or being raised by humans and can no longer be released into the wild.

Please be responsible and do not try to raise a wild animal! If you find one that is sick or injured, reach out to a wildlife center or rehabber for assistance. 

There’s also a park with a small playground, and a small beach area! So you can pack a lunch and spend quite a bit of time in the area between the wildlife center and the beach.

Please note that this is certainly not one of the best beaches in the area as the water is where Peace River meets the ocean. I’d recommend going south to Sanibel or north (and around) to Boca Grande to find a better beach directly on the ocean. If you head south, make sure to check out the best things to do in Sanibel and Captiva.

What kinds of animals are at Peace River Wildlife Center?

There are over 120 permanently disabled residents that live onsite and are on public display for educational purposes. Most of the animals at Peace River Wildlife Center are birds, and you’ll find a huge variety of them!

You’ll find lots of resident pelicans, owls, fish crows, black vultures, bald eagles, and more. Many of the resident animals have stories on the PRWC website.

You’ll even find a few native mammals (there was a cute rabbit named Bunita,) and some repiles such as turtles and tortoises.

Should you visit Peace River Wildlife Center?

If you’re visiting Southwest Florida (or if you live here, like we do!) you should definitely make the trip to Peace River Wildlife Center. Make sure to leave a donation, shop in the gift shop, or symbolically “adopt” one of the animals to help the center continue their rescue efforts.

More Florida Travel Tips

Here are more travel ideas with things to do in Southwest Florida.

• The best place to find sharks teeth in Florida
• The 10 best places to see sea turtles in Florida
• 15 fantastic things to do in Siesta Key
• Unique things to do in Naples, Florida

About Florida Travel With Kids

Florida Travel with Kids was started by a family who loves to travel the state of Florida with kids! This site will help you explore the fun state of Florida and all of the kid-friendly activities you’ll find here. If you want even more tips, join our mailing list. We’ll share any new tips and tricks we learn, along with Florida news and recent blog posts of our adventures.

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