After years of planning, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary team is excited to launch the first phase of a completely new visitor experience inside the Blair Visitor Center and along the boardwalk. Installed in November 2024, the updated suite of navigational and interpretive signs is part of an unprecedented capital campaign that will transform the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary campus and elevate our education and conservation impact.
Sanctuary visitors will first notice a new logo and lettering on the front of the building as well as colorful navigational signs and exhibits inside the Center. The new exhibits orient visitors to the Sanctuary’s location within the Greater Everglades watershed, identify the species of birds that visitors might see on the feeders, explain the main habitats found along the boardwalk, and summarize the important conservation work underway across the 13,000-acre Sanctuary.
Visitors will also encounter more than 50 eye-catching and educational signs along the 2.25-mile boardwalk, most of which feature photography from the Sanctuary. Thirteen large interpretive signs cover topics including the importance of prescribed fire, the wonders of wetlands, what makes a healthy watershed, and more, while smaller signs cover cultural history and our Landmark Cypress program, species identification, and many other topics. All boardwalk signs include a QR code that leads to sign content translated into Spanish and Haitian Creole.
Still to come are new exhibits inside the Spurlino Foundation Discovery Center as well as navigational signage for the parking lot and new campus entrance, anticipated to be completed in 2025. This completes the first phase of construction for the capital campaign that is still underway.