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Welcome to the Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex Website

Gumbo Limbo is located in Boca Raton at Red Reef Park on the barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Twenty acres of Boca Raton's Red Reef park have been reserved specifically for a nature center and the preservation of a natural plant association known as a tropical hammock.

The marine and estuarine location, and the diversity of native vegetation communities found within Red Reef park, also include the coastal dune, a sabal palm hammock and a mangrove wetlands.

Interesting faunal species include a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Rare and endangered species such as the manatee, the brown pelican, the osprey and sea turtles can often be observed on or from the facility.

Coastal relics like a shell midden from the Pre-Columbian Indians and Pond Apple trees from the original freshwater body (known as the Spanish River) can be seen.

A cannon and anchors have also been found on the shore of Red Reef park. All these assets give Gumbo Limbo a unique blend of living history.

Named after one of the dominant tree species in the hammock, the Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex is designed to provide environmental education for the community through classes, seminars, workshops, field trips and research.

Seawater is pumped directly into our large outdoor aquariums filled with representatives of our native marine fauna.

Indoor and outdoor classrooms, interpretive displays, aquariums, visual presentations, a butterfly garden, a 40-foot high observation tower, an elevated boardwalk through the hammock and mangrove communities offer unique opportunities for environmental education.

Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex is owned and operated by the City of Boca Raton and funded by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District.