September Marco Island Events: Celebrate National Estuaries Day!

This September, we encourage you to enjoy one of Marco Island’s most cherished outdoor activities. Celebrate our beautiful natural landscape at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve for National Estuaries Day! Located at the northern tip of Marco Island, Rookery Bay is one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.

Home to 110,000 acres of pristine mangrove forest and protected waters, there is no better place to celebrate National Estuaries Day than at one of 29 national estuarine research reserves in the nation.

If you’re not familiar, an estuary and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.

Celebrate this natural wonder on September 28, 2019 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm with a day of staff-narrated boat tours (bus transportation provided to the boat 15 minutes away), introductory 30-minute kayaking trips, stand-up paddleboarding demos on Henderson Creek, Estuary Encounter experience with touch tanks, live animal presentations, crafts, Junior Scientist lab activities and more! Additionally, foods truck will be on-site during lunch hours. The best part, it is all free!

Activities are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up begins when doors open at 9 a.m. Age restrictions may apply for certain activities.

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America—you won’t want to miss this annual event during your time in Marco Island in September.