{"id":1922,"date":"2008-12-31T11:35:35","date_gmt":"2008-12-31T16:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=1922"},"modified":"2008-12-31T18:02:37","modified_gmt":"2008-12-31T23:02:37","slug":"natures-wonders-ritz-carlton-vanderbilt-beach-naples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=1922","title":{"rendered":"Nature’s Wonders — Ritz-Carlton, Vanderbilt Beach, Naples"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nature’s Wonders, Ritz-Carlton, Vanderbilt Beach, Naples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A real natural treasure has sprouted in North Naples at the Ritz-Carlton<\/a> off Vanderbilt Beach in North Naples.\u00c2\u00a0 Tucked away in a relatively compact space on the ground floor, the Ritz-Carlton team has created a truly exquisite center for exploration and discovery.\u00c2\u00a0 Thanks to unity of vision, design and execution, Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong> offers a\u00c2\u00a0coherent and comprehensive\u00c2\u00a0venue for hands-on learning, sereptiously disguised as family fun.\u00c2\u00a0 The Turtle Journal team awards its highest honor, Five Turtles, to Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong> as an exemplar for communities and environmental\u00c2\u00a0outfits from coast to coast to demonstate how intelligence, enthusiasm and coherent design can transform a small space into a first class\u00c2\u00a0center for natural discovery.\u00c2\u00a0 (The Turtle Journal team\u00c2\u00a0whispers one phrase of caution.\u00c2\u00a0 A camel is a horse designed by committee [a.k.a. consensus].\u00c2\u00a0 Unity of vision, design and execution makes all\u00c2\u00a0the difference between mediocrity and excellence.)<\/p>\n

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Ranger Randy (Sarton)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

During our recent visit to Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong>, Ranger Randy Sarton proved a gracious and very informative host.\u00c2\u00a0 Randy knows his stuff.\u00c2\u00a0 He’s knowledgeable\u00c2\u00a0about Florida’s coastal environment and habitats.\u00c2\u00a0 He has collected a wealth of natural treasures for the center’s tanks and displays, and Randy has created a wide range of curricula (a fancy, educator’s word for hands-on discovery and fun) for family adventures.<\/p>\n

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Click Here to View Video in High Quality<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Ranger Randy Guides Us Through Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0Touch tank to illustrate local marine treasures, coral tank to\u00c2\u00a0showcase the\u00c2\u00a0splashy colors of Nemo’s world, laboratory for hands-on discovery, display cases, posters, computers and a marine theatre.\u00c2\u00a0 A bit like Dr. Who’s Tardis, Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong><\/span> expands\u00c2\u00a0into a full-sized\u00c2\u00a0marine science center once you enter its magical world.<\/p>\n

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Sea Turtles – Signature Species in SW Florida<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sea turtles and especially loggerheads mark a key species in the natural habitat of Florida’s southwest coast with females digging nests on the beach in front of the Ritz-Carlton.<\/p>\n

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Nature’s Wonders Laboratory<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong> sports a fully equipped laboratory for more detailed hands-on exploration of the natural world.<\/p>\n

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Nature Vision<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are no rainy days in Florida, or so you may have heard.\u00c2\u00a0 Well, at Nature’s Wonders, there really are no rainy days with a built-in Nature Vision theatre to offer a second look at discoveries witnessed in the field or a first look on those few moments when Nature turns on its sprinkler system to keep Florida plush and green.<\/p>\n

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Full Schedule of Indoor and Outdoor Adventures<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking full advantage of Florida’s “perfect” weather and rich natural habitat, Ranger Randy and the Ritz-Carlton team lead adventure walks, field trips and boat cruises, expanding from the Nature’s Wonders<\/em><\/strong> center into the natural world at large.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nature’s Wonders, Ritz-Carlton, Vanderbilt Beach, Naples A real natural treasure has sprouted in North Naples at the Ritz-Carlton off Vanderbilt Beach in North Naples.\u00c2\u00a0 Tucked away in a relatively compact space on the ground floor, the Ritz-Carlton team has created a truly exquisite center for exploration and discovery.\u00c2\u00a0 Thanks to unity of vision, design and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1922"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1937,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922\/revisions\/1937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}