Private Events

Field Trips, Private Tours, Birthday Parties, & More!

Planning Your Field Trip: What You Need to Know

Reservations are required! Field trip programs are available Monday-Friday throughout the year, availability permitting. Reservations must be made at least 2 weeks in advance. Submit your reservation request using the "Book Now" button below. Please note: the minimum number of people required to meet the threshold for a field trip is 15 people. If your group has less than 15 people, please view the Private Tour tab for more details.

Field Trip Pricing:

Adults & Children (3-17): $9 per Person

Children 2 or Younger: Free

Please communicate with the staff member booking your field trip if the chaperones for your trip will be included in your total invoice or if they will be paying separately. If they are paying separately, please inform your chaperones to arrive 10 minutes early to pay inside our gift shop on the day of your field trip.

Field Trip Program

A field trip with ECWR consists of a tour of ECWR's ambassador animals (meet them in the Meet the Team tab!) where you will learn about each ambassador's species, their background, and bigger picture ideas such as rehabilitation, conservation, coexistence, keystone species, and native species. Students will also get the chance to learn about wildlife rehabilitation, and our Marine Animal Stranding Team!

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Planning Your Private Tour: What You Need to Know

Reservations are required! Private Tours are offered Monday-Sunday throughout the year, availability permitting. Reservations must be made at least one week in advance Submit your reservation request using the "Book Now" button below. Private Tours are designed for small groups of less than 15 people. If you have a group larger than 14 but are still interested in a private tour, please email emma@emeraldcoastwildliferefuge.org to discuss your options!

Private Tours differ from general visits in the depth and scope of the information you will learn and the animal encounters you will experience! If you book a private tour, a staff member will lead you through a 1.5-2 hour tour of our ambassadors and share with you their species information, backstories, and how they connect to bigger picture ideas such as conservation, coexistence, biodiversity, keystone species, native vs. invasive species, and more!

Please note: Private Tours do not include access to the Medical Center or any part of our facility that is closed to the public due to permitting restrictions. The only ambassadors that are available for animal encounters are our reptiles, and all animal encounters are dependent on the comfort and safety of the animals.

Private Tour Pricing:

Beginning June 1, 2023:

Adults (18+) & Children 3-17: $12 per Person

Children 2 or Younger: Free

Please communicate with the staff member booking your private tour if you would like to pay on the day of (with cash or card) or if you would prefer to be sent an invoice after the private tour.

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Planning Your Birthday Party:

What You Need to Know

ECWR is excited to offer birthday parties for all those wild about wildlife! Here's what you need to know:

Reservations are required and must be made at least three weeks in advance! Our Saturday's fill up fast, so get your requests in as early as possible. Birthday parties are offered only on Saturday's.

Your Party Will Include:

- Entrance to ECWR for all of your guests (Education Center & Ambassador area only - per FWC regulations, no members of the public are allowed access to our Medical Center)

- Access to our Education Center's multipurpose area for your guests to hang out in (and soon, our outdoor pavillion area!)

- Animal Encounters with at least one of our reptile ambassadors (animal health and comfort permitting)

- All items from the package of your choice below

Birthday Party Pricing:

A Wild Time Package: $200

What's Included?

- A 2 hour party for 15 guests (guest total includes children and parents - each additional guest is $10 per person) that includes a tour of our ambassador animals with a special staff attendant, an animal interaction led by our talented staff, tables and seating in our education center, and a gift for the birthday child!

- Not Included: Paper products, food, or drinks. Outside food is permitted!

Party Animal Package: $250

What's Included?

- A 3 hour party for 15 guests (guest total includes children and parents - each additional guest is $10 per person) that includes a tour of our ambassador animals with a special staff attendant, an animal interaction led by our talented staff, a special craft or game chosen by you from our available list, tables and seating in our education center, and a gift for the birthday child!

- Not Included: Paper products, food, or drinks. Outside food is permitted!

Interested in an off-site ECWR Birthday Party? ECWR is currently offering one "On the Road" birthday package: Scales & Scutes! Our Scales & Scutes On the Road package includes an ECWR Educator and two reptile ambassadors (typically one of our corn snakes & our three-legged box turtle) travelling off-site to your birthday venue where they will hangout for an hour. During that hour, our education rep can do an optional 30 minute presentation about our reptilian friends and a 30 minute interaction period, or hangout and facilitate animal interactions with your guests for the full hour! This package also includes a gift for the birthday child, and a reptile themed craft.

- Important Note: As with our on-site packages, all animal interactions are dependent on an animal's health and comfort. Our animal's health and comfort comes first!

- Availability: Offered Monday-Sunday, availability of staff permitting

- Pricing: $150

Ready to book? Click the button below to access our birthday party reservation form. Reservations are not confirmed until you have received a confirmation email from an ECWR staff member.

If you have any questions regarding any of our birthday party packages, please email Grace@EmeraldCoastWildlifeRefuge.org!

Book Now

Planning Your Speaker Presentation: What You Need to Know

Reservations are required! Speaker Presentations are available Monday-Friday throughout the year, staff availability permitting. Reservations must be made at least 1 week in advance if you are choosing from our "Tried & True" presentation list, or at least 2 weeks in advance if you are requesting a special topic presentation. Submit your Speaker Presentation Reservation by accessing and submitting the request form through the "Book Now" button below.

What is a speaker presentation? Do you have an organization or group that is interested in learning about Florida's native wildlife from the comfort of your venue? This is the private event option for you! Our staff has the knowledge, and they want to share it. If you book a speaker presentation with ECWR, one of our staff members will travel to you (with an animal ambassador, if the topic permits) and share their knowledge. We offer a list of pre-made, tried, and true presentation topics including:

- Misunderstood Wildlife Misfits: Opossums & Snakes

- Coexistence: Bears, (Shore)birds, & Box Turtles

- Scales & Scutes: All About Reptiles

- Rehabilitating Florida's Native Birds

- Shark Behavior

Or, you can make a special topic request! If your group has a special interest, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate and pair you with the most relevant staff member. Due to availability, we are unfortunately not always able to accommodate special topic requests. If this is the case, a staff member will reach out to you and discuss your options.

Speaker presentations are designed to be off-site, but if you're interested in an on-site presentation, let us know! If you are booking off-site, you must have A/V access at your venue. If you don't, but are still interested in a presentation with ECWR, please email Emma@EmeraldCoastWildlifeRefuge.org to discuss potential options.

Speaker Presentation Pricing:

Pre-Made Topics: Start at $200

Special Topic Requests: Start at $250

We understand that not all organizations have a budget for speaker presentations - if you are interested in a speaker presentation but are unable to afford the pricing above, please let us know! We want to work with you! Email Director@EmeraldCoastWildlifeRefuge.org.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email Emma@EmeraldCoastWildlifeRefuge.org.

Book Now

Nothing Fits?

Are you interested in an event with ECWR, but nothing in the other tabs quite fits? Let us know! We will do our best to work with you and set up an event that meets your needs.

Here are some examples of events ECWR has hosted/participated in that don't quite fit in any of the other categories:

- Off-Site Field Trips (including owl pellet dissections, reptile crafts, and more)

- Wedding Receptions

- Hosted Board Meetings for Other Organizations

Let us know what kind of event you're planning, and we'll let you know how we think ECWR can best participate. Pricing and availability varies.

Email Grace@EmeraldCoastWildlifeRefuge.org or Director@EmeraldCoastWildlifeRefuge.org for inquiries.

Private Events

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