The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Collier brings annual exhibitions of painting, photography and mixed media by artists from Collier and Lee County. The exhibits are juried by local art experts and follow Rookery Bay’s environmental mission with a central theme of plants, waters and wildlife of Southwest Florida. Most works are available for purchase.

Bring the family to Collier Museum at Government Center and join us for a firsthand exploration of the Calusa traditional crafts.

Participants will create their own pots or vessels using air-dry clay, make natural berry-based paint inspired by Calusa techniques, and decorate wearable masks. Try your hand at wood whittling by making a 6-inch mini-canoe out of balsa wood and even learn the art of basket-weaving!

This event is free!

THIRD THURSDAYS LECTURE SERIES:
Visit the Museum of the Everglades every third Thursday for a local history lecture. Museum of the Everglades | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Museum of the Everglades Manager Thomas Lockyear, who began his double-decade career at the Pirate Soul Museum in Key West, will share stories of coastal cutthroats and seafaring scoundrels who may or may not have actually made the Sunshine State the scene of their criminal enterprises. While there are many fabricated tales of lost galleons and buried treasure in the Everglades and beyond, Mr. Lockyear’s lecture will navigate through those murky waters to those firmly anchored in historical fact. Scheduled two days before International Talk Like a Pirate Day, those who attend will leave with both an expanded piratical vocabulary and knowing what famous pirates truly plied their trade in Florida waters.

This event is free.

Come through to learn the art of traditional candle dipping and take home a hand dipped beeswax candle!

Discover how candles were once essential for light and warmth and are now a way to add cozy charm to any space or enhance scents in your home.

This event is free but requires pre-registration: Click the “Learn More” link below to register.

Meet the Artists of Shirley Street This Summer. Explore the Creativity. Take home original art.

Experience the creative energy of the Naples Art District, where our artists invite you into their working studios and galleries. Find Art for every taste and budget, with opportunities to purchase or commission a custom piece made just for you. This immersive experience invites visitors to see, learn and connect in Southwest Florida’s most vibrant creative community.

During the event time, go to the home page of naplesartdistrict.com and click STUDIOS OPEN NOW to find participating studios and galleries.

Pick up a free catalog in any of our studios and galleries.

Free admission.

The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Collier brings annual exhibitions of painting, photography and mixed media by artists from Collier and Lee County. The exhibits are juried by local art experts and follow Rookery Bay’s environmental mission with a central theme of plants, waters and wildlife of Southwest Florida. Most works are available for purchase.

Get creative with watercolor while celebrating the “Spirit Animals of Rookery Bay”! These fun, no-stress classes are perfect for both beginners and experienced artists. With all supplies provided and friendly guidance from local artist Jan, you’ll explore color, technique and wildlife inspiration, without the pressure. Each session ends with a beautiful, matted painting to take home. All supplies included.

Chameleüns

October 2, 3, 4, 2026 

a weirdly funny love story

By Rochelle Burdine, Frank Blocker

Through a series of hilarious vignettes, two actors morph into different characters searching for love, hope or even a little faith.  Real-life couple Patrick and Dixie Huey inhabit a total of 15 characters including infomercial emcees, therapists, performance artists and your not-so-every-day Joes.  With each change, they’re strange love grows.  All good shapeshifters know that if you at first you don’t succeed in a relationship, become someone else.

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Chameleüns

October 2, 3, 4, 2026 

a weirdly funny love story

By Rochelle Burdine, Frank Blocker

Through a series of hilarious vignettes, two actors morph into different characters searching for love, hope or even a little faith.  Real-life couple Patrick and Dixie Huey inhabit a total of 15 characters including infomercial emcees, therapists, performance artists and your not-so-every-day Joes.  With each change, they’re strange love grows.  All good shapeshifters know that if you at first you don’t succeed in a relationship, become someone else.

Chameleüns

October 2, 3, 4, 2026 

a weirdly funny love story

By Rochelle Burdine, Frank Blocker

Through a series of hilarious vignettes, two actors morph into different characters searching for love, hope or even a little faith.  Real-life couple Patrick and Dixie Huey inhabit a total of 15 characters including infomercial emcees, therapists, performance artists and your not-so-every-day Joes.  With each change, they’re strange love grows.  All good shapeshifters know that if you at first you don’t succeed in a relationship, become someone else.

Enjoy this fun and informative class designed to help you identify birds around you. Oriented toward the beginning birder, this workshop explores how to use birds’ plumage, shape, behavior and habitat to recognize various species. Practice using your binoculars and field guides as you tour the paved paths of Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Community Park, led by local expert biologists from Audubon Florida and Rookery Bay Research Reserve.

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Must show drivers’ license or proof of address

Enjoy the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center for free on the second Saturday of the month. Experience it all … touch tanks with marine critters, natural history, environmental and wildlife exhibits, art gallery, picnic area, guided walking trails, butterfly garden and a scenic overlook bridge.

THIRD THURSDAYS LECTURE SERIES:
Visit the Museum of the Everglades every third Thursday for a local history lecture. Museum of the Everglades | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Well Neil Sommers Storter started school at 16 years old in 1910, the first in his family to attend college, he was allowed to join the “scrub squad” of the school’s football team that the varsity scrimmaged against. The big, tough kid from the South Florida swamp was fondly referred to by his teammates as “Brother Gator” – or Bo Gator for short. The following year, he joined the varsity as team captain leading them to victory in their only undefeated season to this date. They started the 1911 season with no name and no mascot. Shortly after crushing the Citadel 15 to 3 on their home turf, newspapers throughout the south were warning of the ferocious “Florida Gators” tearing up the gridiron. Museum Manager Thomas Lockyear will share more “Bo Gator” stories as well as those of his family who founded the town of the Everglades.

This event is free.

The show features 18 works by 11 artists in media that include acrylic, oil, pastel, watercolor, mixed media, digital print, monotype print, photograph printed on aluminum panel, digital collage, and acrylic, fiber paste, ink and varnish on canvas. The participating artists are Lisa Absher, HL Shepherd Baker, Paul Bussmann, Lisa Cunningham, Megan Hoolihan Dalziel, Kimberly Doerseln, Karen McDaniel, Anne McLaughlin, Adorable Monique, Vicky Tesmer, and Misoon Whang.

Registration is required for the Closing Art Reception www.rookerybay.org/events

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

HIf you want to get the best pictures possible, and truly understand your camera’s features, this workshop is for you. This class covers the essentials of your digital camera to help you capture and display the Reason, Emotion and Vision, why you decided to capture the image in the first place. You will learn how to use your camera’s shutter, aperture, ISO control, and the drive modes to create images with impact and creativity. Sonny Saunders has over 35 years of experience in photography and instruction and is renowned for his ability to communicate to a wide variety of students. No previous camera or photography experience is necessary, just a desire to learn.

The history of Collier County is filled with all kinds of “Things That Go!”
From steam-engine locomotives and boats to swamp buggies, air boats, planes, and yes, of course, cars! We will be fueling the fun with hands-on activities including building a toy swamp buggy and pool noodle boats you can race!

This event is free!

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Come hang out in the fort for a trailblazing good time learning how to pioneer! Bring your muscles to churn your own little batch of butter to take home, a candle-making station, campfire cooking tutorials, learn some rope-knotting techniques including loops, hitches, and bends! …And it’s a perfect time of year to remind us of the “Three Sisters” planting method begun by many different Indigenous peoples including the Seminoles and carried on through the pioneers and even today.

This event is free!

THIRD THURSDAYS LECTURE SERIES:
Visit the Museum of the Everglades every third Thursday for a local history lecture. Museum of the Everglades | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Born in 1920, well before a road connected Florida’s coast through the watery wilderness of the Everglades, Buffalo Tiger grew up in a traditional camp and later learned both the language and business practices of Florida’s non-indigenous settlers at a tourist attraction in Miami called Musa Isle Village. His fluency in English allowed him to act as interpreter for Tribal elders during the U.S. Government’s Indian Termination initiative and his experience with economic strategy and diplomacy helped him guide the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida through their separation from the Seminoles ultimately becoming his Tribe’s first elected leader. Join us as Museum Manager Thomas Lockyear, using Buffalo Tiger’s award-winning autobiography as his primary source, celebrates the amazing life of this indigenous leader.

This event is free.

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Puccini’s poignant score follows the tragic tale of Cio Cio San, a young Japanese girl who falls in love with American naval officer Pinkerton, with devastating consequences.

Set in early 20th-century Nagasaki, Japan, Madama Butterfly explores themes of love, heartbreak, betrayal, and cultural differences. This tragic love story starts with an arranged marriage between a young Geisha, Cio-Cio-San, also known as Butterfly, and an American naval officer, Pinkerton. Shortly after their wedding, Pinkerton abandons Butterfly and returns to America; it becomes clear he had deemed the marriage temporary. Years later, Pinkerton returns to Japan with his new wife and learns that Butterfly has since given birth to their child. Upon learning that Pinkerton has a new wife and won’t live in Japan with Butterfly, she agrees to give up her son and commits hara-kiri.

Featuring unforgettable arias like the iconic “Un bel dì” and the tender “Flower Duet,” performed with full orchestra, chorus, and world-class soloists, bringing Madama Butterfly to life in all its emotional beauty.

THIRD THURSDAYS LECTURE SERIES:
Visit the Museum of the Everglades every third Thursday for a local history lecture. Museum of the Everglades | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

At one time known as “the most photographed man in the United States, hermit Roy Ozmer became a tourist attraction at his home on Pelican Key in the 1950s. Easily identified by his omnipresent red beret, Ozmer’s image appears in hundreds of photos of the era taken by amateurs and professionals alike. Visitors to his island retreat enjoyed the sophomoric humor of his folk art signage – including one that said “Gypsy Rose Lee slept here” over his door after a visit from her and other cast members of “Wind Across the Everglades” filming nearby remained unaware that he was a skilled writer published in a variety of national magazines. A respected naturalist in early chapters of his life, Ozmer helped chart the route of the Appalachian Trail through the state of Georgia and beyond. Join us as Museum Manager Thomas Lockyear unwinds the complex and often tragic story of this reclusive, rustic celebrity.

This event is free.

Holiday celebrations differ from generation to generation, and the traditions of yesteryear can fade, what remains the same is the nostalgia that brings us together and the desire to share joy in pastimes that celebrate the past, present, and future. We’ll be making dried orange slices and pine garlands encouraging using the natural resources around us to add decor during this festive season and also indulging in crafts from the glitzy Mid-century Modern era. Discover all the ways Jell-O was used with various foods and take-home recipe cards to try these indulgences at home! Bring your family in and share your joy making some homemade holiday cards, ornaments, and decorations set in and around the Cottage all decked out for Christmas!

This event is free!

The Golden Era of Puccini comes to Marco Island. The most beloved opera composer of his time, Puccini changed the art form by trading myth for real lives, real heartbreak, and music that has never stopped being sung. From Madama Butterfly and La Bohème to Tosca and Turandot, his arias are the ones audiences still arrive humming a century later — and tonight, they fill the Gulfview Room at Hideaway Beach Club. 

The evening begins at 5:00 PM with an Italian-inspired jewelry collection experience by Deborah Gaspar, customized to reflect the beauty of Puccini. At 5:30 PM, guests are welcomed with a Puccini cocktail. Dinner follows at 6:00 PM, curated by Chef Tim in tribute to the cuisine of Tuscany — the region Puccini called home — and accompanied by complimentary wine pairings. Gulfshore Opera’s world-class artists take over the room with a selection of the composer’s most beloved melodies. An elegant, intimate evening with the master who taught opera how to feel.

Celebrate the lively variety of Italian music with an unforgettable evening from Gulfshore Opera. This vibrant program features beloved opera arias and ensembles, traditional canzone Napoletana, and popular Italian favorites performed by a quartet of Gulfshore Opera’s Professional Artists in Residence.

Let yourself be swept away by soaring melodies. Premium ticket holders are invited to enjoy an exclusive post-performance reception with the artists, featuring classic Italian refreshments.

Celebrate the lively variety of Italian music with an unforgettable evening from Gulfshore Opera. This vibrant program features beloved opera arias and ensembles, traditional canzone Napoletana, and popular Italian favorites performed by a quartet of Gulfshore Opera’s Professional Artists in Residence.