FREEPORT — Visitors will have the opportunity to walk among penguins at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center Saturday as the organization welcomes guests from both the North and South poles.
In the spirit of the holidays, the center will host a Wildlife Winter Wonderland celebration from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. with several animal exhibits and seasonal activities.
“We’ll have penguins from the South Pole and Santa from the North Pole,” said center president Christy Scally. “It’s just going to be a huge holiday theme.”
The center is open to the public on the first Saturday of every month, and today’s event will feature holiday-themed photo booths, a Santa’s arts and crafts workshop, story time, Christmas tree decorating and nature presentations throughout the day.
Visitors will be able to interact with birds of prey, reptiles, turtles, tortoises and snakes, and live penguins will be on-site beginning at noon.
“They will walk amongst the audience,” said Scally, who noted the penguins will be traveling from Gulfarium Marine Park in Fort Walton Beach. “These penguins go as far north as the Galapagos Islands, so they’re a warmer-climate penguin. The audience can get up close and personal with them.”
For the adults, the center also will conduct a live auction fundraiser with plenty of holiday gifts up for grabs, including Disney World passes, vacations and spa packages.
Opened five years ago, the Biophilia Center is located in Walton County on 53,000 acres of conservation land off State 20, known as Nokuse Plantation.
The nonprofit environmental education facility works with schools throughout Northwest Florida and relies heavily on donations and sponsorships.
Scally said the center works closely alongside school curriculum to employ hands-on teaching methods.
“Every school day, we have a group of students here,” Scally said. “We provide the hands-on learning experiences for what they might learn in the classroom to give the students real-world scenarios for applying what they learn.”
WANT TO GO?
- What: E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center Wildlife Winter Wonderland
- Where: 4956 State 20, between Freeport and Ebro
- When: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST
- Details: Call 850-835-1824 or visit www.eowilsoncenter.org
