FLORIDA PLACE TO EXPLORE
Oxbow Eco-Center
St. Lucie County · Atlantic Coast
A 225-acre county preserve on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie, with a building designed to teach by example.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
The preserve covers 225 acres along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River at 5400 Northeast St. James Drive, and it takes its name from the oxbows, the old bends the river cut and then abandoned, which now sit as curved ponds beside the channel. Boardwalks, paths and observation towers carry visitors through wetland and hammock without tearing the ground up. The Eco-Center building is itself part of the lesson: it uses passive daylighting, solar panels, recycled and recyclable materials, a rainwater cistern and salvaged pine flooring, and staff will explain any of it. Inside are exhibits on the river system and the habitats around it, along with a program of guided walks, night hikes and workshops through the year. The building opens Tuesday to Saturday from noon to four; the trails open every day from sunrise to sunset. St. Lucie County runs it, and like all the county preserves it is open to the public
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