We opted to pay the $5 and do the four mile drive through. Glad we didn't take the more expensive guided tour for $13 each. We did not even see an alligator or racoon as others have mentioned. Just a few birds. At the pullover areas there are signs which virtually all repeat the same thing. We found it boring... more

This is a nature reserve. There are no penned animals in cages. You drive and look for wildlife and flora. We stopped and read the info boards along the way. We climbed the steps at the observation platform. We saw lots of birds, fish, and an alligator! Well worth the money! more

We have been here many times and have never been disappointed. What you see depends very much on the time of day; early morning or late afternoon is best. We have seen racoons, alligators and many varieties of birds. On one memorable occasion we saw a bobcat! For $5 it is good value but I suppose for anyone brought up... more

It was SOOOO hot, we took a beach break and took our 3 school aged kids on the $5 car ride. If you know what Sanibel/Captiva Rd drive is like? Well, 4 miles of pretty much the same, but with swamp areas in between. It must have been high tide. We saw three jumping fish, a few hawks and a... more

My husband and I were there in May '09. We didn't see it on our last trip, but wanted to include it this time. We started off in the Visitor's Center, and learned about the history, environment, flora and fauna of the island, as well as the history of the wonderful man who worked so hard to preserve this part... more

I went to the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge twice in the past year.....once was last November and the other was this past May. In November I saw tons of birds; roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets, etc., racoons and alligators just sunning themselves on the side of the road. However, in May I saw one bird and one racoon. Perhaps... more

Obviously the park needs to collect a fee to preserve natural areas, etc. but there is virtually nothing to see here. You drive in your car down a gravelly road and you can stop at a couple of small look outs that show you the mangroves and canals. Ok, you see a couple of birds, but there is really nothing... more

Awful, We were excited about this park, got there and saw NOTHING. A few birds, and one raccoon NO WILDLIFE,hardly. Do not go,waste of time! more

We did the drive through tour and were disappointed with the experiecne. It was basically a 4-mile straight road with tons of mangroves and trees on either side. There was one lookout tower to get out at but otherwise we stayed in the car and looked at plants. The entire 4 mile trek we saw a racoon, four birds and... more