Since 2003, Conservation Collier has acquired over 4000 acres in 22 preserves and projects around the county. This 20th annivesary exhibit explores the efforts to acquire, preserve, restore, and maintain threatened natural forest, upland, and wetland communities in Collier County. We’re exploring the lands, environments, and species that are protected, as well as the people who work to maintain them. Learn about Conservation Collier’s past, present, and future.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
Charles C. Ebbets came to Florida in the early 1920s and quickly established himself as a pre-eminent photojournalist. An avid outdoorsman who had done stints as an airplane wing-walker, a racecar driver and professional wrestler, he brought that same combination of courage and confidence to his work in South Florida — particularly the Everglades — even becoming this first to cross the not-yet-completed Tamiami Trail by car.
Ebbets made his way deep into the back country of the glades, capturing spectacular shots of rarely seen wildlife and breathtaking landscapes for the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Associated Press, among others. He also worked closely with the Seminoles, documenting their culture, and befriending tribal leaders.
Ebbets’ most famous photograph, “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” is a well-known portrait of construction workers perched precariously on an I-beam above New York City while they dine. The iconic photo, for which he is rarely credited, was chosen as one of TIME magazine’s “100 Greatest Images.”
Despite his groundbreaking body of work that includes many well-known photographs, “Ebbets in the Everglades” is the first museum exhibit dedicated solely to the work Charles C. Ebbets.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
This exhibit, with photographs by Lupita Vasquez-Reyes and Lisette Morales McCabe, will explore why and how food and our food based traditions are history on a plate and serve as a sign of cultural identity, particularly during the holiday season. From Dia de los Muertos on November 1st to Three Kings day on January 6th, we will use food as a vehicle to explore identity in diaspora. We will explore how particular crops like corn are carriers of ancestral memories and creation stories. We can all reconnect to our ancestors, reclaim our identity and recall heritage through food, which is especially important for the immigrant diaspora that makes up our community and country. This exhibit is an invitation to everyone to dig up old recipes and share them with others as well as explore the similarities and differences in our favorite foods and holiday traditions.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
This exhibit examines more than 50 years of Marco Island golf history through historical images and objects from the Marco Island Historical Society’s collection. Starting with the Mackle built Marco Island County Club (known today as the Island County Club), golf has had an interesting and glitzy history featuring major golf professionals, celebrities and at least one president. This fun and interactive exhibit features includes a three-hole “mini-course” and promises to be a hole-in-one for all ages.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.