☰ Menu
Best-selling South Florida author Randy Wayne White spent 13 years as a full-time fishing guide out of Tarpon Bay on nearby Sanibel Island. He had run over 3,000 paid charters ranging from Fort Myers to Flamingo when government regulations closed the bay he guided from to motorized craft. With a wife and two young sons to support and his livelihood in jeopardy, he set out to write the great American novel – and succeeded. It was 1989.
Combining his passion for Florida history with his knowledge of coastal waters, the local culture and experience with the people and places that make the region so unique, Mr. White created a protagonist for his story – Marion “Doc” Ford. A former national security agent turned marine biologist who was simultaneously relatable, likeable, and still deadly when necessary. 27 books later, the Doc Ford series is still going strong.
The action in Randy Wayne White’s books crisscrosses the state (and sometimes the globe) but the Everglades remain at the heart of many of his stories. Many readers recognize locations described in the novels and often see local personalities reflected in the books’ characters. New visitors to the area have already learned about the challenges facing what remains of “old Florida” through Mr. White’s writings when they arrive and immediately feel connections with both the people and the land.
Our new temporary exhibit, Randy Wayne White’s Everglades, celebrates and explores those connections and the author whose work brings the REAL Florida to life.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
This exhibit will explore the history, ecology, and cultural impact of one of Southwest Florida’s most iconic lakes. From remnants of long boats left behind by the Calusa, to the personal stories of current Immokalee residents, we will dive into Lake Trafford and look ahead to its future. Long hailed for its largemouth bass fishing, this 1500 acre water body is the largest natural lake south of Okeechobee, and serves as a premier fishing lake for anglers and an important freshwater resource for the area. There have been changes to the ecosystem in the last fifty years — from fish deaths and aquatic plant die offs, to the introduction of invasive species — but the lake and its importance to our history and town culture remain. Join us to learn about Lake Trafford and its various changes and impacts on our community and Southwest Florida as a whole.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
Over fifty million people are living with dementia globally. In the United States, one in three seniors suffers with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia at the time of their death. And yet despite the millions of individuals and families affected, dementia is often a taboo subject with limited public awareness or discourse. Through the photographs and stories in this exhibit, photographer Joe Wallace shows not only the fear, loss, and despair, but also the love, connection, dignity, and powerful humanity that always remain — in the subjects, in the care-partners, and in the families and communities. “Portraits of Dementia” destigmatizes those living with dementia through moving portraits and stories of lives well lived.
A Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
Celebrating fifty years of Paul Arsenault living and painting in South Florida, this exhibit conveys the history, soul stirring beauty, and charm of Marco Island, Goodland, and Naples as well as other South Florida locales, including Vero Beach, Key West, Cortez, and others. Arsenault has traveled the world to record breathtaking landscapes, seascapes, seaside villages, and more in his captivating plein air paintings. However, he always returns to his Naples home. Here, he has found a treasure trove of inspiration for his art.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
Meagan Watkins, a local Immokalee photographer and cattlewoman, has spent the last few years cataloguing and photographing the animals, women, and men that help shape our landscape and local economy on ranches throughout Southwest Florida. Come see and learn about Florida ranching through pictures and stories, as told by someone who lives it.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
Phil Fisher says, “I like to think of my paintings as a sanctuary for those who feel anesthetized by technology.” Phil has been painting in Naples, in watercolors and oils, for the past 53 years. The majority of his work is done “plein air,” so he has a visual preference for landscapes. This exhibit will feature Phil’s paintings of beloved Naples locations, as well as commissions now part of the Collier County Museum collection.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.
This exhibit delves into the fascinating history behind Marco Island’s Mackle-built model homes, which can be traced back to the post-World War II “Florida House” crafted by builders and developers hoping to entice Northerners to the Sunshine State. Constructed during the modern development of Marco Island by the Deltona Corporation from 1965 through the 1970s, these 72 diverse models were designed, inside and out, to embody the elegant tropical living the Mackle Brothers envisioned for the “crown jewel” of their planned communities.
All Collier County Museum locations offer free admission.