Randell Research Center, Captiva Cruises to offer six Harbor History Boat Tours through Pine Island Sound
The Randell Research Center is partnering with Captiva Cruises to offer six exciting Harbor History Boat Tours of Northern Pine Island Sound each departing on a Tuesday from Pineland on Pine Island. The 2019 dates are Jan. 8 and 22, Feb. 5 and 19, and March 5 and 19.
The 90-minute, round-trip will be aboard the Santiva, a very stable pontoon boat with shade over most of the seats. The narrator is Denege Patterson, author of “A Tour of the Islands of Pine Island Sound: Their Geology, Archaeology and History.” Participants will learn about the surprises encountered when Wilson’s Cut was dredged at Pineland, discover why the stores of Useppa Island are a metaphor for all the islands, learn how mysterious islands might have received their names, and explore how geologic processes worked to create the rich Pine Island estuary.
Car parking, check-in and pre-trip orientation will be at noon on the days of the tour in the classroom of the Calusa Heritage Trail, 13810 Waterfront Drive, Pineland. Reservations are made by calling Captiva Cruises at 239-472-5300.
The cost is $35 for adults and $25 for children.
The Randell Research Center is a permanent facility dedicated to learning and teaching the archaeology, history and ecology of Southwest Florida. Situated in the scenic community of Pineland on the western shore of historic Pine Island, the RRC encompasses more than 70 acres at the heart of the Pineland archaeological site, a massive shell mound site extending across more than 100 acres from the mangrove coastline.
On the Calusa Heritage Trail, at 13810 Waterfront Drive, Pineland, visitors can tour this internationally significant site and learn about Calusa culture and their environment. The Trail meanders nearly a mile through the mounds, canals, and other features of the site.
Signs along the footpath provide detailed information regarding the Calusa Indian people, the environment that sustained them, and the recent history of Southwest Florida.
For additional information, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/ or call 239-283-2062.