New Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center Set to Open as Gulf Coast Gateway, Honoring a Legendary Everglades Advocate

The Everglades Foundation
1 hour ago
2 min read

December 15, 2025

Group of eight people – one in National Park Ranger attire –cutting a red ribbon at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center. Stairs and building visible in background.

Leaders from the National Park Service, government officials, and community partners including The Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg, gathered in Everglades City on December 12 for the ribbon cutting of the newly redeveloped Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center – a key gateway to the Gulf Coast district of Everglades National Park.

Named in honor of Everglades writer and advocate Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the center is down the street from where President Harry S. Truman dedicated Everglades National Park in 1947. Her influential book The Everglades: River of Grass – also published in 1947 – continues to inspire and shape the movement to protect the Everglades ecosystem.

Redeveloped over the past two years, the new facility is a public access point to Chokoloskee Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands and is designed to meet the challenges of a coastal environment while enhancing the visitor experience. The elevated structure is energy-efficient, with fully accessible features.

Once fully operational later this month, center visitors will be able to explore Everglades National Park’s Gulf Coast through ranger-led programs, boat tours, paddling opportunities, and immersive wildlife experiences, connecting people to this iconic landscape and the enduring vision that helped protect it.

Speakers at the event included: 

Kate MacGregor, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior 
Pedro Ramos, Superintendent, Everglades National Park 
Howie Grimm, Mayor, Everglades City  
Rodney Barreto, Chairman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 
Chauncey Goss, Chairman, South Florida Water Management District  
Eric Eikenberg, CEO, The Everglades Foundation

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