Spurlino Foundation Discovery Center Engages All Ages in Swampy Goodness

With exhibits like “The Secret Lives of Plants,” “Life Beneath the Surface,” and “Amphibians and Reptiles,” the 1,600-square-foot exhibit hall shines a spotlight on the Sanctuary's work as well as plants and animals like never before. 

 Thanks to a generous gift from the Spurlino Foundation, Audubon has renovated the original 1,600-square-foot discovery center space with new exhibits that illustrate the history and ecology of the Sanctuary while inspiring a conservation ethos in all our visitors.

For nearly three years, Audubon worked with the Michigan-based design firm Flutter & Wow, as well as local taxidermists and wildlife sculptors, to design exhibits that immerse visitors in the swamp's cultural and natural history. With mounted artifacts to touch, bird calls and other sounds to hear, and an opportunity to dress up like a prescribed fire professional, this multi-sensory learning experience is the perfect complement to a walk along our renowned 2.25-mile boardwalk.

The space, which had been closed since 2020, was completely updated with eye-pleasing signs, bright colors, video, and engaging activities that enhance learning. The “Gearing Up for Fire” exhibit puts kids on the front line of a prescribed fire, inviting them to try on real gear while checking out some of the tools of the trade. There’s an “Arthropod Magnifier” exhibit that invites the curious to zoom in on the details of moth wings and beetle proboscis. There’s even an indoor “scavenger hunt” that encourages visitors to keep track of the different species they see in the exhibits and dioramas and write down their sightings on the chalkboard, as boardwalk visitors do at the trail exit.  

The opening of the Spurlino Foundation Discovery Center marks the completion of the first phase of construction for a visionary $20 million Capital Campaign campus transformation. This phase included other visitor experience enhancements, such as new navigational signage for the parking lot, a new campus entrance, and 95 new wayfinding, interpretive, and educational signs along the boardwalk.

The team aims to break ground on the larger campus improvements, which include a new outdoor classroom complex for expanded educational programming, a centralized campus hub for collaboration between conservation and education teams, and on-site lodging for seasonal staff, interns, and visiting research partners this summer. Thanks to the incredible generosity of many, nearly $17 million towards the overall goal of $20 million has been raised, and Audubon hopes to cross the fundraising finish line by the end of 2026. 

Learn more about the capital campaign.