Most people think of the Environmental Learning Center's holiday season as one weekend in December, when the boardwalks light up for WinterGreen Night Lights. The ELC's own calendar fills up well before that. On Saturday, November 21, there are three programs on one campus. From there, the schedule runs into January and mostly follows the sunrise, the sunset and the moon. For Sea Oaks, this calendar sits just up A1A at 255 Live Oak Drive on the Wabasso Causeway.
The lights land in the middle of a season that runs from November into January.
November 21 Is the Busiest Day on the Calendar
Saturday's programs are spread through the day. The first two overlap by half an hour, so most people will choose one or the other in the morning and come back for the afternoon talk.
- 10 a.m. to noon. Leslie McGuirk leads "Quest for Inspiration," a creative workshop with interactive exercises meant to get people past habitual thinking.
- 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Writer and longtime writing instructor Darryl J. Benjamin presents "The Secret Life of a Place," a free program on the art of noticing. It draws on readings from Annie Dillard and Archie Carr and includes a short observation exercise using the Center's lagoon view.
- 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Hank Feeley gives his talk "The History of Flower Painting in 28 1/2 Minutes." As he talks, he paints in the styles of major historical artists, then sets up a flower still life and paints it in his own style.
Each program has its own RSVP, and the links are on the ELC's Palm House Gallery page and its Currents & Connections schedule. The ELC is also open regular hours that day, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, so there's time for the trails between sessions.
The Gallery Show Runs Through the Whole Season
Two of Saturday's three programs belong to Reflections: Past, Present, and Future. This group exhibition fills the Palm House Gallery & Studio in November and December with work by 16 artists. The lineup includes Ambrus Diossy, Hank Feeley, Gerry Geary, Dede Gilbert, Xaque Gruber, Rick Kelly, Madeline Long, Liz Mayo, Leslie McGuirk, Suzy Mellott, Lee Moore, Sean Sexton, Barbara Tiffany, Emily Tremml, Janet Tribus and Anneli Zeck.
Thirty percent of all proceeds go to the Environmental Learning Center. So a piece bought off the gallery wall also helps pay for the lagoon programs outside.
The show has two more dated events after November 21:
- Holiday Arty Party, Wednesday, December 16, 4 to 6 p.m. Meet the artists, hear live music, have refreshments and shop the art along with the nature-themed gifts at the Nature Nook.
- Suzy Mellott, "Alphabet Zoo," Sunday, December 27, 2 p.m. An artist talk in the quiet week between the holidays.
December 16 also has a morning event. The ELC's Guided Nature Walk meets on campus at 9:30 a.m. that day. It costs $25 per person, and a second ticket is half off. You could do the walk in the morning and the Arty Party in the late afternoon for one full day at the ELC.
The Water Programs Run on the Light
Most of the season's scheduled events happen on the water, and the times on the paddle schedule follow the sun.
First comes Water, Wonder & Wellness: A Blue Mind Boat Tour on Sunday, November 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Marine scientist and explorer Paola Espitia leads a two-hour pontoon cruise through the Indian River Lagoon built around Wallace J. Nichols' Blue Mind idea. Along the way the group looks for dolphins, birds, mangroves and oysters. Tickets are $65 per person and $50 per child ages 4 to 11, and you register through the Currents & Connections page.
Guided kayak tours go out every week from now into January. Here's how the ELC's paddle schedule breaks down:
| Tour | Start time | Dates, Nov. 20 to Jan. 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Guided Kayak Excursion | 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Nov. 20, 21, 27, 28; Dec. 4, 5, 18, 19, 26; Jan. 2, 8, 9 |
| Full Moon/Sunset Guided Kayak Tour | 4 p.m. | Nov. 23, 24; Dec. 22, 23 |
| Sunset Guided Kayak Tour | 3:45 p.m. | Dec. 8, 15, 29; Jan. 5 |
The morning tours are almost all on Fridays and Saturdays. The sunset tours fall on Tuesdays in December and early January, and the full-moon tours are on back-to-back weeknights. That means a weeknight on the water is available nearly every week of the season. Book through the ELC's paddle page.
The lagoon these tours paddle through has had recent restoration work. TCPalm reported that an ELC-led "Spoil the Lagoon" project on March 11, 2026, brought more than 20 volunteers out to restore three spoil islands. They cleared trails, installed BBQ grills and logged 190 wildlife observations across 37 species.
WinterGreen Lights Up December 10 to 12
WinterGreen Night Lights is the high point of the season. All three nights run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.:
- Thursday, December 10: ELC members only, with free admission
- Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12: open to the public
Public admission is paid at the door: $10 general, $5 for children under 12 and free for children under 2. The ELC asks guests to RSVP in advance but notes that an RSVP is not a ticket. Everyone who RSVPs is entered in a drawing for two pontoon tour tickets.
The boardwalks and trails light up, and the water program carries over too. Guided canoe tours go through illuminated mangroves with a guide doing the paddling. Riders must be 4 or older, with two per canoe, and the tours cost extra. The Living Lagoon aquarium and touch tank stay open in the evening. There are also holiday crafts, campfires with s'mores and gift shopping at the Nature Nook.
One activity runs only on Saturday, December 12: holiday cookie decorating with Chef Stacy Maple. Through the ELC's Cook & Connect page, sessions start every 30 minutes from 5 to 7:30 p.m. They cost $25 per dozen cookies, and ELC admission is separate.
What the Members' Night Is Worth
Annual ELC memberships cost $40 for an individual and $60 for a family. Members also get a 10% discount on activities. Two adults and two children under 12 would pay $30 to attend a public WinterGreen night. The same family gets in free on December 10 with a membership. A family membership costs twice the public admission for one night. It also covers the quieter preview night and the discounts on the paddle and walking tours scheduled into January.
The Days With Nothing Scheduled
Between the scheduled events, the ELC runs a daily drop-in program seven days a week, included with admission. The November and December schedule lists:
- Lagoon Connection, 9 a.m.
- Habitats Tour and Touch Tank, 10 a.m.
- Pollinator Power, 10:30 a.m.
- Lagoon Lowdown, 11 a.m.
- Secrets of the Pond, noon
- Touch Tank, 1 p.m.
- Aquaria Feeding, 3 p.m.
Campus admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and military, and $5 for children ages 2 to 11. Weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekend hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For visiting grandchildren over Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday, November 28 has a free program from 1 to 2 p.m. Local children's author Sara Russo reads Melby and the Warm-Water Wrong Turn, a story inspired by the real rescue of Melby the manatee. Afterward, kids make manatee thank-you cards for wildlife rescuers and a manatee craft from recycled materials.
Groups that would rather have the campus to themselves can book the ELC's Private Mangrove Magic Experience, an after-hours event. It costs $750 for up to 40 guests plus $20 for each additional guest, and you book by contacting the ELC directly.
Several of these programs have limited space, including the guided canoes at WinterGreen, the Blue Mind pontoon and the kayak tours. Check each booking page before planning a day around one.
Good local knowledge includes knowing which Tuesday in December has a sunset paddle. At Kathleen Provancher, we keep track of the north island calendar the same way we track its homes. If you're thinking about your place in Sea Oaks while you plan your season, start with our Instant Home Valuation.
