Friends of Weedon Island, Welcome!
We support the Weedon Island Preserve through education, preservation, and protection of its habitat, ecology, and cultural history.
Florida’s Largest Estuary
Weedon Island Preserve encompasses 3,600 acres on Florida’s Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest estuary. Owned by the State of Florida and managed by Pinellas County, visitors can hike over 5 miles of trails covering both wetland and upland habitats. The home of countless species including gopher tortoises, armadillos, native shorebirds, oyster beds, mangroves, pines, palm trees, saw palmetto, and cacti, the habitat is a special wonder in Florida’s most populated county.
Discover Our History
Connecting People to Place, a 6,000 square foot interactive exhibit hall in the Preserve’s Cultural and Natural History Center, introduces visitors to natural Florida, its ancient and modern peoples, and how the two shaped each other. Hidden worlds are revealed by paying close attention to the sights and sounds of the exhibit hall and adjacent prehistoric canoe display.
The exhibits are free and open to the public during the Center’s normal business hours.
Updates for Our Friends
Gopher Weedon Makes An Entrance!
At a December 7th evening event, the Friends of Weedon Island unveiled a bronze sculpture of Gopher Weedon for display in the Preserve Center's lobby. The sculpture honors the federally endangered gopher tortoise that is frequently [...]
Congratulations!
The 7th Annual Gopher Weedon Trail Run, sponsored by Friends of Weedon Island, is now in the books. Congratulations to the 200 participants who made the 8K event go by, quite literally, so fast! Once [...]
2017 Gopher Weedon Trail Run: Coming October 28
REGISTER NOW--This event sells out early each year! Tired of pounding the pavement on the same ole 5K race course? Gopher something different and enjoy 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) of natural trails through one of Tampa [...]