Marco Island, Fl: Otter Mound and historic museum

The Otter Mound Preserve is worth a short trip if you are on Marco Island. Do not expect to see any otters there as it is named after Ernest and Gladys Otter who owned the property previously. There are some displays about the history of the island, as well as of the many butterfly and plant species you’ll see at this small preserve.

One of the more interesting things there is the remains of the walls Ernest built of conch shells which are quite impressive and give an idea of how common those animals were at the time.

In terms of wildlife, you can have a chance to see the gopher tortoise or any of their burrow’s co-habiting animals (including snakes, frogs, mice and burrowing owls). Because so many different animals live in burrows they dig, these tortoises are a keystone species for the island and very important. As tortoises (not turtles) they live entirely on dry land and b belong here, not on the beaches like the turtles that nest on the island.

The site even is listed on Atlas Obscura.

If you want to learn much more about local history, the Marco Island Historical Museum is a surprisingly good museum for its size. It has a lot of information about the Calusa Indians as well as artifacts left behind on the island. And in the courtyard is a giant reproduction of one of the smallest artifacts, a carving of a cat).

It also has displays on more recent history, like the development of the island, the airline industry there, as well as popular restaurants (with some of their old recipes).

There is also a nice gift shop with quality items in the building.