A $9 million Environmental Education Center opened in 2004 at Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs. The center is set in a 8,500-acre preserve northeast of Clearwater and features 6,000 square feet of exhibits including an object theater, where holographic residents from the area’s past step off the screen to teach about the history of the area, a scaled up version of a gopher tortoise burrow that kids and adults can climb through and explore and an interactive exhibit showing the lifecycle of the surrounding wetlands through the year. The preserve offers free nature hikes on weekends and features a scenic six-mile horseback trail. the Preserve also has a series of boardwalks and hiking trails enabling residents, school groups and visitors to enjoy the many natural habitats available on this pristine piece of land including animals, birds, plants and wildflowers. Read Less