Preserving a piece of Old Florida

Everglades Wonder Gardens is a classic Old Florida roadside attraction. Brothers Bill and Lester Piper moved to Florida in the early 1930s and purchased property where the Tamiami Trail crossed the Imperial River. The siblings collected reptiles from the nearby Everglades and opened a small roadside zoo in 1936. In the 1940s they added Florida Panthers to their growing collection of animals, which was supplemented (and still is today) by injured animals needing rehabilitation from all over Southwest Florida. 

When I first visited Everglades Wonder Gardens, I was charmed and enthralled by this attraction that was seemingly untouched by time. Bypassed by a new alignment of US 41, the vintage park was a relic from the era when mom and pop businesses dotted the blue highways of the Sunshine State. In 2013 when David Piper decided to close the park, it had been in operation for nearly 80 years.

I was not the only one distressed to hear the attraction had closed, however, John Brady, a local nature photographer, decided to lease Everglades Wonder Gardens to give it new life as a botanical garden. He kept some of the smaller reptiles and flamingos but focused more on the beautiful tropical landscape than promoting gigantic alligators or trained otter shows. John contacted me to create a visual identity for the park, desiring a look that showed the new direction of this landmark from animal park to botanical garden. But he also wanted to maintain a link to the past and having an Old Florida feel was essential. 

Finding the right blend of old and new was a challenge, and we settled on using a flamingo as the primary visual element, as the new park would rely heavily on their collection of tropical birds to set them apart from other botanical gardens. I used a script font that evoked a vintage, whimsical feel but contrasted it with a condensed sans serif for the words “Wonder Garden” so it looked classy and not too kitschy. 

In addition to the logo I designed t-shirts, web graphics, ads, and collateral for Brady to use during this interim period. In 2014, a non-profit was created to run the park, and the City of Bonita Springs has lent support to keep this wonderful treasure from falling by the wayside. I’m pleased to see they are still using the identity I created.