The Wonder Gardens has received $1.3 million through Florida's State Funds Appropriation to build a new event center. Wonder Gardens CEO Neil Anderson says the planned center will help the site fill a greater role within the community.

"One of the things we identified is that we needed a year-round, climate-controlled building for a lot of things, from education, classrooms, summer camps, field trips, weddings and corporate gatherings." Anderson said.

The event center will have a kitchen area, additional public restrooms, an aviary and a deck overlooking the Imperial River and Riverside Park.

Following damage from Hurricane Ian, the Wonder Gardens developed a master plan titled "Renew the Wonder." The event center has been a part of that plan since the beginning, in addition to other improvements.

"We want to keep that Old Florida look, really keep it true to what the Wonder Gardens means," Anderson said. "This new event center will help us do that and support attendance."