The Randell Research Center (RRC) at the Pineland Complex was established by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida in 1996.

The Randell Research Center serves the greater community of southwest Florida as an open to the public educational outreach center that has a dog-friendly walkable trail system, the Calusa Heritage Trail.

Large portions of the Pineland Complex are accessible to the public on the 3,700-foot interpretive walking path that meanders among and over the archaeological mounds, wetlands, and canal system. The trail includes museum-quality signs and wayside benches, as well as stairways to the top of the mounds, observation platforms atop the tallest mound, and a bridge and boardwalk over low-lying areas. Most of the trail is paved with reduced concrete, although some portions are mulched.

The Randell Research Center was made possible by a generous donation by Donald and Patricia Randell of over 50 acres of property that was once the major town of the native Calusa Indians and their ancestors. The Pineland Complex is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Lee County historical resource. Similarly, the center is a designated stop on Lee County’s Great Calusa Blueway, a marked canoe and kayak trail.

Please visit the Randell Research Center website to learn more about visitor information and upcoming events.