Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach has opened a new Visitor and Nature Center following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Nov. 9, according to the Florida State Parks Foundation.
The approximately $4.2 million facility sits near the park entrance and is designed to serve as a hub for meetings, events, workshops and volunteer opportunities. Its covered outdoor breezeway includes new educational and interpretive elements focused on the park’s natural resources, including coastal dune lakes and the endangered Choctawhatchee beach mouse.
Topsail Hill Preserve covers 1,640 acres in Northwest Florida and is known for its 3.2 miles of beachfront and dunes that can reach 25 feet tall. The park also has 15 miles of trails, freshwater and saltwater fishing opportunities, and coastal dune lakes for paddling.
Those dune lakes are a particularly rare ecosystem, occurring in Northwest Florida as well as parts of Oregon, Australia, New Zealand and Madagascar, the foundation said. The park contains 16 natural communities and is home to 13 imperiled wildlife species.
The Florida State Parks Foundation said it worked with more than 15 businesses, community foundations and private citizens to fund the center’s interpretive and educational features. The Walton County Board of County Commissioners contributed $285,000 to the project, alongside donations from partners including Florida Power & Light, the St. Joe Community Foundation and the Jacarlene Foundation.
