The Chinsegut Nature Center is now open to the general public on
Friday & Saturday from 8 am - 2 pm.
The nature center will have someone at the building giving out information
and the public may hike the trails!
Map to Chinsegut | Schedule of Activities | Volunteer Opportunities
| Oct 11 2008 Reptile and Amphibian Festival Vendor or Exhibitor Reservation Form | Nov 1 2008 Pioneer Day Vender or Exhibitor Reservation Form |
Located 7 miles north of Brooksville, Chinsegut Nature Center covers 408 of the 828 acres comprising Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA). The area is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 
Commission and funded by the Pittman-Robertson Program and state legislative appropriations. The nature center is the only educational facility operated by the Commission's Office of Recreational Services.
Chinsegut was owned in the early 1900s by Col. Raymond Robins, whose colorful career included gold mining in Alaska and serving as an economic advisor to five presidents. Robins named his land "Chinsegut," an Alaskan Innuit Indian word for the "spirit of lost things." Robins used a looser translation: "The place where things of true value that have been lost may be found again.
Robins donated his property to the federal government in 1932 to be used as a wildlife refuge. In 1973 the Commission acquired Chinsegut Nature Center. Chinsegut WEA reached its current size in 1989, when the Commission acquired an additional 420 acres, known as the Big Pine Tract.
Chinsegut WEA is home to many wildlife species, and wildlife viewing is possible throughout the year. White-tailed deer are abundant and frequently wander near the building. Turkeys move in and out of the oaks and pines, sometimes roosting in the cypresses next to May's Prairie. Because May's Prairie occasionally becomes dry, the frequent lack of fish makes it a mecca for thousands of amphibians, including pig and bull frogs, dwarf sirens and tiger salamanders, who produce young uninterrupted by hungry fish. The gopher frog, a species of special concern in Florida, calls his courting snore-like call from the confines of the prairie after heavy fall and winter rains.
Seeking some of the bountiful wildlife May's Prairie has to offer is the bobcat, who leaves his
telltale scat on the boardwalk after a nocturnal visit. Higher up in the surrounding sandhills, gopher tortoises, another species of special concern, browse near the half-moon-shaped burrows. These are Chinsegut's oldest animal residents, who have watched the seasons change here for nearly a half-century.
Chinsegut Nature Center hosts many educational programs and hikes throughout the year. To preserve the beauty of the area, the center is open to the public only during scheduled programs or by appointment.
Near Chinsegut Nature Center, you'll find Chinsegut Hill Conference and Retreat Center, operated by the University of South Florida Foundation, offering a secluded setting for professional conferences and other events.
- Map to Chinsegut
- Schedule of Activities
- Map of Chinsegut Trail System - pdf file
- Trail Guide for the Nature Center Track - pdf file
- Trail Guide for the Big Pine Tract - pdf file