Koreshan State Historic Site

Koreshan State Historic Site
Koreshan State Historic Site
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
	The Planetary Court
Location	Lee County, Florida, United States
Nearest city	Estero, Florida
Coordinates	26°26.0′N 81°49.0′W / 26.4333°N 81.8167°W
Area	135 acres (0.55 km2)
Governing body	Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Koreshan State Historic Site is a state park in Estero, Florida located on U.S. Highway 41 at Corkscrew Road. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 1976, under the designation of Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District.

It contains areas of pine flatwoods habitat and the site of a religious colony, the Koreshan Unity, whose last members deeded the land to the state in 1961.^[1]

Flora

The Koreshans imported a wide range of plant species from across the world, including: an Araucaria bidwillii (false monkey puzzle) tree, which is indigenous to Queensland, Australia, and drops seed pods as large as a football; a number of sausage trees, which are native to Africa and a favored food of giraffes; eucalyptus, mango and other fruit bearing trees; an extraordinary amount of Japanese bamboo that originally hails from the Edison and Ford Winter Estates; and many flowering trees and plants of a wide variety.

Fauna

Among the wildlife of the park are gopher tortoises, bobcats, gray foxes, North American river otters and American alligators. Birds spotted include swallow-tailed kites, bald eagles, northern bobwhites and red-shouldered hawks.

Recreational activities

Activities include fishing, picnicking, and boating, as well as camping, canoeing, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Amenities include a campground, boat ramp, trails and a picnic area on the Estero River. Kayak rentals from Estero Bay Outfitters on the river are available within a relatively short distance outside the park. Koreshan State Park has 60 campsites, 4 of which are glamping sites. In October 2024, it was confirmed that a section of the park would be converted to a golf course. The Dr. Cyrus Teed Memorial Greens will be a nine-hole executive course.