Individuals participate in free choice learning (FCL) voluntarily while visiting zoos, museums, aquariums, parks, nature centers and occasionally through citizen science programs and ecotourism. FCL primarily educates participants about environmental issues, natural history and humans and the environment. Secondarily, encourages the public to enact long-term behavioral changes. Many FCL programs lack an evaluation component or only look at short-term behavioral changes and educational gain. Evaluation occurs as visitors are leaving the program, through qualitative assessment measuring visitor enjoyment or on-site observational assessment. Effective FCL requires intentionality in design, novel or unusual experiences, connection to place and connection to cultural and ecological education and information. Researchers need to conduct further studies into effective design and further evaluate of existing FCL programs. Additionally, future research needs to explore who engages FCL and how to reach a larger audience of individuals not pre-disposed to environmental education and action.