Nature centers are incredible!!!! They’re community spaces, little nature preserves, and educational hubs, all in one. Also, you might be able to find some dumb-looking taxidermy. I promise, whatever your interests, there’s something you’ll love at your local nature center. Here are just a few of the amazing things many nature centers offer: 

Hiking/walking trails

You can go on guided hikes or just wander around the woods, looking at plants, animals, and scenery. This can help both your physical and mental health. Nature centers make this especially convenient because they have bathrooms, water fountains, and–best of all–air conditioning. Also convenient is the fact that you don’t need to drive for three hours to the middle of nowhere just to be in the woods, as nature centers are almost always embedded within urban areas. Being near a nature center also makes hiking significantly safer. Not only are you near civilization, but you’re also near volunteers and staff who know first aid and aren’t afraid to navigate the forest to look for you if you need help.

Animals

At nature centers, you can see, touch, and sometimes even care for really cool, local critters! Not only canyou spot them in the trees, ponds, and rocks around nature centers, but you can also see them up close inside nature centers themselves. Lizards, frogs, snakes, and turtles of all varieties can be found in neatly labeled glass tanks on counters and in walls, or being taken out by experienced staff. In addition to these creatures, many of our local nature centers have enclosures for birds (generally those that can’t survive in the wild due to injuries or other impairments). These birds include hawks, owls, and vultures, and they are absolutely gorgeous. If you want to pet a snake, watch birds, bandage a turtle, or listen to frogs, your local nature center is the perfect place.

Plants, rocks, etc

Some nature centers have community gardens, where you can harvest, garden, talk to experts, or just enjoy the vibes. You can also look at the many lovely trees, berries, shrubs, and vines that fill the woods around these nature centers. And, if you have a question about plants or anything else, trust me, someone in the nature center will be thrilled that you asked and happy to help. If you struggle with gardening and can’t keep a plant alive, they can help you! They likely offer some kind of class, advice, or guide to make sure you can end up with actual flowers instead of a sad little pile of leaves. They also often do seed swaps or have seeds for free! Not only is that cost-effective, but it’s better for the environment, because these seeds are often native. If plants aren’t your style, then why don’t you look at some rocks? Next to streams, clustered around tree roots, or lying in rivers, nature centers are an excellent place to look for things like mica, unakite, and limestone.

Community, classes, and events

Not only do these nature centers help people understand their local environment, but they also help people make connections. Nature centers often have lots of opportunities and experiences that might be about nature or not. Gulf Branch, a local nature center, hosts a fall festival every year, with homemade cider, butter churning, scarecrow and cornhusk doll making, candle dipping, live music, and so much more. There are also many workshops, classes, and experiences that are offered. Here are some classes I have taken or want to take at Arlington’s local nature centers: blacksmithing, caring for injured turtles, building shelters in the woods, forest exploration, and snake wrangling.

Volunteering

If you want to learn new skills, get hours, and have a really fulfilling experience, you can volunteer at a nature center. Volunteer work may involve creek cleanup, planting trees, monitoring streams, or removing invasive species. These kinds of environmental initiatives are so important, and they really make a difference.

History and science

Many nature centers will also include exhibitions on the surrounding environment, weather, and even the history of an area. Gulf Branch Nature Center, for example, has an exhibit on some of the Indigenous nations who lived in this area before colonization, and Potomac Overlook Nature Center has an interactive display on topography and weather patterns.

With the bleakness of the world right now, one of the best things we can do is foster community and try to cultivate positive change. It might not feel like much, but it is really vital that we preserve, protect, and frequent places like nature centers. They are pockets of bustling forest that act as a safe haven for both people and animals. Especially with the funding of many such places under attack, showing that people care about these spaces could have a huge impact on their futures.