15+ Amazing Nature Centers in Maryland
Inside: These nature centers in Maryland will totally spark your kid’s love of nature and inspire your whole family to get outside and appreciate the outdoors!
One excellent way to instill a love of nature in your kids is to actually, you know, spend time outside in nature! Nature centers offer the perfect way to combine more traditional nature activities like hiking and exploring with kid friendly learning activities that will capture their imagination and are just loads of fun too!
There are so many nature centers in Maryland. We have picked out 19 that are completely worth your time. Pick one and go exploring this Spring!
Robinson Nature Center
I cannot rave enough about the Robinson Nature Center. Everyone has their favorite, and this one is our favorite of the many nature centers in Maryland. The facility is beautiful and the programs, especially for young kids, is exceptional. The Discovery Room is large and full of games, puzzles, nature themed toys, nature elements, and a few animals! There are regular short programs in the Nature Sphere and outside there are not only a few short trails for little legs, but a very fun nature playground.
You can read a full review here.
The touch tank is regularly open for guided exploration.
Brookside Nature Center
We had visited Brookside Gardens numerous times, but we never stopped at this cool nature center until last Spring! It is really such a nice facility. There is a nice little pond out front, a cabin out back, and in the nature center itself there are tons of opportunities for kids to explore nature, including a scavenger hunt, turtles, a bee hive, and more!
One of the added benefits of the Brookside Nature Center is that you can walk a short path from there to Brookside Gardens, which is a fantastic nature playground it its own right! Oh, and even better? Wheaton Regional Park is co-located here as well! Many of the nature centers in Maryland are connected to parks– which is a great added benefit.
Click here for more information on Brookside Nature Center and for details about their programs.
Oregon Ridge Nature Center
Oregon Ridge Nature Center in Baltimore County is a lovely nature center in a gorgeous setting. Inside the nature center there are tons of nooks and crannies to explore like turtles, snakes, and other small animals. There is a pretty cool bear taxidermy that your kids will love, and fun nature-themed activities.
Outside there is a lot to explore too! There are numerous trails that are the perfect length for little legs. And there is an awesome nature playground with all kinds of features to promote both imaginative play and safe risks. Your kids will go nuts here!
Click here for more information about the Oregon Ridge Nature Center programs.
Clearwater Nature Center
Located at the Cosca Regional Park in Prince George’s County. The nature center features a small indoor pond, live animal exhibits, a lapidary workshop, and seasonal gardens. The nature center also features live animal shows featuring reptiles, amphibians, and birds of prey.
Click here for more information about the Clearwater Nature Center.
Irvine Nature Center
The Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills, MD is super super awesome. The inside of this nature center is absolutely gorgeous and packed full of fun nature exploration activities for kids. There are live animals, a super spooky nighttime nature experience, and an exploration area for young kids too.
Outside the Irvine Nature Center boasts 210 acres full of nature trails with plenty of areas for kids to explore. You can walk down to the aviary to say hi to the owls. Then head straight to the nature playground where your kids could spend hours in the mud kitchen, climbing structures, and nature musical instruments. Out of all the nature centers in Maryland, I really love the nature’s kitchen and nature playground at Irvine Nature Center!
We love the Irvine Nature Center and you will too! Click here to find out more!
Catoctin Creek Nature Center
This lovely nature center is located in Frederick County and is a stunning facility. One of their signature features is an expansive indoor turtle pond exhibit. On the second Saturday of each month, the nature center opens a sensory trail which includes twelve interactive touch, smell and listening stations, as well as eight tree bark sensory stations.
Click here for more information about the Catoctin Creek Nature Center programs and exhibits.
Watkins Nature Center
You will most likely visit Watkins Regional Park in Prince George’s County because of the fantastic Wizard of Oz Playground. But don’t just play with Dorothy and the Scarecrow! A short 1/4 mile walk down a shaded path brings you to a pretty awesome nature center too!
Inside there are tons of animals exhibits, including some truly gross ones (like cockroaches!). Your kids will love it! There are also some great nature themed activities and play areas, including an aviary outside with birds of prey.
Click here for my review of the Watkins Regional Park, including information about this nature center.
Meadowside Nature Center
Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville, MD is a great stop inside Rock Creek Regional Park. There are tons of trails, kid friendly activities, and a raptor walkway, dedicated to the conservation of these great birds of prey. The biggest hit though is the kid-sized cave!
Click here for more information.
Locust Grove Nature Center
This great nature center is located inside Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda, MD. This nature center is equipped with a nature playground, trails, and tons of indoor and outdoor exhibits like turtles, bird watching, and buried dinosaur fossil activities.
Click here for more information on the nature center.
Croydon Creek Nature Center
The nature center outside of Rockville, MD is the perfect place to spend a few hours with your kids. There is a lovely nature kitchen and sound garden outside. Inside your kids will love the live animals, fun nature activities (perfect for smaller kids), and public art installations (the wall is pretty awesome).
Click here for more information about Croydon Creek’s programs and exhibits.
Carrie Murray Nature Center
The Carrie Murray Nature Center has some cool animals in the nature center and outside of the center.
The animals are rescue animals and the staff are friendly and happy to show them to you with specifications.
The lounge area is only open on Saturdays & the Sundays they are open. They have kids corner and more! We visited on a fri afternoon so didn’t get to experience that part yet as they had some of their kids programs running and it also has limited hours. We were excited to check this place out though! The staff was very friendly and my son was happy to see some animals up close, learn about them, and pet them.
You can check out fun things(visit naturalist lending station & speak to staff) it has hike extras for kids, this is the coolest- You give them your keys to hold the item(s)
Willow Grove Nature Center
The Willow Grove Nature Center is part of Cromwell Valley Park. In the nature center area there are chickens and a very large and impressive Turkey. A short walk through the picnic area and you can see the Children’s Garden too!
Duck inside the nature center to enjoy three rooms filled with hands on nature activities, as well as animals such as frogs, turtles, and snakes!
Marshy Point Nature Center
Marshy Point Nature Center is located in Chase, MD and has so much to offer. It’s the perfect place for a kid friendly hike, or just to go and play. Here’s what you’ll find there:
– A nature center with various animals, toys, books, and kid friendly activities. The nature center also has clean, indoor bathrooms.
– Over eight miles of hiking trails, some of which have beautiful water views. Katie and Wil’s trail is short, paved and extremely kid friendly. The trail crosses over a bridge where you’ll be able to spot fish, birds, turtles, and other Maryland marine life.
– An outdoor aviary area
– The “Chesapeake Nature Discovery Play Space” which is an outdoor childrens play area.
– Tons of kid friendly events and programming throughout the year, including preschool and camp programs, storytimes, festivals, etc…
Hashawha Environmental Center and Bear Branch Nature Center
The Hashawha Environmental Center and Bear Branch Nature Center are really so kid friendly, especially younger kid friendly.
Hashawha Environmental Center is a 320-acre park that includes 5 miles of trails, raptor homes, fishing at Lake Hashawha, and the restored Martin Cabin Homestead.
The nature center has a fantastic playground, an aviary where you can see hawks, eagles, and owls, great trails that are super kid friendly, and lovely exhibits at the indoor nature center. The nature center includes hands-on educational exhibits, animals, a Discovery Room your kids will love, a planetarium and an observatory!
Charlotte’s Quest Nature Center
The Charlotte’s Quest Nature Center is such a gem for family friendly fun! Located at the 80-acre Piney Valley Park, they offer 4 miles of kid friendly trails, open fields and meadows and more!
There is an actual nature center as well, but currently you have to make a reservation to visit. Follow the website link to check out more details.
Fountain Rock Park and Nature Center
This lovely park and nature center are located in Walkersville as well. Fountain Rock is a 22.5 acre park that just opened in 2008.
In the 1800’s it housed a limestone quarry and kiln and was a limestone quarry until the 1980’s, when the land was given to Frederick County to be used as a park.
A few of the historic tenant houses are still located on site and were restored in conjunction with the land becoming a park.
The park has one of the strongest springs in the area and has been also used for watercress and fish farming in it’s history.
Park amenities include a very nice playground, a boardwalk, and the ability to see many of the historic buildings.
There is a fishing pond, wetlands, butterfly garden, tons of open space to play, and some lovely hiking trails.
One of the bigger draws for families though is the nature center. The nature center is home to animals like hissing cockroaches, snakes, frogs, and turtles. Also, there are discovery boxes for kids to explore!
Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park
The Discovery Center recently completed a major renovation that just makes the already awesome nature center even better! If you are in the Deep Creek area, this is one of the best nature centers in Maryland you can visit!
There is a playground and a great aviary with hawks, eagles, owls, and more. There are easy trails that are right next to the lake.
And the nature center is full on hands on fun!
They have bear tracks kids can put their hands into, turtles and snakes to see up close, raccoon and squirrel pelts, and more. There are really nice exhibits upstairs and downstairs there are even more hands on activities.
For kids there are coloring pages, sometimes they have craft activities, animal antlers and other nature playthings and more!
Eden Mill Nature Center
The Eden Mill Nature Center and Historic Grist Mill Site has so much to offer families! They offer 117 acres of outdoor activities from short hikes to sensory hikes along the river. You can visit the dam (or the waterfall as your kids will call it), and have a lovely picnic! Their 3+ miles of loop hiking trails are geared towards kids and families.
For families, they offer easy canoe trips (where they provide everything), a preschool nature series, owl prowl (in the fall), a super fun nature storybook art program, and more!
Don’t forget to stop into the nature center itself. There kids can explore with many of the fun, hands on nature exhibits, see some local animals, and everyone will enjoy taking a self guided tour of the old mill!
Black Hills Regional Park Nature Center
Black Hills Regional Park has amazing nature programs for families. The Vistior Center has a Bald Eagle display and a Children’s Corner with loads of fun activities for kids. Outside there are loads of Nature Playspace opportunities like a waterfowl viewing area, fairy garden, and more!
Are you inspired to check out one of these amazing nature centers in Maryland? I hope so!
Want more fun kid friendly maryland ideas? Check these out!
- Patapsco State Park is awesome for kids of all ages!
- 7 Maryland Hikes Perfect for little legs
- Why the Annmarie Sculpture Garden is one of the most magical places in the U.S.
- Going shark tooth hunting at a beach that doesn’t include a long hike
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