Zionsville Nature Center

The Zionsville Nature Center just opened last week at their new location in the Hussey Mayfield Library. I took my granddaughter over to visit for Earth Day, today. The new center is on the first floor of the library near the children's section. Rachel was on duty and is super knowledgable about nature and eager to visit with the kids (and adults). She told us that the new location is temporary until they move into a new dedicated facility in a few years. The center has displays of animals that are native to Indiana. There about a dozen live reptiles in the center including turtles and snakes. There are several hands on exhibits for the kids to explore. I enjoyed seeing the native birds up close. My granddaughter asked many questions that Rachel was happy to answer. The center offers monthly programs for all ages to help get kids interested in nature. You can find out and sign up for the programs through their website. We frequently sign up for the nature kits that are available over Spring Break and the holidays for a small fee. The kits come with video instructions narrated by Rachel. We just finished a kit to make a hummingbird feeder. Zionsville is fortunate to have the Nature Center.

This place is amazing. It's a hidden gem in Zionsville. If your kids like nature, and animals, and handling animal skulls and skins, then you will love the Zion Nature Center. This is a small, cottage-like nature center, but there are lots of little exhibits set up throughout. One room is all about pollinators, so you can see a honeybee hive through glass, and touch wasp nests and peer at (dead) monarch butterflies up close. Another room has a pair of microscopes set up to view pollen and spores. That same room has animal skins (shed snake skin, coyote hide, etc.) that you can pick up and touch. There's a basket full of animal feet (so hardcore) there too, like deer feet and a giant poultry claw. It's kind of gross and cool at the same time.The best room, according to my kids, is what they dubbed the "play room," because it has a bunch of toys, games, puzzles, stuffed animals, puppets and kids books. If you have young kids, you can probably stay in that room for at least an hour or more. There are wooden blocks to play with, and also a giant chalkboard wall that you can draw on.Zion Nature Center also offers educational classes and summer camp, too. Check their website -- they have an updated list of what they offer on their site.Adjacent to the nature center is a small playground with slides, a climbing wall and other fun stuff. There is also a hiking / walking trail (Zion Nature Sanctuary) several steps away, where you can go creek stomping and traversing through nature. One thing to note is that Zion Nature Center sits on the grounds of an elementary school, and the hours of operation reflect that. The nature center is only open on weekend and select holidays when school is out. Call or visit their webs try to make sure they are open before you visit.

I combined my visit to the Nature Center with one of their frequent tours. If you check out the park's FB page, there is a listing of all their upcoming events. I wanted to be able to explore the park (Sanctuary) area that is affiliated with the center, so I selected a walking tour about wildflowers.Note that the current nature center is on the property of an elementary school, so the center is only open on weekends and select school holidays. However, the park area is open everyday and if you look at the parking lot on the north side of the school, there are three spaces reserved for the park guests. So, I arrived a little before the tour was scheduled and browsed around inside the center. You can tell it was formerly a home: lots of small rooms, each with a different function. There are some with live animals like snakes, a bearded lizard, turtles, & salamanders. Others have displays of stuffed animals that live in the area. Some have interactive pieces that the kids can hold and check out. The staff was really friendly! Mindi, the county's Park Naturalist was conducting the tour and did a good job of engaging people on the tour and encouraging us to be active participants in the search for emerging plants. We were throwing all kinds of questions regarding plants, birds, park developments, and anything else nature related and she was able to answer most right off the top of her head. Very impressive!The hike/tour was fun, but was slightly altered due to recent rains soaking part of the trail. We were still able to see most of the loop and get to understand the general layout of the property. There is a retention pond with a shelter built over the water in the middle of the forest. How cool is that!?! There is some elevation change on the trail, but nothing too physically demanding. Note that the trails are foot worn, not paved.Overall, it was a fun visit/tour. I look forward to seeing what else they have scheduled in the coming months.Review #802

This nature center is awesome and has so many amazing activities! The nature trail is the best. It is a fantastic place to go for a walk, picnic, fish, and most importantly take beautiful photoshoots. The trail itself is great and takes you down to a little pond with a gazebo. It's so peaceful in there and the scenery is amazing. The trail goes around the forest that has great views and a bridge, then brings you back to the school. The park is good but the basketball courts could be better. The trail is definitely the best part. Go to hangout with friends, picnic or fish at the gazebo, or go on a peaceful walk. This place has it all and I will definitely be a regular.

Small space but don't let that fool you. Always something new going on and tons of great programs. Summer camps were a highlight for my kids, but you better get there early on sign-up day. The staff has always been very friendly. They even host parties.

Great for school aged children (and their parents)!Lotsnof hands on activities here, from touchable shells and bones, to live animals on display with information. We only had a little while to visit, so we will definitely be back!