Nature Centers in the Cleveland Area

Some of our favorite places to go YEAR round are Nature Centers.

The trails are exciting and beautiful to explore. Inside the buildings, there's often lots to do and learn about nature. These visits for us are almost always both educational and inspiring!

In case you didn't already know--the Cleveland area has some GREAT Nature Centers. 💜

We especially love going to Nature Centers during the winter months. Particularly because it can be hard to find ways to get out with your kids when the weather is cold. Nature Centers are often free, and they're indoors, making for a great, low-cost adventure outing.

Now, let's dive into our favorite Cleveland area Nature Centers.

Rocky River Nature Center
24000 Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070 

This Nature Center is pretty large compared to some of the others. It's definitely a great spot to hit up in the winter when you're feeling stir-crazy. It features a fun indoor treehouse for littles to climb and explore and burn off energy. It also has fun reptiles to see.

The trails around the center are great, and they recently refurbished the amazing Fort Hill steps (155 steps 😯).

My kids love climbing the steps, and it works great for wearing them out. 🤣

Canal Way Center
4524 E 49th St, Cleveland,

The Canal Way Center is my littlest's favorite!

The Canal Way Center has an incredible boat that my kids could make-believe in for hours. They also have several tanks with turtles, and they recently added a children's nature nook room that has puzzles and books and some more reptile tanks to check out 🐍 🐸 

Plus, the trails that surround this Nature Center are my absolute favorite Cleveland Metroparks trails!

Watershed Stewardship Center
2277 W Ridgewood Dr, Parma,
OH 44134

The Watership Stewardship Center is dedicated to scientific research and promoting sustainable action. You can enjoy stream exhibits and learn about stormwater management and how to restore impacted areas.

They have a fun interactive screen that helps kids learn about the importance of recycling, a large tank with fish, a big open room with some kids' toys, puzzles, and some great trails to explore.

North Chagrin Nature Center
401 Buttermilk Falls Pkwy, Willoughby, OH 44094

The North Chagrin Nature Center has a small kids' play area with a little tree for kids to climb through. There's also a bird-watching window that my kids love looking out of (the Nature Center has binoculars you can use), and they have tanks filled with different reptiles 🐍 and fish 🐠.

The trails here are really nice, with an area that goes over the water, an owl exhibit, and a giant fake snake (that my kids love climbing all over).

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
28728 Wolf Rd, Bay Village, OH 44140

The Lake Erie Nature & Science Center has a great indoor area with reptiles and fish. There is no children's play area at this nature center, but they have a planetarium 🪐 where they do programs for kids of all ages.

They are really fun and only cost a few dollars. You can find out more about programs here https://www.lensc.org

They also have a great outdoor wildlife exhibit with different animals and birds and a story walk path (books are changed seasonally).

French Creek Nature Center
4530 Colorado Ave, Sheffield, OH 44054

The French Creek Nature Center has a fun kids' playroom with a climbing wall in the shape of a tree.

You can also check toys out from the front desk to bring them into the playroom. 

Next to the kids' room, they have a large fish tank that's also fun to explore. We also enjoy walking down the trails to the creek when the weather permits.

Carlisle Reservation Visitor Center
12882 Diagonal Rd, Lagrange, OH 44050

The Carlisle Reservation Visitor Center has a fabulous indoor dinosaur-themed playground. There are tunnels and ramps, a slide, and even a little treehouse. Every time we visit, I'm always so impressed with how cool this playground is for being indoors and FREE.

Next to the playground is a reptile room with a few toys and a kids’ tent. There is also a great children's nature trail outside with little cabins to play in, a story walk, and a free train ride on certain days in the summer. PLUS they have a raptor center. 🦉

This one is a bit of a drive for us, but we usually spend hours here, so it's definitely worth it.

Brecksville Nature Center
Chippewa Road, Brecksville, OH

The Brecksville Nature Center is a small nature center with a small kids' corner that is mostly filled with kids' books. They always seem to have some little interactive educational exhibit set up for the kids to explore. 

While this is definitely a smaller Nature Center than most on this list, and you probably wouldn't spend too much time at it, they have some really great walking trails. They're also building a brand new nature-themed playground across the street by the pavilion.

Penitentiary Glen Reservation Nature Center
Kirtland Chardon Road, Willoughby, OH

The Penitentiary Glen Reservation Nature Center has a lot of fun interactive and educational stations set up. They also have a great kids' play area that is set up to look like a campsite.

They also have one of the largest nature play areas in town and a wildlife center. This is another one that is a bit of a drive for us, but we could literally spend all day here. We think it's totally worth it!

Liberty Park Nature Center
9999 Liberty Rd, Twinsburg, OH 44087

The Liberty Park Nature Center is such a lovely nature center. It has a bird-watching area and nature displays set up with little scavenger hunts for the kids to do (and we all know my kids LOVE scavenger hunts 😂).
The trails outside lead to a cute little nature playground, and if you go a little further, there are some stunning ledges.

Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
South Park Boulevard, Cleveland, OH

Inside the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, you will find some fun reptiles and a place where you can crawl through a giant tree stump. Outside, you can walk the beautiful trails, explore a treehouse, have fun at their NEW nature playground, and sit under a hand-carved gazebo.

NATURE CENTERS CHECKLIST

That's our list! If you'd like to download our Nature Center checklist to keep track of where you've been, click this link to download the PDF to print at home. CLEWITHKIDS NATURE CENTER CHECKLIST