5 nature centers where you can take a break from the city

Sarah Bell, president and CEO of Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainesville, views nature centers as a place where “children can be children and adults can relax.”

Nature centers are a whole lot more than trees, animals, plants and hiking trails. They offer a variety of programs for kids, including summer camps, as well as classes and social activities for adults. They are all involved in conservation, advocate for growing native plants, wildlife rescue, promote sustainability and work to have visitors — young and older — “fall in love with the environment so they’ll want to protect it,” said Bell.

And while the core goals and values are similar, each of the area’s nature centers offer different programs and experiences.

Here are five worth exploring in (or not far outside) the Atlanta metro area.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Autrey Mill Nature Preserve

Johns Creek’s Autrey Mill Nature Preserve was started as a community effort to save land from development back in the 1970s and ‘80s. Their efforts resulted in the 46-acre nature center that includes forests, wetlands and three miles of trails.

In addition, Autrey Mill has two historic museums, Heritage Village and the Farm Museum. Heritage Village consists of a large pole barn as well as seven historic buildings, including a tenant farmhouse, the Green Country Store and the Warsaw Church. The Farm Museum showcases items including a plow, doctors buggy and a corn sheller used by area farmers from the mid-19th century through the 20th century.

“Our big picture is to connect people to the natural environment,” said Lizen Hayes, executive director. “We have animals and native wildlife and talk about why it’s important to protect them and preserve the lands.”

The center offers a variety of activities where guests learn about feeding the mill’s snakes, turtles, frogs, rabbits and chickens as well as on-demand goat walking classes and night hikes.

A variety of children’s programs and camps are also offered. Memory Baker’s children, ages 8 and 6, are enrolled in its summer program. “My daughter, who’s 8, really loves the center because she gets to have animal encounters with rescue animals or those that can’t be released. She loves getting up close and personal with the snakes and that cute possum, Winnie,” she said. “She just loves being outside in the woods and the daily hikes. She also likes arts and crafts programs.”

Memory Baker added, “I haven’t met a kid who doesn’t love animals and want to expand their knowledge.”

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Big Haynes Creek Nature Center

Big Haynes Creek Nature Center is an 173-acre conservation site of wetlands and woodlands with an additional 200 acres of open meadows. Amenities include a canoe launch, observation platforms, bird-watching blind, pollinator garden and bluebird and butterfly trails. The center also holds events such as “Be a Bat Detective!” and a wild mushroom scavenger hunt.

Hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders enjoy the five miles of trails winding through the nature center. Those trails also connect with a more comprehensive trail system running throughout the Georgia International Horse Park’s 14,000 acres.

“We’re an amazing asset for the community,” said Tanner. “With our trails, you can in two hours or so get a taste of different settings — wetlands, forests, big meadows. You don’t normally get that in a city area.”

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Perhaps the best-known area nature center, Roswell’s Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) sits on 127 acres and boasts 2.5 miles of hiking trails, including an ADA-compliant River Boardwalk. For those who want an aerial view, there is an hour-and-a-half zipline tour and an aerial adventure course for ages 6 and up.

Adult programs include guided forest bathing (Japanese-inspired sensory immersion, with no water required) and a bird walk, while families can have breakfast with butterflies, opossums and turtles or a take night hike. Pee Wee Naturalist is a program in which kids create nature art, visit the wildlife center and hike; Camp Kingfisher is the nature center’s summer camp.

Each year 140,000 people visit, including between 50,000 to 60,000 students. “We are the only interpretive center on the river, and we make use of that both for recreational and educational purposes,” said Natasha Rice, president and CEO. For instance, the center offers CNC-led canoeing, date night canoeing and weekend canoe trips.

The center holds rehabilitation permits from the state and federal governments and helps more than 750 injured and orphaned raptors, reptiles and amphibians annually. Although most are released back into nature, the center houses and displays about 100 animals that can’t be released. In addition, the center sponsors a butterfly festival each year in early June and grows native vegetables, which are donated to a food pantry.

Credit: Mariko Kajikawa Photography

Credit: Mariko Kajikawa Photography

Dunwoody Nature Center

Now in its 32nd year, the Dunwoody Nature Center is situated on 22 acres including an old growth forest, wetlands and Wildcat Creek.

“Our mission is to inspire a love of nature and promote environmental stewardship,” said Nancy Longacre, executive director. Toward that aim, the center offers adult-oriented nature classes and activities such as Monarchs and Margaritas, a beekeeping club, sound bathing (in which “soothing tones of crystal singing bowls wash over you,” according to an event description), nature lover’s book club, painting classes, yoga, Tai chi and bird walks.

Dunwoody Nature Center presents children’s programs as well as camps and programs for home schooling. “We have a robust environmental education program for children,” Longacre said. “But they enjoy the creek. My goodness, kids love taking off their shoes and socks and splashing around. A lot of kids don’t have access to that.”

The center also offers a milkweed program aimed at creating a welcoming environment for migrating pollinators.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Elachee Nature Science Center

The Elachee sits in the 1,440-acre Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve, one of the state’s largest protected and most ecologically diverse green spaces. There are live animal encounters where visitors can interact with 25 native Georgia reptile and amphibian species, as well as Chewy, a unreleasable Great Horned Owl. In addition, there is an interpretive exhibit on the pollinator ecosystem, 12 miles of hiking trails and Outdoor Playspaces, where kids can build forts, explore tunnels and play giant-sized games.

More than 26,000 children visit annually, including more than 1,000 summer campers. Naturalists are on-site and there are special programs such the Wildlife Festival, scheduled September 14, where you can touch a snake, enjoy reptile and raptor demonstrations, hug animals at the petting zoo and climb trees.

In the big picture, with growth and development posing a greater challenge to Atlanta’s “City in the Forest” claim each year, the need for nature centers should only grow. Although she was referring to her center, Lizen Hayes of the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve could be speaking for all the area’s nature places, when she said, “We’re a hidden gem.”

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

NATURE CENTERS

Autrey Mill Nature Preserve. Nature Preserve Grounds: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Visitor Center and Farm Museum: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Free. 9770 Autrey Mill Road, Johns Creek. 678-366-3511, autreymill.org

Big Haynes Creek Nature Center. Sunrise to sunset daily. Free. 855 Costley Mill Road, Conyers. 770-860-4190, georgiahorsepark.com

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Chattahoochee Nature Center. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays (seasonal). Adults, $20; ages 3-12, $14; seniors and ages 13-18, $16. 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-2055, chattnaturecenter.org

Dunwoody Nature Center. Sunrise to sunset daily. Free. 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody. 770-394-3322, dunwoodynature.org

Elachee Nature Science Center. Chicopee Woods Hiking Trails: 7 a.m.-sunset daily. Visitor Center: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. $10. $5 parking. 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976, elachee.org