List of nature centers in Ohio
This is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the state of Ohio.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
| Name | Location | County | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adell Durbin Park | Stow | Summit | Northeast | website, 34 acres, includes the Harold Welch Nature Center |
| Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm | Dayton | Montgomery | Southwest | Over 200 acre natural area and educational farm. Operating as an environmental education, sustainable agriculture, and Audubon Center of the National Audubon Society in western Ohio. |
| Avon Woods Nature Center and Preserve | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | Owned and operated by the Cincinnati Park Board |
| Barkcamp State Park | Belmont | Belmont | Southeast | 1,005-acre park, nature center offers programs during the summer months |
| Battelle Darby Creek | Galloway | Franklin | Central | 14,000 sq-foot nature center featuring a living stream and interactive exhibits, 7,060-acre park, operated by Columbus Metroparks |
| Beaver Creek State Park | East Liverpool | Columbiana | Northeast | 2,722-acre park, includes the Pioneer Village and the Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center with small live animals, natural history dioramas, displays of insects, arrowheads and nature photography |
| Beech Creek Gardens | Alliance | Stark | Northeast | website, a sensory garden for the visually and non-visually impaired is provided and maintained at this location. |
| Blacklick Woods | Reynoldsburg | Franklin | Central | 643-acre park with nature center, operated by Columbus Metroparks |
| Blendon Woods | Westerville | Franklin | Central | 653 acres, nature center, operated by Columbus Metroparks |
| Brecksville Nature Center | Brecksville | Cuyahoga | Northeast | website, operated by Cleveland Metroparks in 3,494-acre Brecksville Reservation |
| Brown Family Environmental Center | Gambier | Knox | Central | website, part of Kenyon College, about 380 acres, gardens, outdoor recreation, programs |
| Brukner Nature Center | Troy | Miami | Southwest | website, 165 acres, hands-on exhibits, live native animals, art exhibits, wildlife rehabilitation |
| Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center | Alliance | Stark | Northeast | website, operated by University of Mount Union, displays on natural history, bird observatory, trails |
| Caesar Creek State Park | Waynesville | Warren | Southwest | Includes pioneer village of over 15 log cabins and other structures and the Caesar Creek Nature Center |
| Caldwell Preserve | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | website, nature center, operated by the Cincinnati Park Board in Carthage, Cincinnati |
| California Woods Nature Preserve | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | website, nature center, 113 acres, operated by the Cincinnati Park Board |
| CanalWay Center | Cuyahoga Heights | Cuyahoga | Northeast | website, operated by Cleveland Metroparks in 306-acre Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, live small animals, exhibits on nature, industry and the canal |
| Children's Schoolhouse Nature Park | Kirtland | Lake | Northeast | website, operated by Lake Metroparks, open for programs or by appointment |
| Cincinnati Nature Center | Milford | Clermont | Southwest | Protects over 1,600 acres in two locations |
| Dawes Arboretum | Newark | Licking | Central | Over 1,800 acres, 8 miles of hiking trails and a four-mile auto tour, Discovery Center, education programs |
| Deer Creek State Park (Ohio) | Mt. Sterling | Madison | Southwest | website, 2,337-acre resort park, nature center offers nature programs during the summer months |
| Dillon State Park | Nashport | Muskingum | Southeast | website, 3,845 acres, programs offered in the summer |
| Donald W. Meyer Center at Big Creek Park | Chardon | Geauga | Northeast | website, operated by the County, 642-acre park |
| Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve | Colerain | Hamilton | Southwest | website, operated by the Hamilton County Park District, 22 acres, paved trail, gardens, Ellenwood Nature barn for programs and a gift shop |
| Ford Nature Center | Youngstown | Mahoning | Northeast | Located in Mill Creek Park, displays of plants and animals of four local habitats, live animals, discovery room |
| French Creek Nature & Arts Center | Sheffield Village | Lorain | Northeast | website, operated by Lorain County Metro Parks, nature programs and exhibits, wildlife observation area, indoor playground |
| Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center | Yellow Springs | Greene | Southwest | Operated by Antioch College in 1,000-acre Glen Helen Nature Preserve |
| Grand Lake St. Marys State Park | St. Marys | Auglaize | Northwest | Programs offered in the summer, 591-acre park |
| Grange Insurance Audubon Center | Columbus | Franklin | Central | website, operated by Audubon Ohio, located within the 120-acre Scioto Audubon Metro Park on the Scioto River |
| Harrison Lake State Park | Wauseon | Fulton | Northwest | 147 acres with 105-acre lake, camping and trails |
| Highbanks Nature Center | Lewis Center | Delaware | Central | website, 1,159 acres, operated by Columbus Metroparks |
| Hocking Woods Nature Center | Nelsonville | Athens | Southeast | website, part of Hocking College, features an interpretive building, wildlife habitats, ponds, walkways, feed stations and seasonal programming |
| Hueston Woods State Park | College Corner | Preble | Southwest | 625-acre Acton Lake |
| Imago Earth Center | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | website, located in Price Hill, Cincinnati, 16 acre urban nature preserve and education facility at the Earth Center |
| Indian Lake State Park (Ohio) | Lakeview | Logan | Northwest | website, programs in the summer, 800-acre multi-use park |
| Kiser Lake State Park | St. Paris | Champaign | Southwest | website, 531 acres with 396-acre lake, nature center |
| La Boiteaux Woods | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | website, nature center, operated by the Cincinnati Park Board, over 2 miles of trails, nature displays, animal mounts, live animals |
| Lake Alma State Park | Wellston | Jackson | Southeast | website, 292-acre park, nature programs in the summer |
| Lake Erie Nature & Science Center | Bay Village | Cuyahoga | Northeast | website, indoor and outdoor live animal displays, planetarium, wildlife rehabilitation, located in 103-acre Huntington Reservation |
| Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center | Put-in-Bay | Ottawa | Northwest | website Indoor and outdoor turtle ponds, live reptiles & amphibians, observation beehive, bird watching window, geology display including animation on how the Lake Erie Islands were formed, large taxidermy wildlife collection of North American wildlife with interactive displays. Free programs every Tuesday in the summer |
| Lake Hope State Park | McArthur | Vinton | Southeast | 2,983-acre park, includes a nature center |
| Lake Loramie State Park | Minster | Shelby | Southwest | Programs offered year round, 407 acres |
| Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center | Crestline | Crawford | Northwest | website, operated by Crawford Park District, interpretive displays, discovery area, live animals |
| Maumee Bay State Park | Oregon | Lucas | Northwest | 1,336 acres, Trautman Nature Center open year round, features interactive displays, an auditorium, research laboratory and viewing windows |
| Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve | Mentor | Lake | Northeast | website, nature center, 673-acre preserve, features the Carol H. Sweet Mentor Marsh Nature Center, operated by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History |
| Metzger Nature Center | Stone Creek | Tuscarawas | Northeast | website, operated by Ohio Northern University, 70-acre field station for the biological sciences |
| Miami Whitewater Forest | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | 4,345 acres, operated by the Hamilton County Park District, visitor center features nature displays and a gift shop |
| Narrows Reserve & Nature Center | Xenia | Greene | Southwest | website, operated by Greene County Parks, 162 acres, features native plant and animal exhibits, raptor aviary and an apiary |
| Nature Center at Shaker Lakes | Shaker Heights | Cuyahoga | Northeast | 20 acres |
| Norma Johnson Center | Dover | Tuscarawas | Northeast | website, 303-acre preserve, picnic shelter, over 6 miles of trails, environmental education programs |
| North Chagrin Nature Center | Mayfield Village | Cuyahoga | Northeast | website, operated by Cleveland Metroparks in North Chagrin Reservation, features educational displays, resource library, auditorium and nature shop |
| Paint Creek State Park | Bainbridge | Ross | Southwest | 5,652-acre park, nature center programs offered in the summer |
| Penitentiary Glen Reservation and Nature Center | Kirtland | Lake | Northeast | website, operated by Lake Metroparks, 424 acres, over 7.5 miles of hiking trails, interactive Nature Calls exhibit, wildlife center with native animal ambassadors |
| Pike Lake State Park (Ohio) | Bainbridge | Ross | Southwest | 13 acres, programs offered in the summer |
| Pymatuning State Park (Ohio) | Andover | Ashtabula | Northeast | 3,512 acres, programs offered in the summer |
| Quail Hollow State Park | Hartville | Stark | Northeast | 703 acres, Carriage House Nature Center open on weekends from May through October |
| Rocky Fork State Park | Hillsboro | Highland | Southwest | 2,080-acre lake, nature programs offered in the summer at the campgrounds |
| Rocky River Nature Center | North Olmsted | Cuyahoga | Northeast | website, operated by Cleveland Metroparks, over 5 miles of trails along the river, nature exhibits, aquariums |
| Rotary Nature Center | Bowling Green | Wood | Northwest | website, operated by the city in 100-acre Wintergarden/St. John’s Nature Preserve |
| Salt Fork State Park | Lore City | Guernsey | Southeast | Nature center programs offered in the summer, 17,229 acres of land and 2,952 acres of water |
| Sharon Woods Centre | Sharonville | Hamilton | Southwest | website, 730 acres, operated by the Hamilton County Park District, features educational nature displays and Adventure Station indoor play area |
| Shawnee Prairie Preserve and Nature Center | Greenville | Darke | Southwest | website, 118 acres, operated by the County |
| Shawnee State Park | Portsmouth | Scioto | Southwest | 1,095 acres, nature center open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, live animals |
| Trailside Nature Center in Burnet Woods | Cincinnati | Hamilton | Southwest | website, nature center, 90 acres, nature library, crafts room, meeting space, exhibits and the Wolff Planetarium, operated by the Cincinnati Park Board |
| Twin Valley Welcome Center | Germantown | Montgomery | Southwest | website, operated by Five Rivers MetroParks, 1,665-acre Germantown Park |
| Van Buren State Park | Van Buren | Hancock | Northwest | Programs offered in the summer |
| Watershed Stewardship Center | Parma | Cuyahoga | Northeast | website, operated by Cleveland Metroparks in 324-acre West Creek Reservation, citizen science education programs |
| The West Woods | Novelty | Geauga | Northeast | website, 902-acre park, nature center open daily, hands-on exhibits about the geology and hydrology of Geauga County |
| Wilderness Center | Wilmot | Stark | Northeast | 619-acre main site with 10 miles of trails, interpretive building, astronomy education building, an observation tower, pier and picnic shelters |
| William C. Kraner Nature Center | Newark | Licking | Central | operated by Ohio Nature Education, educational displays about Licking County cultural and natural history |
| Winton Centre at Winton Wood | Springfield Township | Hamilton | Southwest | website, 2,555 acres, operated by the Hamilton County Park District, displays on pond life, animal characteristics and the water cycle |
| Woodland Mound | Anderson Township | Hamilton | Southwest | website, 1,066 acres, operated by the Hamilton County Park District, includes the Seasongood Nature Center with nature exhibits, outdoor observation deck and wild bird viewing area |