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The Wild Center
Good-for-Kids Rating
Babies
Toddlers & Pre-KSchool-Age Kids
Pre-Teens & Teens
Science & Nature Museum
The Wild Center Description
It may be indoors, but this science center in the woods is every bit the eco adventure. Step inside the soaring and stunning Adirondack lodge and investigate the high-peaks ecosystems, the local wildlife, and the history of the Adirondacks that was once a glacier wonderland. Striking features like the below-pond-level lobby (talk about a fish-eye view) and the glacial wall offer a new perspective to all that nature stuff you've been exploring outside. It's enough to make a science lover for life.
Kid Tips
Toddlers & Pre-K: Two words: The Pines. The outdoor playground is made entirely of natural elements (sticks, dirt) that we moms and dad used to call toys. Kids will love it. A piece of advice: Visit after the exhibits, or you may never make it indoors.
School-Age Kids: River Otters? Yup. They're among the local wildlife in the Adirondacks, represented here by four resident otters who call the Wild Center home. Make sure to visit them at least an hour before closing, when they leave for their dinner break.
Pre-Teens & Teens: Green kids will enjoy learning about how climate change impacts the region, and investigating the science of the sustainable building. Look for info near the solar roof out back.
Planning Notes
- Great outdoors. Four walls can't capture all that the Wild Center has to offer. Make sure to investigate the outdoor trails either on your own, or with a guide on one of the daily tours.
- Please touch. Kids who prefer hands-on discovery (and who doesn't?) will find lots to do in the learning labs which could keep the family exploring and investigating for days.
- Multimedia. The Wild Center has beautiful videos aplenty about every natural subject that affects the region. Don't miss the wide-screen look at the Adirondacks in the main theater.
Just the Facts
Hours: Memorial Day through Labor Day, daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Labor Day through October, daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; November through Memorial Day, Fri-Sun., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; open Presidents Day Week and special holiday hours.
Fees: $10-$20.
Recommended Time: 2 - 4 hours
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