bbf | education notes
Get Centered in Nature 6 nature centers kids will love exploring in the Baltimore/Annapolis area
By Katie Riley
D
on’t underestimate how a visit to a nature center
Robinson Nature Center
might affect your child’s future.
6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia, 410-313-0400, howardcountymd.gov/
When Ben Gardner, 16, of Millersville, first visited
recreation-parks/robinson-nature-center
Jug Bay Wetlands Nature Center with his first-grade
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 9 am-5 pm; Sunday, noon-5 pm
class 10 years ago, it confirmed his lifelong passion for ecology. “I had always been interested in nature since I was really little,”
Admission: adults $5; children 3-17 $3; under 3 free The Robinson Nature Center is a unique nature education facility
he says. “But going there and experiencing it firsthand, rather than
operated by the Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks.
reading about it in a book, was life-changing for me.”
Visitors will find interactive exhibits, nature trails, a Children’s
Now a volunteer with the internship program at the National
Discovery Room and our NatureSphere - a digital planetarium and
Aquarium in Baltimore, Gardner plans to study ecology in college.
full-dome movie theater. Robinson is one of only a handful of LEED
And he still enjoys visits to Jug Bay whenever he can get there.
Certified Platinum buildings in the state of Maryland with features
“It’s just an all-around cool place to go,” he says. “The water, trails and wildlife are incredible.” The Chesapeake region boasts many nature centers ideal for
including geothermal heating/air-conditioning, porous paving, solar panels which generate 15% of electric needs, innovative water conservation methods and more. The mission of the Robinson
families who want to get in touch with their natural surroundings.
Nature Center is to facilitate the enjoyment and understanding of
Check out our list below for an experience only Mother Nature
our natural resources and to bridge the gap between people and
can offer. Click through to the end of the story for specifics on
nature.
each center.
16 • BIG BOOK FOR FAMILIES 2022 • ChesapeakeFamily.com
