Nature Centers are some of the best places to visit when you’re looking for free, indoor fun for kids, and all ages, really! Most Nature Centers near Columbus have something for everyone!
Nature Centers offer the opportunity to learn about Ohio’s plants, trees and animals, among many other things! Some nature centers even have indoor play areas for kids. A trip to a nearby Nature Center has saved my sanity too many times to count!
Quick tips for finding the best local Nature Center for you:
- If you’re looking an indoor play area for kids, check out The Grange Insurance Audubon Center at Scioto Audubon Metro Park.
- If you’re looking for the “living stream” or the bison, those are at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
- Looking for the Canopy Walk? That’s at Blacklick Woods Metro Park and it’s right by the Nature Center!
- Want a Nature Center and beach combo? Check out Alum Creek State Park.
- If you’re looking for an organized event, check out the event calendar at Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks for events happening every day of the week! And make sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can get notified of events for every weekend!
- Looking for a Nature Center that’s open in the evening? Many of the Columbus Metro Park Nature Centers are, but please check the website link under each listing to check hours. Most of the Nature Centers have hours that change depending on the season.
I’m listing these Nature Centers in the order of distance from downtown Columbus. As the list goes on, they will get further away from Columbus, but of course, they may be closer to you, depending on where you live.
The address listed under each park is the main address for the park. Check the listed website for a map of the park and/or follow signs in the park to find the Nature Center.
Grange Insurance Audubon Center
- Address: 505 W Whittier St, Columbus, OH 43215
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 2
- Cost: Free
- Website
In my opinion, this is the Nature Center that has the best balance of attractions for kids AND adults! There is a really great indoor play area for kids inside the Grange Insurance Audubon Center called the Forest Playroom – and it’s FREE!
And for adults, the center always has rotating art exhibitions and it hosts regular bird-watching events for adults. The Bird Library is a beautiful space for sitting and watching birds from the window or reading one of the many educational books found within the room.
Also within the Nature Center are animal ambassadors that you can visit and rotating displays and crafts for kids!
People have told me that they have visited the center and did not see the Forest Playroom! When you enter the building, the playroom is to your left, down a long hallway. If you can’t find it, make sure to ask at the front desk because it would be a shame to miss it!
The park has many other features including hiking trails, a free climbing wall and a playground. Make sure to read my full blog post about Scioto Audubon Metro Park to plan your visit!
Blacklick Woods Metro Park Nature Center
- Address: 6975 E Livingston Ave, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 13
- Cost: Free
- Website
The Nature Center at Blacklick Woods Metro Park is a fun one for all ages, There are large windows that overlook bird feeders where you can sit and watch for all kinds of birds and wildlife.
There are lots of activities for kids including a puppet theater, coloring sheets, matching games, toys and puppets and other rotating activities. There is usually some kind of hands-on activitiy set out in the middle of the Nature Center. There are also aquariums throughout the space that are home to turtles, toads and more!
A major draw for my kids at the Nature Center is the open aquarium that is home to fish and turtles! Outside the Nature Center are turtle sculptures kids can climb on and the park is home to the Canopy Walk which is within walking distance of the Nature Center.
Make sure to check out my list of things to do at Blacklick Woods Metro Park so you can make the most of your visit!
Blendon Woods Metro Park Nature Center
- Address: 4265 E Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus, OH 43230
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 14
- Cost: Free
- Website
Blendon Woods Nature Center is another location where bird-watching is a big theme! There are large windows here where you can watch birds and look for wildlife. There are usually binoculars hanging around that kids love to use.
There are a lot of mounted animals on display inside this Nature Center along with educational facts and information. They usually also have a section with bins filled with natural items that kids can touch and explore.
There is a small room off to the side with books, live animals in aquariums and a coloring or craft activity.
If you’re looking for an easy hike, there is a paved path behind the Nature Center at Blendon Woods that has a Story Trail. Follow the story to the end and you will find a bird blind to look out over Thoreau Lake and Walden Waterfowl Refuge. See more details about the rest of the park in my blog post about Blendon Woods Metro Park!
Homestead Metro Park Nature Center
- Address: 4675 Cosgray Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 16
- Cost: Free
- Website
The Nature Center at Homestead Metro Park in Hilliard always has activities available for kids. We’ve seen a puppet show stage, a scavenger hunt, animal pelts for touching and other educational displays!
They have a few animals in aquariums to see and there have also been box turtles on display at times when we have visited!
This Nature Center is smaller than the other Metro Park Nature Centers and is open in accordance with Park Ranger availability. Make sure to read my list of 9 things to do at Homestead Metro Park to see what else the park has to offer!
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park Nature Center
- Address: 1415 Darby Creek Dr, Galloway, OH 43119
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 18
- Cost: Free
- Website
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park has multiple entrances and in this case, I have included the address of the entrance with the Nature Center above!
You don’t want to miss this Nature Center! It has one of the most unique features of all the Nature Centers around Columbus! The Living Stream in the middle of the center is so engaging! My kids have loved it at all ages.
The Living Stream is a long, open aquarium filled with fish, turtles, plants and other creatures that can be found in Big Darby Creek. Kids can stick their hands in and use two fingers to touch turtles and more! There is also a tunnel underneath where kids can climb under to look up at the fish.
The Nature Center is also filled with educational displays about the animals and other natural elements found in the park. There is a separate room where programs are held that has a live video feed of Big Darby Creek and hands-on activities for kids.
Yet another room displays several animal skulls and pelts that kids can touch. This Nature Center is such a gem and one of our favorites! Make sure to read my full blog post about Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park to make the most of your visit to the park!
Highbanks Metro Park Nature Center
- Address: 9466 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center, OH 43035
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 18
- Cost: Free
- Website
The Nature Center at Highbanks Metro Park is gorgeous! One of our favorite parts is the glass-covered stream you can walk over as soon as you enter. There are tons of educational displays here including mounted animals.
Look for live animals in aquariums, too, and make sure to visit the library with educational books and comfy seats for reading in front of the large windows. You can’t miss the large tree in the center of the Nature Center. Kids can climb inside and explore.
In a separate room, there is a hut kids can go inside and an educational display about Adena life. Throughout the center, there are always rotating hands-on activities for kids including books, puppets and coloring sheets.
You really can’t go wrong with most of these Nature Centers if you’re visiting with kids and this one is no exception!
Alum Creek Visitor Center
- Address: 5905 Lewis Center Rd, Lewis Center, OH 43035
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 19
- Cost: Free
- Website
Located inside Alum Creek State Park, the Visitor Center is full of educational activities for kids including interactive displays like a watershed sandbox that interacts with the movement of your hands (super cool!) and a water management wall where kids can raise and lower water levels with moveable locks and gates.
My kids were completely entertained by the Water Management activity! They played with that display for over an hour and I had to tear them away because we were running out of time! I was impressed with how many activities they had for kids at this Nature Center!
Also inside the Alum Creek Visitor Center are stuffed animals, art supplies, books and mounted animals on display. Another attraction is the theater where you can choose short, educational movies to watch! On the wall leading to the restrooms, there is a display that features life in the area throughout time.
Outside, behind the Visitor Center, is an observation deck where you can stand to over look Alum Creek Lake from a distance.
Alum Creek State Park is large and has a lot of activities. You can read my list of fun things to do at Alum Creek Park to plan your visit!
Deer Haven Park Visitor Center
- Address: 4183 Liberty Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 24
- Cost: Free
- Website
The Visitor Center at Deer Haven Park is a real gem. It offers large windows and binoculars for bird watching, several mounted animals and educational displays. Throughout the year, the Visitor Center features rotating themed displays.
There is also a separate room called a Nature Library that features books about nature and animals. It’s filled with aquariums housing turtles, frogs and other amphibians!
Just outside the Visitor Center is the Aviary that houses birds that have become injured and are unable to live on their own in the wild. There is also a Natural Play Area for kids not far from the Nature Center. Read my blog post all about Deer Haven Park to plan your trip!
Discovery Center at Dawes Arboretum
- Address: 7770 Jacksontown Rd, Newark, OH 43056
- Miles from downtown Columbus: 36
- Cost: In 2025, Adults are $10, Ages 5-15 are $5 and children under 5 are free.
- Website
So far, this is the only Nature Center on the list that is not free, but I thought it was worth including because if you are visiting the Dawes Arboretum, it might be easy to miss and I want to make sure you know about it!
The Discovery Center is on the lower level of the Visitor Center at Dawes Arboretum. Look for the steps downstairs or ask for directions in the gift shop. The Discovery Center is filled with hands-on activities for kids including puzzles, toys, books, natural items kids can touch and much more!
There are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a bird observation area with comfortable seating to sit and watch for wildlife. There are lots of mounted animals on display as well as a live turtle in an aquarium.
Make the most of visiting the Dawes Arboretum by taking the car tour to visit all the gardens and climbing the observation deck to see the letters of DAWES ARBORETUM in topiary form! Read my blog post about things to do in Newark, Ohio for more info!
