Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education

What’s to love

Located in Roxborough just off the Schuylkill River Trail (it’s bikeable, for the ambitious!), the Schuylkill Center for Environment Education has been helping us city-dwellers learn about the natural world for 50 years. The center hosts a wide variety of programming, from a nature preschool to a native plant nursery.

The hiking trails here are arranged in short loops, taking you through meadows, established forests and along a small stream. There’s nothing too challenging about the terrain here, making this a great place to bring the family. A highlight is the half-dozen ponds scattered throughout the grounds, where you can find frogs, toads and massive snapping turtles.

There’s also a bird blind and a register for logging your bird sightings, as well as the remains of an 18th-century farmstead repurposed for the center’s educational activities.

Tips and quirks

• The center runs a wildlife clinic, where trained rehabilitators work with injured or orphaned critters. They have a great “What do I do if I find a…?” resource that will answer all of your questions about baby bunnies (leave them alone, mostly).
• There’s also an active environmental art program at the center, supporting an artist-in-residence! Check their website to see what outdoor (and indoor) art you might expect to see.

Spotted here recently (via )