Meadowside Nature Center will celebrate the completion of its first major renovation since opening in 1972 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 9, from 11am-1pm.
The celebration will take place at the nature center, located at 5100 Meadowside Lane in Rockville. Following brief remarks and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, visitors will be invited to tour the renovated facility and speak with the center’s raptor trainers on the raptor deck.
“We are excited to welcome the community back to Meadowside Nature Center,” Montgomery Parks Director Miti Figueredo said. “These new hands-on exhibits bring learning to life, and the newly renovated center creates a welcoming place where children and families can explore, play, and connect with nature in new ways.”
The free nature center now features exhibits inspired by the four habitats found in and around Meadowside: meadow, forest, pond and sky.
New additions include Nature Nook, a space for infants, toddlers and caregivers featuring nature-inspired toys, colorful murals and a tree hollow stocked with picture books. The room also showcases several of the center’s animal ambassadors, including a snake, toads and turtles, with interactive technology providing information about each animal.
Habitat Hollow, designed for children ages 6 to 12, allows visitors to explore Meadowside’s habitats through physical activities. Children can climb a forest-themed wall, leap across boulders like frogs, discover sounds beneath a meadow and play an interactive game created specifically for the exhibit.
Four learning pods in the main lobby offer information in English and Spanish about the animals and ecosystems connected to the center’s forest, water, meadow and sky habitats. Visitors can also take home native seeds to plant.
Additional improvements include fully renovated and accessible restrooms, a recycling center and a new Fox Den where nursing or bottle-feeding caregivers and children needing a sensory break can find a quieter space.
Meadowside Nature Center opened on February 19, 1972, and is located within the 1,800-acre Rock Creek Regional Park. The center offers indoor and outdoor environmental education programs for adults, families, schools and scouts.
Visitors can also explore eight miles of trails leading to Lake Frank, visit the Pioneer Homestead and see the center’s resident raptors, including owls, hawks and a vulture.
