10 Best Free Nature Centers in Chicagoland in 2025

Our nature-loving readers have voted and these are your top 10 free nature centers in Chicagoland!

Nature centers can be visited year round and have indoor spaces for your kids to explore and learn about animals, plants, habitats, and geology! They are also are amazing destinations that are kid friendly and each one has unique features.

Top 10 Free Nature Centers

1. Knoch Knolls Nature Center in Naperville

Knoch Knolls Nature Center
320 Knoch Knolls Road
Naperville, IL 60565
(630) 864-3964

Knoch Knolls Nature Center sits on the edge of DuPage River and has a large deck that extends out over the water for fabulous views. There is also a nature center, outdoor playground, and trails for hiking.

The nature center is housed in an impressive LEED Platinum facility. The building itself teaches kids about sustainability and the wise use of resources: they can see solar panels, a water cistern, a “living wall” of plants, and more in action. Interactive displays rotate out regularly, and there are also small animals to visit.

Read Rachel’s review of Knoch Knolls Nature Center with more photos.

2. Red Oak Nature Center in Aurora

Red Oak Nature Center
2343 S River Street
Batavia, IL 60510
(630) 897-1808

Inside the Red Oak Nature Center, you’ll find two main exhibits for your children: Sense the Seasons and Wildlife Room. The nature center and observation deck are the starting point for a few different 1/4 or 1/3 mile mulch-lined trails. Down the road, and in a separate parking area, families can find Lippold Park. If you’re interested in extending your visit, this space includes a boardwalk across a pond, and a large nature-based playground. It’s also close to the outlet mall if you want to make another stop.

Sense the Seasons gives kids a view into the changes in nature that take place across seasons. It also includes a bird-watching picture window, and displays for children to experience nature through a variety of senses. Smells of local flowers, or the soft touch of a skunk’s fur gave us a closer sense of the nature nearby. My girls loved pretending to be birds in the life-sized birds’ nest, or buzzing around in the bee hive.

The Wildlife Room contains a 500-gallon turtle and fish habitat, as well as frogs, salamanders, snakes, and more. These exhibits were the perfect size and height for children, and easily observed with very active animals inside. All of these animals are native to the Fox River, which can be viewed on the Observation Deck outside.

Read Katie’s review of Red Oak Nature Center with more photos.

3. Vera Meineke Nature Center at Spring Valley in Schaumburg

Vera Meineke Nature Center at Spring Valley
111 E. Schaumburg Rd.
Schaumburg, IL 60195
(847) 985-2100

Spring Valley has walking paths, a visitor’s center, historic farm, and Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground right next door. If you take the trail, you’ll also find cool “natural pockets” that encourage more exploration, too. There are a little over 3 miles worth of trails, leaving enough room to explore without feeling too huge for young kids.

The main area of the center is filled with hands-on displays and recreated habitats, while a library filled with books on nature and baskets of activities acts as a quiet place to wind down from play. Be sure to check out all of the turtles swimming in the indoor stream!

Read Rachel’s review of Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground for a unique play opportunity.

4. Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center in Willow Springs

Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center
9800 Willow Springs Road
Willow Springs, IL 60480
(708) 839-6897

The original Little Red Schoolhouse building, built in 1886, is still on the property, however a new large building was built in 2010 and is full of learning opportunities, activities for children and space to walk around and explore. Of note is the Accessibility Garden, which is designed so that visitors of all abilities can interact with nature, and it includes a sensory water feature.

This large facility has live animals, interactive exhibits, indoor and outdoor nature-themed play areas, a historical school, and miles of hiking trails to explore. Your kids will love the huge fish tank in the center of the lower level and turtle habitat in the same area. There is also a life-size wigwam to peer into, a topographical map displayed in a glass case to look down upon, and many live animals and native taxidermy on the first floor.

Read Jill Kowalski’s review of Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center with more photos.

5. Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville

Isle a la Cache Museum
501 E Romeo Rd
Romeoville, IL 60446

Isle a la Cache Museum is on the grounds of Isle a la Cache Preserve, which has various recreational opportunities including biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing fishing, canoeing, and kayaking.

This nature center brings visitors back to the 18th century, when Illinois was home to the fur trade. Kids can feel beaver pelts, try on clothes and hats, see canoes built from birch bark, and walk inside a wigwam. They also have turtles to watch as they swim around.

6. Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook

Fullersburg Woods Nature Center
3609 Spring Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 850-8110

Fullersburg Woods is known for their trails where you will travel through wooded areas and walk along Salt Creek as well as their nature education center and picnic shelters. If you park in the smaller lot off York Road and Ogden Avenue, you’ll find ducks and geese in the grassy area next to the creek. Then walk under the bridge and see the giant waterwheel on the Graue Mill Museum before starting your adventure on the paved trails. Your GPS will take you to the main parking lot off Spring Road, which is closer to the nature center. This forest preserve made our list of the Best Forest Preserve Trails For Kids.

The nature center at Fullersburg Woods has been a Kidlist reader favorite for years. The bird nest treehouse is definitely a fun feature here! It’s also home to woolly mammoth bones from more than 13,000 years ago, as well as hands-on activity tables with toys and microscopes, a couple animals including a turtle and snake. The building is a great home base for hiking the preserve. You can also pair a visit here with seeing the Graue Mill and Museum and the Frederick Graue House, which are also within the preserve.

7. Peck Farm Park in Geneva

Peck Farm Park
4038 Kaneville Rd
Geneva, IL 60134

Peck Farm Park is home to a butterfly house, nature playground with fountains, nature center and museum, observation silo, sensory garden, nature and bike trails, as well as picnic areas. George’s Circle, an outdoor amphitheater with a fire pit, is ADA accessible.

The Peck House has a History Gallery, Exploration Room, and gift shop. The Exploration Room has large fish, a frog, and a corn snake that holds the attention of little ones. You can learn about the Peck family, the original owners of the land, in the History Gallery. Head to the Observation Silo for incredible views of the grounds. There are windows at each level of the silo, with a full 360-view on the highest floor.

8. River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook

River Trail Nature Center
3120 Milwaukee Ave
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 824-8360

The focus of River Trail Nature Center is to tell the story of how the plants, animals, and landscapes were formed by the Des Plaines River with two large areas to explore and outdoor exhibits. There are three walking trails on the grounds and you can also extend your walk since it’s connected to the Des Plaines River Trail System.

There are two large rooms with hands-on activities, with the chance to touch different animal artifacts. A friendly bison statue greets you at the door and to the right you’ll find various live animals, including a Common Kingsnake and fish. To the left of the entrance is a play area with a Tree of Life lookout made from branches, a Fox Den underneath, and toys to play with. There are also activity tables in the area. Head outside to see more animals, including a coyote.

9. Springbrook Nature Center in Itasca

Springbrook Nature Center
130 Forest Avenue
Itasca, IL 60143
(630) 773-5572

Springbrook Nature Center is home to indoor and outdoor exhibits, a butterfly and hummingbird garden, and paths along prairie and a creek. This red barn is inviting and situated on a large piece to land. There’s a path from the Itasca Water Park to the nature center, so you can make it a combo trip during the summer months.

Kids can check out a big aquarium with fish and turtles or put together free crafts inside this nature center, which looks like a big red barn. The center was recently renovated and is now home to 10 raptors, including Gyrfalcon, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vulture, Barn Owl, Barred Owl,  Kestrel, and Screech Owl.

10. Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles

Hickory Knolls Discovery Center
3795 Campton Hills Dr
St. Charles, IL 60175
(630) 513-4399

The grounds around the center, which feature over 130 acres of land, are full of wetlands, woodlands, and prairies to explore. There is also a playground outside with a soft rubber surface and plenty of picnic tables.

A visit to the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center includes a stop at the turtle pond, as well as countless other native animals including snakes and a bunny. They have a fun squad of Animal Ambassadors that rotate being out of their tanks – turtle and snake lovers will especially enjoy this fun feature.

Thanks again to everyone who voted! Be sure to check out our big list of all the nature centers in Chicagoland for more ideas to explore.