River Trail Nature Center

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Similar · Naperville Riverwalk

Photo: plunkettb · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr

🥾 Hike · Northbrook

2 hours · Free · No reservation needed

age fit

0–1 yr

★ 5.0

1–3 yrs

★ 5.0

3–5 yrs

★ 5.0

5–10 yrs

★ 5.0

🚗
About 55 min drive
From Naperville · Parking: Free nature center lot (3120 Milwaukee Ave)
🍼
Stroller-friendly
Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
🌳
Lots of shade
Great on sunny days · Good on cool days · Rain-OK · Fine on cold days
⏱️
Typical visit: 2 hours
Best seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall · Winter

A forest preserve nature center on the Des Plaines River, with non-releasable hawks, owls, and a fox in the yard, a glass beehive and turtles inside, a few short loops through old woods, and syrup boiling at the Maple Syrup Festival in March.

💡 Tips

The exhibit building is closed Monday; the animals are in outdoor enclosures, so you can see them in rain or snow. The fall Honey & Harvest festival and the maple syrup festival are crowded but worth it. Flat paths, fine with a stroller.

What this place offers

✓nature center

✓live animals

✓raptors

✓bees

✓riverside

✓free

✓restrooms

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Northbrook

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

☀️

Sat 10/17

Sunny · 34–57°F · 1% rain

☀️

Sun 10/18

Sunny · 48–62°F · 0% rain

Location

Northbrook, Illinois

River Trail Nature Center

🥾 Hike · Northbrook

What this place offers

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Northbrook

Location

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