Robinson Nature Center

Save
Robinson Nature Center

Photo: FlugKerl2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🦒 Zoo · Columbia

2 hours · $ · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 4.0
1–3 yrs
★ 5.0
3–5 yrs
★ 5.0
5–10 yrs
★ 5.0
  • 🚗
    About 35 min drive
    From Rockville · Parking: Free lot; admission about $5 adults, about $3 ages 3–17, planetarium extra
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Lots of shade
    Rain-OK · Fine on cold days · Handles heat
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 2 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall · Winter

Columbia's modern nature center, with two floors of indoor exhibits including live turtles, snakes, a beehive, and a toddler discovery-forest play area, plus a small planetarium ($) with kids' shows; outside, several trails lead down to the Middle Patuxent River, so it works indoors on rainy days and outdoors on sunny ones.

💡 Tips
Closed Mondays. Planetarium kids' shows are usually on weekends; buy tickets on arrival. The trails have hills, so keep the stroller to the stretch near the entrance.

What this place offers

✓indoor exhibits
✓live animals
✓planetarium
✓forest trails
✓restrooms
✓stroller friendly
✓toddler area

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Columbia

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

🌦️
Sat 10/17
Drizzle · 46–59°F · 45% rain
☀️
Sun 10/18
Sunny · 43–62°F · 3% rain

Location

Columbia, Maryland

More like this

Smithsonian National Zoo
Kid favorite

Smithsonian National Zoo

5.0

Washington · 25 min drive

3.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed

Free · Parking: Zoo lots $30/car and often full; Metro Red Line to Woodley Park or Cleveland Park and a 10-minute walk (downhill from Cleveland Park)

National Aquarium (Baltimore)
Kid favorite

National Aquarium (Baltimore)

5.0

Baltimore · 60 min drive

3.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed

$$$ · Parking: Inner Harbor garages $20–30; admission about $50 adults, about $40 ages 3–11, free under 3, discounted online

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
Kid favorite

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

5.0

Baltimore · 55 min drive

3.5 h · stroller-friendly

$$ · Parking: Free lot; admission about $25–30 adults, about $20 ages 2–11, cheaper online

Kid favorite

NOVA Wild (formerly Reston Zoo)

5.0

Vienna · 30 min drive

2.5 h · stroller-friendly

$$ · Parking: Free lot; the walk-through zoo and drive-through Safari are priced separately, about $15–25 per person each (check the website)