Hidden Pond Nature Center

This playground is excellent! There is a big kid area and a little kid area. My 2.5 year old son was able to play on the big side easily. At 10am there is shade. It's all fenced in too which is great! There are swings as well. The pond is a short walkable distance and is great for a quick circle around. We saw lots of turtles and ducks. I highly recommend coming!

This natural center is a nice place to learn about nature. At the center, there are many local animals kids can see and learn about. The staff are very nice and professional. They know a lot about animals and plants. There are a lot of things to explore. There are different trails. Clean picnic areas. Parking is easy. The playground is always clean and well kept.

A big playground for the kids to play with, nature center where the kids see and learn on habitants of the ponds, and good a trail for walk around the area

Always love our visits here! The nature center exhibits are well taken care of and the naturalists are always very nice about answering questions. They offer great programs as well.

So peaceful and relaxing! It’s at the end of Greeley Blvd in a very cute, quiet neighborhood. My dog loves sitting by the pond and meeting all of the families that are walking around. The street literally ends in a good-sized roundabout parking lot. Never had an issue with parking. There is a playground and a covered picnic area you can see from the parking lot. There’s a trail by the playground that takes you down to the nature center and branches off to circle the pond. Such a beautiful way to spend an hour or two. :)

Great place to visit with a curious nearly five year old. Visitor center is staffed with friendly, helpful, knowledgeable naturalists eager to explain the live exhibits of local flora and fauna. Then venture out to the pond nearly completely covered with tiny green duckweed flowers, beneath which lurks all manner of life periodically poking its head above the surface for only the observant eye. Beware the narrow causeway slightly above the pond surface as a muddy bath awaits the distracted soul.

We don't have kids, but the playground was full of children having fun. We're not sure if the nature center was open or not, but we did take a nice walk around the pond and on the orange blazed trail. There is a nice creek that runs through as well. Surprisingly quiet and peaceful. It's only March, but some daffodils were in bloom. We saw turtles, ducks, and geese. We also spied a hawk, not could not get a picture.

There is a great kids playground at this nature center! Nice parking lot. The nature center itself has about 10 display cases with turtles, snakes, etc. We also walked around the pond (nice walking path) and explored the woods a bit on some well marked trails.

A sweet little gem for the littles to enjoy. The Hidden Pond playground is fenced-in so you don't need to worry about the littles wandering too far off. Within the playground, there is a small rock climbing wall, a small log-like tunnel, and swing that can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities.

The Nature Center houses some of their small creatures (reptiles) and allow you to inspect them close up while they stay in their respective containers. There are even a few nature related activities that kids can participate in. Sometimes there are classes and such but we haven't had the chance to take advantage of them. You could also borrow their binoculars to take around the pond.

We've walked the path around the pond but one side is pretty steep and can be a little challenging to walk (especially if you're handicapped or using a stroller), however, the other end of the path has a ramp. There is even a dirt path you can take to explore more of their nature trail.

Lots of picnic tables (and a shelter) allow you to take your leisure when visiting Hidden Pond. There are public restrooms but they are only located inside the Nature Center and currently due to COVID-19, the Nature Center is closed until further notice.

We love this place! Not only is the playground nice, but they have a long trail and cute pond too! My daughter and I really enjoy coming here :)

This is my favorite nature center because of the pond. The relatively new playground is just a bonus! There is also a picnic area. The pond itself is very special. I love coming here with my kids in the Spring to walk slowly around and find all kinds of animals. We nearly always see at least one large snapping turtle… once there were 5 swimming near the floating dock! People must feed them. In fact, if you stand out there for a while a bunch of curious turtles will start swimming closer to get a closer look! There are sometimes baby snappies in the shallow area hiding in the mud. 100% guaranteed to see turtles. There are also frogs, snakes, and other pond critters. My favorite is later in the Spring when the tadpoles turn into baby toadlets! There are so many it’s hard to walk without stepping on them. They’ll even post signs to watch out for the toadlets (so definitely watch out for the toadlets). They’re like little bugs!

In sum: A perfect outing for the kids is to go here, do the nature walk around the small pond, go inside the nature center to see some snakes and other animals, and finish up at the playground. Easiest way to kill 2 hours, and educational!

Such a fantastic spot right in Springfield! I love taking the kids here! Between the nature trail around the pond, with lots of spots to fish, sit, and enjoy nature, the exhibit house, and the playground, this place has it all!

Awesome park with a great playground for kids. It has smaller playground equipment for the babies and then another set for big kids. The pond itself is neat to walk around to see how many turtles and frogs you can spot. It's a relatively easy walk around the pond.... Only one small hill. The nature center is really cool because it has real wildlife, such as snakes, frogs and turtles that you can view. No petting. It also seems to have a good program for kids to come explore nature and the park, but we haven't done that yet.

Awesome playground and nature center with frog, turtle, and snake exhibits. We love to walk around the pond and look for animals.

Absolutely love this place. As the name suggests it is a hidden gem. So calm, well shaded and an absolute delight. Worth soenind a day with friends there. Much to explore also. Fairfax park service staff is so delightful. The center has much to offer.

Great park for kids. Kids love the playground, pond, trails, and nature center. Not crowded very often. Nature center has great kids programs and does a terrific job with birthday parties.

Recently installed a new playground, picnic shelter and some additional parking. Nature center has good staff displays on area reptiles. I've seen many turtles and a blue heron in residence in the pond. One main paved trail and a number of side hiking trails.

Best playground in the area coupled with an awesome little nature center, pond, and several paved and unpaved trails. I love this place, and, more importantly, my girls love it.

Another great trip visiting our neighborhood pond. Today we enjoyed walking around the pond and participating in two different classes, survival skills (the kids caught fish in the pond) and a campfire night (s'mores and learning about pollinators). Many flowers are blooming now and the frogs and bullfrogs are making lots of sounds.

my son LOVES the “christmas tree playground”! the nature trail around the pond is very pretty, but the mosquitoes are bad during the summer.