Ballard Nature Center

Stopped in while out exploring the area and was totally blown away. Trails were in excellent condition, lots of signage, varied habitat areas, and birdhouses everywhere. Plus, was able to get a nice relaxing walk in

Great for anyone who wants to spend their day outdoors. There is a small playground area for the small ones. The trails are lined with mulch-like material. I prefer that over other forms of pavement. Great for those with pets or service animals. I brought a bag of supplies for my Pita 🥰.
If you want to have a picnic here, there is a shelter available, with picnic tables and trash bins. I ask that we respect this place and pick up after ourselves before leaving. And please, no garbage on the trails.
Ballard Nature Center does take donations. There is a visitor center on site. I have not been inside, I love the walks and plan to keep going back.
Yes, I'm somewhat of a local, lol. But trust me, this is an amazing place. Please enjoy it as much as I have. Hope to see you there! 😍🥰

We had a great luminary hike with the Girl Scouts this past weekend!

It's always fun to hike, well marked. Great place to burn a few calories after a meal in effingham. Kid areas as well.

Very nice nature preserve with walking trails, ponds, birds, wildlife, nature center and nice bathrooms

Loved the nature center, played like I was a kid again.

Amazing nature center with abundant natives! I can't wait to come back and explore the different areas in various seasons.

I found the trails really easy to follow, but not easy to leave. There’s so much to see! The ground had recently been wet but was fairly dry when I was there, and checking out all the tiny feet that had been on the trails was delightful. I was surprised at the wide variety!
I’m gonna go ahead and say…some of those prints were adorable and I might have given them a wild back story.

Beautiful place with beautiful walking trails and they are always doing really awesome things open to the public! Fishing pond for 15 year olds and younger! Go inside and check out all the neat stuff they have! Absolutely love this place!

Great place to take the kids for some nature fun

Great trails ...wildlife... very well kept...

U can walk anywhere in nature and just breath and feel free xo

This place is a quiet retreat from our busy world. And it is only 15 min from Effingham
Just take your time to observe nature, wild life, hear its sounds, clear your head and tune in with God.

Great place!! Would definitely recommend going, especially if you like walking trails

It's a beautiful area, great for nature walks by yourself, family, friends or pets. It's clean and well maintained too.

I typically drive I70 and have been driving on that route for almost 20 years. Today I decided to take highway 40 and am so glad I did. I took a new years day hike and found a beautiful spot I look forward to to returning to during my trips through the area.

Amazing place to check out l8ve the trails

My girlfriend and I walked the wetlands/swamp trail. She is in a wheelchair and that is not one of the listed ada trails, but we managed to complete it without much trouble. The hill halfway through the trail was by far the biggest obstacle. We didn't manage to see any ducks, turtles, or herons. We did get plenty of birds, squirrels, and gorgeous flowers along our trek. We will definitely be back to conquer the other three remaining trails. I believe that two out of the four trails are handicap friendly.

Our first visit, but we plan to be back to hike the trails. The exhibits are awesome , including a hands on learning area for children. Definitely worth visiting.

Beautiful natural areas, well maintained Hiking paths and informative signs. The Restored prairie was in full bloom and even though it was a hot day there were many trails offering cool shade. Saw lots of birds and pollinators throughout the acres of natural habitat. Wonderful experience!