DeGraaf Nature Center

This place is fantastic! We were visiting from out of state and found this on the map. The nature center itself is really nice to see and the young lady working was very friendly, knowledgeable, and told us about the main Outdoor Discovery Center location (also worth exploring if in the area). They have turtles, snakes, frogs, a bunny, and a rescue owl! Very clean facilities too.

The trails are beautiful and fun to explore. This was an awesome find and definitely will return again when visiting this area of Michigan.

The services and buildings are closed for COVID-19, but the trails are still accessible and very enjoyable. Most of it is boardwalk, so you can even take a stroller if you like. There are a few offshoot trails to make it a little more of an adenture. There are a couple of stop offs at a small pond where you are bound to see a bunch of turtles (some fairly big) and some small fish. At a slow pace, you can go through the whole thing in about an hour. I have taken my kids here a couple of times and they really enjoy it.

I've been happily visiting here since I was a kid. There are beautiful trails through wooded areas, a replica settlers house to explore, and much to learn about local wildlife conservation. Inside the learning center you can find many live, local animals. The best part is it is all free, but be sure to buy something from their cute giftshop to support conservation.

I live really close to this nature preserve. It's rather small, but it is beautiful nonetheless. It's a great place to look for cool birds or take the kiddo. There are some fun activities for Toddlers/young kids inside the center as well.

A cozy park with plenty of wooden walkways and benches. The paths give you a nice picture of the West Michigan ecosystem. I was impressed by the quantity of animal life and the fascinating geological display. A great place for a walk!

The Nature Center is closed right now
because of the pandemic, but you can still walk the trails. It's not a big place so it makes for a great quick stop, especially if you're doing a daytrip like I did today. There's a lot of birds hiding back here too!

Good place to stroll with the spouse.
Good for groups.
If your children are misbehaving , dont bring them here........ Theres posted signs with fees about damaging the preserve and taking animals or anything that disturbs the wild life.
Lots of bench's to relaxe on the trail. Very nice place

While the trails may be short, they are beautiful and well-maintained. A GREAT birdwatching destination, especially for wetland birds.
Includes a covered picnic pavilion.
Trail goes by forest, wetland, and a small stream. Trails are overall great for wildlife viewing, but not very long as the avid hikers or runners out there would like. Try a state park if you're going for exercise.

The indoor exhibits are great for small children to touch and feel around, they have specific touch tables. There's a few live animals and a bird feeder viewing area as well. Would reccomend attending live shows/seminars/classes here.

I’m amazed the atmosphere around their.
The wild birds that you have.
The walking on the trail, sure does get you in relaxed mode. I talking to the people, handlers of the birds. Makes me think that I’m talking to
Jack Hanna. Very knowledgeable.

Nice little nature center with plenty of boardwalks and cool nature things to see.

Great hiking trails! I am excited that the broken trails are being repaired now. Ever since I first came here there were closed down sections so I'll be excited to see the areas that are new to me when they open them back up!

Really enjoy taking my little one to walk the trails. Quiet and usually see a new critter every time I go there (baby opossum today). If you come, bring bug repellent as there is a lot of standing water (Marsh areas) for mosquitos. A few of the trails can potentially be under a stream if you come after a good rain. There is an indoor area with a few animals to discover as well, owls, rabbits... Etc and a good place to learn.

There are picnic tables and lots of wonderful trails. Some of the trails are just wood chips and those get really muddy if there has been rain though. We've seen frogs and turtles in the pound. It's well kept and free family fun.

Went there today with our four year old and we were blown away by all of the great activities available inside like looking at lots of turtles, frogs, two owls, etc, plus getting to pet the rabbit. Also they have a great amount of educational toys like microscopes and binoculars, puppets and blocks made of random pieces of wood. They even have a working bee hive where you can watch the bees build honeycomb. After playing inside for a good hour, we finally made it outside for the trails and they even thoughtfully provide bug spray for those going outside. We liked how wide the trails with the wooden walkway were and it was less buggy on those walkways. It's free to do all of this, by the way, and when we came back we bought some polished rocks and a spinning top from the gift shop. Definitely will come again, you can even host parties there.

We love the programs during the summer. We recently found a reason to love it during the winter! We learned to snow shoe! We rented their snow shoes, and went on a nature scavenger hunt. We had a blast! This is a great place to visit all year!

Great place! Lots of wildlife right in the heart of Holland.

DeGraaf Nature Center is a delight. The trails are well marked and there are signs along the way about what you are seeing as you walk by. I did the night hike and it was fun and the staff was helpful and quick to answer questions.

Small, but very nice. It's well worth a quick little hike.

The inside is small but they have plenty of hands on items and small critters to see. The trail outside is an easy walk and you're sure to see some birds and squirrels along the way.

"The lilac flowers were amazing! The snakes were big there. I liked the big turtle in the lake. They have some really cool plants. I saw little frogs jumping. I saw little turtles and little fishes. It was amazing! 😊😍👊👏👏" - This is a review written for a second grader that visited the nature center and he loved it, I highly suggest checking this place out.