Beech Creek Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve
Beech Creek Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve in Alliance is SO COOL! Butterfly house, Aviary, Nature Playground, a greenhouse with unique plants, interactive exhibits, and a variety of insects and reptiles, trails, endangered bird shows, creek walking; there are so many different things to explore- we couldn't even get it all in during our visit!
The highlight for our family was the Butterfly House, where thousands of butterflies flit around as you sit amongst the bounty of beautiful flowers! They have little sugar sticks the kids can use to hold butterflies, there are hidden caterpillar searches, and it's perfect for a photo op!
A close second was the Raptor Hallow Sanctuary endangered species bird show. Parrots, owls and vultures fly through the audience as the staff imparts their knowledge and helpful world-saving advice.
They have a really cool Nature Playground with a zip line, a tree house with bridges and a fireman pole, human-sized bird nest, life sized lincoln logs and tons of other features. We sat under the pavilion at a picnic table and ate lunch as the kids played and even watched a train go by!
This place was just so cool, my kids are already asking to go back!
The botanical gardens are stroller friendly (and I would definitely recommend having one if you're at that stage). You can bring in your own food. There's lots of fun things to buy in the gift shop. Bug spray was a necessity for us, as a lot of the walking and playing is in wooded areas.
This place is a "must-see!"
Prices vary from $11-$17, depending on the time of year, with kids 2 and under always free.
Don't miss their upcoming Butterfly Release September 14th & 15th (advance tickets required).
Check them out at:
https://www.beechcreekgardens.org/
Find it at:
11929 Beech St NE, Alliance, OH 44601