My husband and I stumbled upon Earthplace today while in Westport. We are so happy we did. Upon driving up you could see two distinct spaces; nature trails and main animal building. We weren't prepared for nature walks so we just viewed the trails. That is absolutely something we will come back to do. Today we decided to do the animal sanctuary. When you first go up to the building, make sure to look down and see the animal prints in the sidewalk. The price was $10 per adult (less per child) and we were happy to pay it since it went directly for the care of the animals. We started in the hall with the small critters. There is also a playroom for smaller kids. They have some centers and a huge tree in the middle of the room. There is a smaller kid section and a little nature movie theater. Very cute. We loved the critters and birds. Two in particular were VERY social. Pecans (an artistic dancing pigeon) and E.T. (a lovable turkey vulture). We spent a lot of time interacting with these two. We had some interactions with the staff and caretakers and it was pretty obvious these animals are well loved. The animals there are either surrendered or injured. We left with some items from the little shop-including art from Pecans. We will absolutely be returning. This was such a happy find! read more

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62 acre peaceful nature sanctuary with easy, mostly flat and well marked, clear trails to enjoy the outdoors. Earthplace is a wonderful educational place for children and adults alike. The entrance to the building has a custom tile mural that is uniquely wonderful. You pay to view the animals are check out the dioramas, animals and exhibits inside.You can see the birds of prey which were rescued from the wild due to their injuries. You can go during feeding time. The entrance fees help to pay for the food and care of the animals. Wonderful space to get outdoors and appreciate nature. We saw a turtle, wild turkeys, chipmunks, birds and butterflies walking the trails. I will come back to enjoy this refuge and experience the postive effects of being out in nature. read more

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Nice way to spend a long morning with kids. The birds of prey feeding was cool. There are lots of different animals inside the building to see as well. Also cool that they recycle brita filters and batteries here since you cant recycle them in your standard town recycling programs. The playground is simple, but encourages imagination from the kids which is nice. Did a nice walk around the small meadow trail. It was pretty. read more

It's a small gem, such a cute spot to enjoy nature. My review is based on the birds of prey feeding. The caretaker took the time to explain each bird, what had happened to the, what their habits are, etc. I really appreciated that these birds were not caged up just for human entertainment - in fact they were rescued and they each had injuries that prevented them from surviving in the wild on their own. For example, the owl had only one eye. Many of the birds had injured their wings. It was amazing to watch these birds up close. There is also indoor exhibit space to explore, and a great room for children to explore and play in. Outside there are numerous easy trails taking you around the property. We spent a fun couple of hours there! (It's not just for young children!) read more

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Love Earthplace! Outdoor education at its best. My three kids LOVE Earthplace and can't wait to go back next summer.

I have been coming to Earthplace every summer with my two girls (7 and 9) for three years now and they love being able to see the animals in the building and generally get close to animals they wouldn't be able to see unless they went to the Beardsley Zoo - and even then the animals in the exhibits are hiding.... They made updates to the animal enclosures and did a great job and the girls were also impressed with the variety of animals that were added since last year. Yes, it does seem like a lot of money for an hours worth of "play time" in the building, however animals are living things and I would hope that the money is going towards their upkeep as well as trail upkeep. The trails are free to use - you don't have to pay anything and they are generally great to walk on. They have bridges, platforms and benches to relax on the walk, not to mention the flora and fauna that you see along the way. My girls were most excited about getting to see tiny green frogs hopping along the trails. Definitely pack as much bug spray as possible though, even with 2 coatings as well as a touch up during the hike, my older one got bitten a few times. read more

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Earthplace is a small discovery center in the middle of the woods in Westport. I took my kids there for a "fun day out" and I'm sorry to say that we weren't terribly impressed. I'll review the building, the exhibits and the grounds separately. Admission to the building is $7 for anyone over 12, and $5 for kids 1-12. Now, honestly, do I really need to be paying $5 for my one-year old to toddle around the nature center and not "get" anything? At least make the cut-off two or three, please. Especially since the exhibits are pretty sparse. There's a large playroom/exhibit room divided into several distinct areas for different age ranges with puzzles and games and puppets for the small ones, and some minor science "experiments" to observe. There's also a small aviary/reptile exhibit with half a dozen small cages. They do have several owls, which were a big hit with my 2-year old. He loves owls. I mean, hey, who doesn't? There are also some classrooms (mostly empty), which I assume they use for the nursery school. There weren't any staff (except in the gift shop) to talk us through anything, so that was kind of a disappointment. Admission to the grounds are free, and you can play in a little playground (wood chip base) or hike the numerous trails (lovely). So that might be worth it. There are also some birds of prey in outdoor cages (owls, falcons), that you can see. I'm originally from the area, but lately have been living in the San Francisco Bay Area where zoos and nature centers abound. One comparable in size and scope is the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, which has better exhibits, more/better animals and where admission is free (but where you're encouraged to make a tax-deductible donation, which they suggest to be about $5). For the price, I didn't think Earthplace was worth the money. read more

To say the 5's class experience was disappointing is an understatement. I have three kids, all of whom attended Earthplace for nursery school - for over 5 years combined. I used to only sing the praises of the nursery school - that is - until the 5's program. The main problem with the program is that it is not a program. That is, there was little to no curriculum. They took 'play' to a whole new level, and essentially just played! There was so little thought by the educators on how to enrich the environment for the kids. There was no inspiration or seemingly, planning. They took a smart group of kids and let them flounder. By the end of the year, they had done very little exploration into science, (animals, nature) song, or anything else. My son came out learning to write his name, but wait, he knew how to do that back in September! His projects were so sad, even at the end of the year: A 5.5 year old coming home with a few scribbles on a piece of paper? That was not an exception but a rule. The biggest problem in the class was the behavior of the children. With 8 kids and 3 teachers, it was still out of control. By the end of the year, the kids STILL could not walk on a line together. It was so terrible to watch them. They seemed to have little/no regard for their teacher, who had no control over the kids. A few times the kids were caught with their pants down, and no adult was around! It was so hard to believe that with two full time teachers and one assistant/para, this could go unnoticed. Other unfortunate facts about our experience: I had to ask, numerous times, to have the teachers STOP using potent chemicals on the tables while the kids were in class ( or RIGHT before they walked in the door) I informed the director of the school about this when my concerns went unheeded by the teacher. I talked to the director 3 separate times. On one occasion, the kids got BLEACH stains on their clothing! The smell when you walked into the classroom was overwhelming, and they refused to open the door/windows for ventilation. This went on all year, despite my voiced concern. The goals for the students were set in the beginning of the year and NEVER revisited! Overall, I would rate the program a 3 on a scale from one to ten. I think the other parents of this class would agree with me. Here are some comments from the other disappointed parents in the class, as heard on the last day of school: "What a waste of a year." "The teacher checked out a long time ago. She has given up!" "Thank god this is over!" read more

This is a decent place for kids. There are few (very few) animals which kids can enjoy. There also are some stuffed birds. There is an hall where kids can run around and play with the toys in the play area. This is all about the visitor center. There are many trails around the visitor center which is great for summer days where you can take stroller walks with smaller kids or go with older kids. read more

all my kids went to EP preschool and we couldn't have chosen better, the teaching staff are phenomenal. The trails are excellent and the kids go out on them pretty much every day. Great playground, nature centre, animal hall...this was the best preschool experience for us. To me it wins hands down over other local preschools. However, a word of warning about the management, which is the only letdown. I have heard numerous complaints about the director and frankly I do not think she is well suited to this job at all and well out of her depth. read more

Small classes, wonderful setting, and the classes are great for early children onward. Indoor and outdoor animals available to teach kids about and plenty of play space to explore. read more

Safe, fun learning environment for kids/families. The staff are very knowledgeable and care about the environment, animals and making it a fun experience. My kids spent summer camp there and totally enjoyed it! Also do nice job connecting with the community and larger issues that impact all of us. Can't say enough about their dedication. Given all of the technological, computer-oriented events and exhibits offered by other venues, Earthplace is a pleasant and refreshing way to disconnect and unwire yourself. read more

Fun camp and after school classes for kids. Great playground. My kids love visiting the owls and the eagles.

My son has successfully attended Earthplace Nursery School since he was 2 years old. We chose Earthplace because of the focus on nature and the environment, and we feel strongly that we want him to grow up with a deep appreciation of the world and the interconnectedness of all living things. After he completed the 4's program, we tried another well known school in town for a K program. It was a disaster. The teachers and director did nothing to create an environment of acceptance, warmth, or kindness. My sweet, curious, happy, little boy was miserable for days. Already anxious, their environment sent him into a tail spin. There was nothing done to help him acclimate or feel better at his new school. He didn't eat, and they didn't notice or care that he was sick during his second week there. We knew what we had to do. We spoke with Laurie Linton at Earthplace and found out that the 5's program had availability. He wasn't socially and emotionally ready for Kindergarten in public school with the longer day, although his age was appropriate for entering K. His emotional state was fragile, to say the least. He also had some challenging behaviors because of anxiety. His teacher couldn't have done more to make him feel immediately accepted in the new class. She went out of her way to try and understand his emotional needs and was able to differentiate for him when needed. She TRULY cares about each of her students and respects who they are as individuals. We discussed my goals for him for the year, and they were simple. I wanted him to feel good about himself and make friends. My husband and I believe that if our son felt confident and safe in his school environment, he would thrive, and the academics would follow. The play based approach was good for my child because the teacher had the ability to be flexible with the schedule in order to meet the immediate needs of him and the group. If they needed extra time outside, they were able to get it. In speaking for our experience and the needs of our child, this was the perfect situation. He was accepted, he was loved, he was happy, and he flourished. He is more confident now and has learned to interact with his peers in a positive manner, we believe because of the program at Earthplace this year. There is no greater gift that can be given to a child than true acceptance, love, and understanding. He felt safe there and we, as parents, will always be deeply grateful for what Earthplace has done for our child. Furthermore, he can't wait to be a counselor, teacher, animal program director himself one day. It's a very special school that will embrace your child with open arms, no matter what issue/s they may have, and their unique qualities will be celebrated. They will work with you as parents to come up with the best plan for your child's success. read more