Amazing nature, great hiking, so many birds and, and very peaceful. Highly recommended

Beautiful trails and butterfly exhibit. Stayed a few hours waking the many trails. I was advised there's around 8mi of trails. Butterfly exhibit was nice and captured plenty of photos. A nice place to solo visit or bring family and children. read more

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This was legit one of the nicest maintenance nature areas I have been in. Tons of elevated platforms to view and we walked on wood paths most of the time in the lower marsh. Such beautiful views. Great visitor center! read more

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Most Sundays we try to get out to hike area trails. The Sarett Nature Center is a great outing, not far from Kalamazoo, with trails, wildlife, water, and woods. What an awesome place. Even though it was snow covered, we were able to hike one of their trails. This gorgeous destination draws in visitors year-round with its education programming and outdoor activities. In total, the nature center boasts 1,000 acres of land and 8 miles of trails to explore. In the winter, they have snowshoe trails and cross-country trails. The trails are well marked. We did not go into the center, but spoke to the young man on duty. There is an awesome wood & steel observation platform that is 250 feet long and 55 feet off the ground to view mother nature at her finest. I can't wait to return in the spring to discover more of this beautiful nature center. read more

Sarett Nature Center - Parks Near Me - Benton Harbor, Michigan

Great hiking trails that even my toddler nephew can tackle. They have fun kids programs and classes for adults too for all seasons. Whether you're hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing or bird watching, you'll definitely enjoy the great outdoors here. Some of their indoor activities could use updating, like the wall that has the pegs with animals. That display has been around since I was a kid and half the pegs are broken. read more

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I was searching the area for places to go hiking and Sarett popped up. It wasn't too hard to find the location and the Welcome Center is very easy to find and informational. The staff was so friendly and informative. I took my parents and we hiked a couple different trails. I was very impressed in the variety of trails, the view, and nature. This place offers a nice variety of trails where you can get a bit of a workout in but it's stable for people who aren't as mobile. I heard in the winter they do cross country skiing and I'm very excited to go back after the next large snow and try it out! read more

Dear Grampa, I wish you were here to see this. Birds are everywhere. The nature center is neat. There are lots of things for the kids to look at, and they have a gorgeous great room to throw one heckuva party. The best part is that there are huge windows everywhere with tons of bird feeders to watch up close. I can see you sitting on one of the chairs, binoculars in hand, watching for hours, and, of course, you telling us the names of each one and what they like to eat. During my visit, a center guide named off the birds and it reminded me of you. There are trails galore, which I didn't get to check out. I was told they're also great spots for bird watching. Since this is an Audubon facility, that makes sense. The center even sells bird books, feeders, and the like. Up the road, they hosted a fall festival with lots of kid activities. We took The Viking on a tractor pulled haywagon ride. You would've liked that, too. Love, Kellie read more

Sarett Nature Center - Parks Near Me - Benton Harbor, Michigan

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I absolutely loved these trails in the fall. It becomes a giant playground for me. Lots of colors, leafs of all shapes on the ground, many different bird sounds. Trails are marked and easy to follow. Very peaceful. They also have cool dirt bikes and my son in law had a blast playing with those. Inside the center the bathrooms were clean as well as the rest of the facility. The cashier was very informative and friendly. read more

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This is a nice and tidy nature center with trails galore! Kids can pet Hershey the rabbit (supervision highly recommended). They keep animal that are native to the Michigan habitat, along with some cool surprises that are quite exotic! What I appreciated most: clean restrooms & staff willing to stop what they are doing to assist you. Wishing there was: Wifi, with couple of exhibits that connect tech & nature. And a seperate kids area (puppets, puzzles, plant rubbings, books games and more) from the bird viewing window wall. All animals flee when the room is loud. Finale: We will be back! read more

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Awesome nature center! The staff was very friendly and informative about the reptiles and the rest of the insects. The employees walked around with some of the reptiles so we were able to pet a couple of the snakes and learn about the species which was neat. They also have a great observation area for bird watching. The butterfly house was very cool and the boardwalk to the playground and overlook was so much fun! We're so glad the weather wasn't conducive for the beach or else we would have never ventured out. We'll be back! read more

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Really nice instructional walks in nature. Marsh birds and a new migration monitoring station. This is a great place to walk and volunteer.

A few more signs would be a benefit, but extremely nice nature walk. Easy to see dragonflies and butterflies in June. Boardwalks on the pond area with lookout points. Facility has parking lot and rest rooms available. It was nice, relaxing, and a nice divergence from urban life. read more

Sarett Nature Center - Beautiful place. I loved it as a youngster and even more today. #naturewalk #naturehike - Parks Near Me - Benton Harbor, Michigan

Birding Heaven!! I was in my glory at the Sarett nature center over the weekend. Its run by the national Audobon society so I knew it was gonna kick some ass and it sure did!I must have seen 30 different species in just a couple hours..insane! If you are into Wildlife or just walk some beatiful trails then you NEED to visit this center.They just ask for $3 per adult and kids under 12 are free. There is a big nature center that provides education to kids and they also run birding /wildlife tours. I didnt get to go in the center so I cant tell you to much about it .We visited on a sunday early and they didnt open till 1,we ended up leaving at noonzy since it was pouring,then revisited on MOnday only to find out that the center is closed on Mondays,damn!But that ok we enjoyed the trails.BTW its free if they are closed. There are miles of wooden planked trails to follow. This is great so you dont have to worry about it being to muddy to walk the trails its always dry! Every once in a while you will come across lookout towers that you can view the area and bird! Besides the look outs they also have random tall benches you can climb to bird! The one look out it called the tree top tower and it is a Tower alright! It must be 100 or more feet high.So cool!! It was donated by someone! Its kinda scarey at first but then totally worth the stomach dropping once you get out there and see the view! The trails are labeled perfectly,some places can be super confusing I wont mention any names(arborteum) hehe! The trails take you through woodlands,prairies,and swamps,river.you get to see a lil of everything. I cant wait to go back and bird some more.Its only like an hour a half from lombard,not bad at all. read more

Lots of stuff to do whether taking a walk in the summer or cross country skiing in the winter. I love taking my kids there to look at all the animals and the employees are very kind and knowledgeable. The butterfly house is beautiful. My friend had a wedding there and the venue room was very nice although not the most spacious so definitely not for that large of a wedding although it was beautiful. There is also a treetop walk that is extremely short but good for younger kids. read more

We stopped in for a quick visit to see the indoor areas. We never made it out to the trails. The main building is incredible though. There are snakes and turtles on display, a cute little shop, and a playroom in the back. The rooms have these floor-to-ceiling windows though that are just amazing. There are bird feeders and lines of seed just outside the window and the amount of birds and chipmunks that you can see is wonderful. I could sit at those windows all day. The butterfly room is well worth the donation cost. The lady staffing the room was very knowledgeable and friendly. Did you know butterflies don't go to the bathroom? Learn something new every day! Butterflies fly all over the place and even land on the ground in front of you so you have to be careful not to step on any. We don't live in the area and were just passing through, but I wish we lived close enough to visit here frequently and see it in all the different seasons. What a great place! read more

The Sarett Nature Center holds large events and should provide adequate parking and traffic control to ensure the safety of their guests attending these events but they do not! It is so sad that The Director knows of these problems but chooses to do nothing! read more

I enjoyed taking my children here all the time when they were young. The trails are great and they still hike them as adults. The nature center building is great for adults and kids of all ages. These were some of the best memories of my life. read more

We have been going her for years, and use to really love it, but since the renovations the staff has become unhelpful, lazy and uninterested. We use to go here at least every other day to walk the trails, visit the land tortoise Moo Shoo and bird watch. Unfortunately, things have changed. Go to walk the trails, bird watch from the buildings and visit the animals. Good kids workshops and classes. 'Chuck' is the best one here they couldn't have done it without his knowledge, enthusiasm and generosity. Beautiful landscape! read more

Sarett did an beautiful job hosting my wedding ceremony and reception in July 2013. It was the perfect setting and all the guests loved it. It was just the right size for our 100 guests but I can't imagine getting more people in there. The staff was helpful and the kids especially enjoyed that they kept the animal room open for them to explore before the ceremony and during the early part of the reception. Sarett is a great location for a small elegant wedding. read more

This is one of my favorite places! The facility is beautiful, lots of nice trails, birds everywhere, educational opportunities for all ages, special events for all ages, a butterfly house, wonderful and helpful staff....i could go on and on. read more

Can't beat the trails if your looking for something free to do. And it's absolutely worth the few extra bucks for the exhibits. I've been visiting and revisiting for 35 years, and know my kids will bring the next generation. read more

This is a tight knit group of travelers. Better to take a partner and that way not feel out of it. Be advised trip leaders skills vary on ability to lead and work well with a group. Participants definitely nearly all retirees. read more

From trivia nights, to kids' programs, to the trails, to the knowledgeable and friendly staff, we love Sarett! My 8-year-old just returned from an overnight there, and he raved, "It was the best night of my life!" Probably a bit of hyperbole, however he did say over and over again how much he loved it. They saw wildlife, tried owl calls, took a night hike, created a crafty keychain, enjoyed a campfire, rode the trails on a golf cart, and much more! Rob was kind, knowledgeable, and fun as the leader of the boys. We can't say enough about this place! read more

Great half day excursion. Building is well maintained. Good display of local wildlife, including snakes, bugs, turtles, fish, a baby owl, and a big fuzzy rabbit! Kids loved petting the rabbit. Butterfly house is a must. Bird watching was great (I'm not one). Colors and variety were really interesting, even from the sofa facing the valley. Trails are great for a 15min -2 hour hike. Wear bug spray! Shout out to Chuck, die hard leader of the pack. Staff was friendly but generally not around. Definitely recommend a trip! read more