Cayuga Nature Center

I have gone here with kids that I babysit and it is a wonderful place! When I was a kid I loved it too and I went to summer camps here. They have a butterfly garden, a huge play structure, outdoor animals (foxes, a hawk, Turkey and a couple other birds) and indoor animals. They also have some cool displays of bugs and other nature things. It is a perfect place for young kids to learn and have fun!

Great place to visit with the kids. Lots to see and do -- live and stuffed animals, tours, a giant treehouse, butterfly garden and exhibits. A fun walk with beautiful views. The treehouse is a true marvel, especially for little ones. Definitely worth the visit.

Lovely trails...

This is a user friendly, kid friendly, nature experience. It is well set up and very accessible. The tree house, built by high school students, is an impressive architectural achievement for kids and their teachers.The Nature center itself is interactive, well staffed and progressive in its approach to nature education for the public, again friendly for the young. My Brandon, Liam was looking at a butterfly in a terrarium and one of the naturalists there offered him the opportunity to release it. He jumped at the chance. That kind of thoughtful leadership is invaluable for youngsters.I highly recommend your visit to this enjoyable respite from our daily technological race. Go.

They appreciate and love wild life

Small nature center just north of Ithaca near the shore of Cayuga Lake. Educational exhibits with live native and exotic animals. Small hiking trail leads to Denison Falls and 6 story tree house great for kids to climb.

A nice educational experience with information about upstate NY. Expect to see a number if animals that cant be released back into the wild and nice hiking trails surrounding the site.

I came here as a camper and worked here as a young adult. The wonders of nature are on full display! Kids should not fear the outdoors, and this camp lets them play in the stream, run through fields, learn survival skills, etc. Plus the 6 story treehouse!

Very disappointedDrove for over an hour to see the tree house to find it closed due to covid was the excuseThis should have been posted on the web siteWasnt able to see anything

A great place to take the kids! The trails and tree house are awesome!

Beautiful center...great treehouse and trails.

Amazing place. So many little walk areas for the kids to climb in the tree house

The tree house is amazing and I love the animals. Inside is not that great but it definitely worth going for the trail, tree house, animals and view.

Great nature center. The staff was nice and trusting of the visitors. Outdoorsy feeling to the main building. Recommended for any animal/trail lover.

They need to have more alive animals. Great place to go for nature walks.

It has a lot of potential. Great for kids, but not that great for adults. Kids love the big treehouse. Some of the museum taxidermy and skulls are interesting. Butterfly garden needs attention, is a little weedy and oddly it has some non-native plants like peonies.

Fun for little kids, but not really a lot to do.

Friendly, educated, affable staff to answer all of your questions. The tree house built by the Ithaca high school is a must. Catch the butterfly garden as soon as it opens. The trails are great any time of year. The rescue animals are fun to watch and learn about anytime. Kids will always have fun.

This place is lovely. Went there for the first time for the animal feeding Saturdays. Staff is amazing and the location is beautiful. Some of the cages and rooms just need some more cleanliness for the wellbeing of the animals and a nice experience for visitors.

It was OK. Kids liked it. Was lacking in animals. The 6 floor tree house was fun.

Very nice place, with nice staff members who were very helpful. It wasnt busy at all when I visited, which made it better to watch the different animals that were there (indoor and outdoor). There is a really cool (believe 5-story) tree house that you can explore that was built in the early 2000s by senior high school students. They also, have a kids room where kids can color and play and learn about animals. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. I spent about 2.5 here.

Really fun, educational. Lots of exhibits to see and the 6 story tree house by the waterfall was amazing!

Plenty of cool things to see and do. A good stop for friends and family. Will go again

Great place for learning about the local flora and fauna plus perfect for kids.

Why not take in the things that were here before you and will remain long after

Kids 9 and 11 enjoyed the animals and the tree house. Caregiver enjoyed the safe, pristine location and plenty of benches in the shade.

The tree house is certainly the star of the show here. We climbed to the top and told stories as if we were kids. It’s a real treat.

It was very small. We went on a day when it was really too hot to be outside climbing treetops. The inside museum was very nice. There were many live animals to see. There were two owls outside, very regal. they hooted at us....They explained that all of the animals there were rescued and could not be released back into the wild. It was good that these animals had a home. The donation goes to helping the animals. There is an aquarium exhibit open now for a while.. worth seeing.

Not much of a waterfall. Tree house is cool, but not over the top.

Great summer camps, great treehouse, butterfly garden, trails, etc. Highly recommend.

The Cayuga Nature Center is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the natural history of the area. Anyone with a love of nature and education should visit this center to better understand the plants and animals that still inhabit the woods all around the Cayuga lake area.

Interesting to see and informative for the whole family!

An amazing place to take kids especially in the summer. The big wooden exploration tower is really cool. Right now they have a baby porcupine, Sir Pokes-A-Lot, who is ADORABLE! Call ahead to find out if there are any scheduled interpretive events.

Staff are very friendly and helpful. There arent a lot to do especially in the winter time. Hopefully it gets better in the summer. Not many animals around. The indoor space smells bad. Toys in the playroom are fun but quite old and a bit dirty.

Fun times. Kids loved and enjoyed everything. Worth going and spending a few hours

Went here to get out of the rain while visiting the state parks, was kind of disappointed with what is offered inside. Im sure its better in nice weather on the trails. Still the $5 goes to a good cause.

Love this little piece of nature. Nice work

Very kind friendly. The tree house was cool. Also some of their animals were rescues so that was cool

A noce little place to go see some rescue animals and go hiking. The tree house is amazing.

Fun for kids and grown ups! A lovely escape into the cool woods on a hot day. The educational exhibits inside and out are thoughtful and the staff are very warm and engaging. Treetops exhibit is a must-see.

This place is awesome. Theres a big tree house that the kids love to play on, and some smaller trails (easy to do if its hot and humid.)

Nice place, love the tree fort!

Amazing place to explore with kids.

I went with my two year old daughter and we had a lot of fun! Theres not a ton to see, but it is definitely worth a visit and we will come back next season

Awesome treehouse

Great nature center for kids

Great stop. Neat animals. Cant miss the tree house!

Good place to take kids to learn about the different animals in the area and the 5 floor tree house is a must do for kids.

Great place for a adventure.

Looking forward to exploring more on another visit. Nice exhibit and outdoor spaces.

New fish tank is very tastefully done !

The treehouse was awesome

Interesting animals with their personal stories. Staff is informative and dedicated.

Great place with live animals and a kids room with a mini library and learning toys. Great staff.

Brought some cub scouts. The staff was great, go during animal feeding time around lunch. Cool tree house too.

Cool place, definitely worth a stop, but dont go in expecting a ton. The animal exhibits are so-so and there isnt much to look at in the main building. The Treehouse is the highlight by far and its worth the super fair admission price just to see it.

Very friendly staff and share a lot of information about the animals they care for. My son liked the owls and wrestling squirrel brothers the most :)

Great 6 story tree house for kids to play in, good educational programs inside the building, lots of trails for hikes. Fun place to visit.

My kids love the tree house

The size of the building doesn’t stop it from being packed full of exhibits and live animal displays. The aquarium at the front desk is pretty awesome.

Beautiful outdoor destination, Tree Tops is spectacular, and theres a solid double handful of nice portals.

Lovely, not enough to do.

Nice trails and exhibits with 6 story treehouse.

Love this place it been around a long time i remember going there as a kid with my family how we take my young sister who are 2 and 4 and they love it

A nice place to visit. Really cool tree house. Make sure you visit that. Lots of hiking trails.

Saw me some cute bubbos.

Excellent inside displays; very informative. I would guess that any donations would be very much appreciated, too.

Cool place 4 kids

Lots of cool amnimals to see and fun trails to hike, super cool treehouse

Wow love it ..first time lot to see and do..and trail wow..

Always a great time. Its a little gem!

Very nice nature center with stuffed animals, some trails and a huge multi story treehouse!

Kiddo loves it. Great summer camps

Great for kids. Outdoor trails, huge treehouse, stuffed and live animals, etc.

Fun for the whole family, the staff is friendly and informative, the tree house is amazing!!!

Wonderful pretty and educational.

Nice place to visit. Great treehouse. We had a good time. Loved seeing the jumping grasshoppers, butterflies and seen humming bird while walking thru the path to the treehouse.

One of the best summer camps in Ithaca!

Amazing animals and very fun

Great site for school groups.

Fantastic staff and the kids loved to porcupine!

Interesting educational center especially for kids

Loved the tree house... fun for kids and adults

Worth the trip to see.

First time there was very interesting

Not to much to see, but entrance fee is cheap and kids ejoyed it. so it works

Nice trail and tree house .

Cool place, needs more animals

Went outside the box and was one of places I chose to go with the hubby on our honeymoon was a nice little adventure

Beautiful

Be sure to climb up the treehouse.

Summer camp!!! Fun!

Great location.

Friendly staff!

Not what i was expecting but worth the price of $5 admission.

Great

Love the tree house!

Beautiful and fun!