Three Lakes Nature Center

My first stop today was to Three Lakes Nature Center. It's only about five miles from my apartment, but seemed like a quick way to get out of the city. According to the Henrico County website:

"Three Lakes Nature Center and Aquarium brings together three worlds; air, water, and land, for visitors to explore. The center features a variety of exhibits designed to give the visitor hands-on knowledge of the plant and animal life of the area. A 50,000 gallon aquarium gives visitors a "fish-eye" view of the underwater world.

The exhibits in Three Lakes Nature Center and Aquarium introduce you to the wildlife living in the wetlands and woodlands of the park. Through simple, self-guided tours, appropriate for all ages, hands-on activities, and animal habitats, the Nature Center makes the world of nature come alive."

With the prospect of seeing the world of nature come alive, I figured that even if it was only half as good as it sounded, it still might be fun.

Thankfully, the Nature Center didn't disappoint. The Three Lakes Nature Center includes three lakes, a nature center and several playgrounds. I think that to be fair it should probably be called the Three Lakes Playground and Nature Center, but I suppose that might be a little much. I started my excursion by visiting the nature center itself. They have a great collection of fish, turtles and snakes, and it was fun to see how much all the little kids enjoyed it.

After doing some learnin' about nature, I took a walk around two of the three lakes. Today was a perfect day to spend outdoors, and Three Lakes had the perfect scenery. The birds obviously know that they're safe there and so it's become something of a hangout. About a hundred geese, ducks, herons and turtles were hanging out on the main lake, all begging for food. Once I got away from the Nature Center, I felt like I owned the whole lake. No one else seemed interested in actually getting out in the woods, so I had the whole place to myself.

If you're looking to get out in the woods without actually taking a huge amount of time out of your day, I highly recommend the Three Lakes Nature Center.