Reviews of Sandy Creek Nature Center (Zoo)

Jade Underwood

Sandy creek nature center is very appreciated and loved by our family. This is such a wonderful place for kids. Always so clean, and nice employees and volunteers. Thank you for all that you do.

Stan Hitson

Bring the kids. They will love the nature center. Very child friendly. Paved bike trails and many walking nature trails. Bike trails to be extended in the fall of 2019

Jeremiah Barnes

A great, free treat for everyone in Clarke Co.! Explore the trails, and check out the wildlife in their indoor exhibits.

Brad K Hounkpati

Looking place for your family and friends, park to visit, hanging out, having fun, ...in Athens, GA? No worries, just go and you will thank yourself later. Loved it.

Rachel Henderson

The interpretive center is a must see. So many interesting animals and plants to learn about and observe. There are a lot of beautiful trails here (perfect for running), and there is access to the Oconee greenway.

Hanna Maturan

Great place for family to get some nature time!

Robert Fulton

A little known gem in the Athens area. My grandson was absolutely fascinated with the exhibits.

Jenna Wylie

Cute, fun, and educational!

Joseph Pociask

Nice trails, great aquarium room and interactive exhibits for kids, lots of parking. Connects to the Athens Greenway at one end, and to Sandy Creek Park via Cooks trail, which is a ~4.5 mile hike.

Brandon Terrell

Went here on a field trip with my daughter. Cheap admission and lots of neat stuff to see.

Chris H

Def very different from the old house when I was a kid. Very new and very nice. Dog trails and running trails.

Jaiker Cham

Very Educational

Morgan Faith Jones

Lovely, clean, and very nice bike paths

Sumith Yesudasan

Nice trails and beautiful place..A must go with family if you are in Athens GA.

Kevin Spiegel

Great educational experience for young children.

ashley

Wonderful park, with many things to see. The staff are helpful and courteous. Most of the trail is handicap accessible!

McDAK

Peaceful, Quiet. A good place to out with nature, run, walk, jog or bike.

Carol Hawes

It is great place to visit, if you like nature

arden singletary

Really interesting, wonderful assortment of activities and exhibits for adults and children.

Jonathan Cantrell

Cute. Hiking trails, pokestops

Quarine Ruperd

This was my first time taking my 2 year old son to a nature center, and I wish it was near my home (I live 2 hours away)! The staff were all so kind and helpful. There weren't a ton of animals to see, but it was enough for my little guy! The activities were great, lots of interactive spots including a bar code scanner. Our favorite thing was Doris the Tortoise! Next time we are in Athens, we will for sure be revisiting!

Will Smith

It's very relaxing, my family love to visit.

Tawhid Bhuiyan

Great hiking trails.

shanna Bowles

Great place for kids and adults!

Joseph Mcgauthiar

Great place to learn about nature and conservation. Nice hiking and biking trails.

Andrew Wardner

Great trails for hiking, jogging and dog walking, ruins of an early 1900s brick factory by the old dredge pond. Informational signs along the trails.

Ewa Maselek

Best place for families and people with special needs.

Jennifer Lewis

Nice place to take kids for learning experience and fun! It's also free so I loved that! Went on hike down the trails so that was very cool adventure for all of us.

David Roberts

There are several well maintained trails from river to ridge line. It's a great place to enjoy a little time in nature and brief respite from some aspects of the city.

Natalie Findlay

What a darling little gem! We visited the cemetery with my son and his prek class! It is very educational. My son loved the sea turtle and playing in the garden area. He also enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt. We went through the whole place in about an hour. Very educational and best of all, it was free!!

Rebecca Wilson

Very cool place! The kids really enjoy it! There are many cool things to do at the Nature Center. They have a little educational hike that you can take the kids on and many little educational stations for them to learn about the different regions of Georgia. My kids went here as a part a field trip for a summer camp, but I think it would even be fun to come to when its just you and your kids!

Brent Roberts

Nice place to take my three-year-old good community

Ryan Eaton

Came here for my little brothers birthday. Great nature center for little kid's birthdays.

Snowy Wolfgirl

Been visiting this place since I was a little kid. Always loved it. Love the addition of the stable walkways on some of the popular trails

Alison Burkett

Review is from late May/early June 2018; noticed weird typos and edited March 2019, We booked there for my son Winston’s fourth birthday party. The overall service, the educational aspects, their presentation of the subject matter (inside-- snakes; outside-- short trail tour with education on healthy vs. unhealthy forests, invasive species, etc) that they provided to these children were all very well executed: these 4YOs were mesmerized, engaged, and comprehending what the guide was saying (subject matter in which I basically majored in undergrad and grad school and always have to stop myself, if my son hasn't already, going into too much detail explaining anything about the environment). I could not recommend it more for a party. Or for a visit – I was blown away by the aquarium section! I wish we could have spent more time there to explore. For a party you get two big rooms to yourself: one for food, presents and cake, and the other for the program that you choose whether it’s turtles or snakes etc. Then we took a tortoise named Doris on a walk outside, and the kiddos just had a blast! Perfect and exactly what I wanted and way way more! Thank you so much Sandy Creek Nature Center!!!!!

Daniel Lightsey

Beautiful place for a hike or run.

Onnie Boswell

Great to take kids

Jamaal Williams

Great place for kids.

Erica Alexander

Great trails, good exhibit.

Jose A Garcia

Great place to take a walk, chill and have a good day.

a gamers life

Beautiful ada and managed trails!!! Enjoyed a stroll of about 3mi. and will be returning frequently.

T Missing Link Videos

Me and my granddaughters went here yesterday for the first time we loved it.

Gery Meehan

The nature center itselfhas lots of things for kids mostly younger kids. Plenty of trails, and bike trail, so also plenty of outdoor activities.

Cassidy Mathews

Great activity for a day trip. Hiking trails are great. The nature center is perfect for little ones.

Kristen C

Nice little educational center. And a lifesaver for my vertebrate project

Candace Stevens

Fun nature center and paved bike path

Steven Rogers

Great place to spend a few educational hours with the kids

Mike M.

Better than I expected! Nice trails. Very accessible. We went for the "Trains In The Park event and we were very impressed.

Andrew Bell

The nature center is really cool if just a little small and the walking trails are nice.

Mattie Whitesell

Such a great place for humans of all ages! I love taking my nephew here to learn about the natural world around him, and he loves seeing all of the frogs, turtles, snakes, and salamanders!

Jose umana

It's a nice place to let the time go by

Debbie Hodge

This is a nice science center, just right for children. I enjoy walking around it myself. This is a great place to bring a school field trip.

Mia Hernandez-Jara

Sandy Creek is good for family and also for relaxing and if you are on a budget this is perfect for you

christina carroll

Loved it as s kid and still do

Cody Ring

One of my favorite places to be at!

Fabienne Mack

I've been going here since I was little. I love the activities they have set up. It makes it fun to learn, even as an adult!

Patrice Herrington

The trails were clear and easy, great for walking, also have trails for riding your bicycle. Also have day camps for children ages 7-14 yrs. Very educational a wonderful place to explore and learn about nature with your family. Kids love it. Also has sandy creek beach for swimming. Great place for day with family

Joy Faulkner

Love going and relaxing on the beach

Kayla Nix

Walked the main trail with my dog while my mom rode her bicycle. About a mile in, the trail was covered by water due to recent rains, so we couldn't get past. It was still nice though. Big wide path, in the shade, and easy, close parking.

Marisa Prosser

Great trails

Andres Martinez

Beautiful, natural and big place to go with the family and spend the whole day there.

Carla Bonner

One of my daughter's favorite places

William Perry

Great place for a walk!

Tao Li-Stein

Very cute, well managed nature center with quite a few animals and plenty of educational play set. Many hiking trails as well.

Darlene Griffin

Great trails and family fun

Swapnanil Banerjee

Really good view of Sandy Creek and nice trails suitable for running and walking

Lake Guy

Fun outting for families. Park and lake is nice w lots of activities. Went to fish the lake had a fun time and caught fish.

Matthew Mcpheeters

Great place to spend a day, bike paths are really well engineered. Signage could be a bit better.

Tony Rovolis

Great place yo walk

Mark Halloran

Great trails for walking and biking

Meghan Sabin

Great fun for kids of all ages

Patrina Huff

Another childhood favorite. Nature talks and walking trails

Reilly Lerner

Indoor nature center is perfect for the little ones, especially on a rainy day! Very interactive! The exhibits with animals are also fun to watch. Highly recommend for families

Nick D.

Absolutely beautiful place for a run. Forever green and empty for running space. Just lovely.

Steven Lindsey

Beautiful and quiet

Elliott Russell

Cute little local park. None of the trails are very long, but they're all nice and well kept. The nature center is worth a walk through and they have a gorgeous gopher tortoise in addition to a few other critters.

Angi Hansen

Great walking trails, hiking trails, biking trails, and educational programs for adults and children

Joy Burris

It is a great place for hiking. We try to take our dogs walking as often as possible. They love it!

Tracey Hardy

Should make the sign clearer that dogs are not allowed on the beach area. Since this is the only place they CANNOT GO it should be made clear on signs. And if you kick someone out of the only place they wanted to go which was the beach area to swim. Is losing 4 dollars to 2 18 year olds worth losing customers over. REALLY $4.00

Jacob Taylor

County owned property. Well maintained facility, loads of interactive exhibits for the young ones. I would recommend to any school age group or family for a weekend day adventure.

don hicks

Great place for a stroll..

Holly S

Wow, what a fantastic place! I've been coming here for the past 9 years. The nature center is great, even for adults. There are so many great trails around the nature center too. & It is free to get in (unlike Sandy Creek Park).

The Wave Raiser

So much fun to go too

Brant Reusmann

Kids loved the nature center and there was well kept trails for hiking.

Hayley Campbell

Great, interactive place for kids! I brought my 18 month old here and he was entertained for over an hour. They have lots of ecosystems, hydroponic plants, and cool natural exhibits. There are live fish, turtles, a rattlesnake and a real beehive too!

William Thomas

Great place for family walks but only part is suitable for strollers. Several geocaches also along the trails.

Ashley B

Wide paved path for walking or riding bikes. Mostly shaded for hot summer days. Beautiful scenery; it doesn't feel like you're in the city.

Jeffery Thomas

It's a beautiful site out there and is very terapyic.

Heather Comeau

We love SCNC. The place could use some updating and sprucing up which one s why 4 over 5 stars, but most of the staff is great and the classes are a great resource. The trails are so lovely. Highly recommend.

Annie Shields

Pretty hike. Lots of short trails.

Selina Clarke

Me and my little one love it there.

Peter Cabrel

Next to UGA's Stanford stadium this is THE jewel of Arena/Clarke county However, I am a staunch advocate of USER-FEES/RETAIL SALES TAXES. Therefore, I advocate USER-FEES be implemented for access to Sandy Creek Natural Center.

Thea Ellenberg

We went to a bat talk and found it very interesting. Even got to see a live bat.

Oscar Gonzalez

Excelent natural area to go with children

Michael Caines

Great place for casually walking or even bike riding.

Nancy Callahan

Very peaceful. Well marked trails and lots of them.

Allyson Meeler

They have beautiful, well maintained trails, and some really neat stuff in the building. The employees are friendly and helpful.

Timi Joy Jorgensen

Great for a free activity with kids and the running trail is my favorite!

Chelsea Himes

Cool visitors center with a lot of fun educational stuff for kids, and beautiful easy trails to hike on.

Jennifer Palmer

Love the park here great trails!

Heather Gaya

Wonderful nature center with great hiking trails near by! Lots of animals on display inside the center and volunteers are available to answer any questions. Lots of variety in hiking trails as well

Jimmy Stein

Great hiking and indoor exhibits

Carter Stanfield

Nice trails. You can take your dog as long as they are on a leash.

Hannah Love

This is such a nice little educational place for kids! The trails around it are lovely too :) The lady Rhonda, at the front desk in the mornings is not particularly friendly, but Michelle is awesome! If your young child (3 to 7 maybe) likes science and nature, come here and play!

James Kime

Nice nature trails. Great family place.

Jason Ramsland

Awesome place to spend a day with the family. If you can catch it, the water festival is a neat annual event talking about water conservation, ecosystems, and they spray water out of big trucks - kids loved it.

Cindy Cox

This place is incredible and it's free! Has things for young and old alike. The visitor's center has all sorts of fantastic displays as well as a planetarium. Unfortunately, the planetarium only has shows once a month but there is still plenty to look at and explore. From the beehive to the aquariums, so much to see. The children as well as the adults loved it. We went hiking on a couple of short trails and saw a fez of armadillos! Four young ones dining on goodies from the forest floor. What a treat! We will be back to explore more trails and see more wonders of nature.

Bernie Hockman

Great place to bring young children to learn about nature.

Andrea Zoppo

Great place to bring the kids and learn! Wonderful trails for people of all ability levels.

T Reid

We had a great time as a visiting preschool class. We took an age appropriate hike, saw animals, looked at exhibits, and listened to a great presentation.

Heidi Preuss

Are wonderful space in a metropolitan area. Really enjoyed exploring the park and walking the dog here. Very educational. Lots to see and do.

Olidia Arntson

So much fun and has a fenced in area to house your dog while you look around inside. The walks are fun to

Eli Underwood

Great trails and main center with fun activities and animals for children.

Yifei Wu

It's free and good place for hiking.

Hung Le

Small, but no nearby alternatives makes this your only choice. Usually a good place to stroll to ride your bike, but fallen leaves and Sweet Gum balls can cover the path.

Maria Lucovich

Every time is a new experience for the little ones

Danielle Herron

Great place to let the children just run an explore.

Valtteri Tamminen

A nice, calm nature paradise close to Athens!

Ian Kennedy

Great trails right outside of Athens. Perfect for trail running and almost nobody is ever out there.

Jared Henderson

Great displays and numerous trails from paved to steep hills

Erin Froetschel

This is an amazing place with a great indoor space for kids to learn and explore, as well as beautiful trails and opportunities for everyone to experience nature.

Jonathan Remsen

This is the place to go to ride bikes and walk or just to get peace of mind! Also bring the kids!

Kenny Hembree

Nice place to have a family gathering, ride bikes, hike, fish, kayak.

Ruthanna Vandegriff Reardon

Lots of neat stuff to explore for free :)!

Latana Powell

A wonderful place for homeschool children or a place just to take your family for a walk. Lots of walking trails and an array of educational props with real snakes and frogs and lizards. They also have a sea turtle

Kisha S

This is a nice place to take your family or friends you can play volleyball here you can play basketball you can swim u can go fishing you can go hiking in the trails you can just hang out by the picnic tables you can Grill and you can just plan to have a very peaceful day when it going here if taking the right person

Lloyd Gregory

Great place to park and walk or bike the Greenway.

Let Us Compost

Great place to spend hours with the family. Kids museum or take walks on paved roads or off-hikes in the woods. Great biking trails also.

Josh Macomson

Awesome, and most things are free. Made for an awesome Saturday afternoon with the family.

Robert Moehrke

Love this place! The trails are great! Greenway can take you down to dudley park and back!

James Sadler

Really cool place for free. Lots of trails and education center.

Toni Guest

We love visiting sandy creek nature center!

Karen Harrison

Had a great time with my family. They had trails that can accommodate a stroller which made for a very pleasant experience.

Patrick Cantrell

Haven't actually been inside the Nature Center, but we regularly park here to run on the North Oconee Greenway, Cook's Trail (RIP), or explore various hiking paths in the park. Don't know what we would do without this place!

Nicci Marshall

Beautiful and peaceful!!

Will Adams

Have always loved the nature trails here.

Laurel Barrett

Pretty place to take kids

Glenn Seavers

Great place with nice trails and learning Center. Many small events during the year. Rock and gem show ... Etc...

Kristin Cole

This is a perfect nature center. I've been coming here since I was a child and I'm now 33. They have excellent summer camps for kids and is still an awesome to explore as an adult. This center needs to be supported and continue its education to youth and the public.

Chris Thomas

Great space to think

Jadon Allen

it freaking sucks and is so boring. Don't go there is nothing to do.

Greg McDonald

Great for families with young children

Dominic Ottaviano

Awesome place to take little kids and it's free!! Great past and really awesome indoor area and the front desk is extremely friendly!!

Britt

This place rocks! Awesome spot for a rainy day. There are plenty of hands-on activities to keep a wide range of ages interested, lots to explore. My 5 year old son went to a bat class and had an amazing time. Even got to touch a bat. Only complaint is that mosquitos are really bad on the trail with the wooden walkway, and there was a lot of mud at the end of it, so my kids got very messy before getting in the van. If you found this review helpful, please give it a thumbs up! Thanks!

1G1AN35H0BJ194749

I love this place. The walking trails are great and they have fun stuff for the kids to do in the nature center.

Kelli Cavender

Neat place for kids to learn more about nature and the environment around them. I didn’t get a chance to walk the trails this time, maybe next time!!

Mel Wallace

A few reptiles living on the visitor center. Some hiking trails. Great place to visit!

Dean Chung

Because we have a two-year-old we like to incorporate activities that will make him happy too! It was our first visit to Athens and he didn't want to leave the nature center. There is an exhibit area with fish, snakes, turtles, frogs, etc. on display and different themed areas as well. Very educational. Then there's an outside trail that he loved as well. If we're ever in the area again, we'll definitely be back - and it's free! Happy son, happy parents!