Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

We discovered a cool new place to take Will for fun. Just "down the road" from us on the southern shore of Lake Erie is the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. By suggestion from my mom, we thought it was a neat place for our little outdoorsman to explore. Driving by, the visitor center looks like a ski lodge.


Inside the center, the floor shows a dipiction of Ohio, Lake Erie, and what used to be the Great Black Swamp.


The Refuge was created to preserve the diminishing natural marshes and wetlands that used to be the Great Black Swamp. It is also home to bald eagles, white-tailed deer, muskrats, fish, reptiles, etc. and is a "resting place" for many migratory birds. The beautiful visitor center has lots of historical information and activities for children to explore.






The Muskrat House was a little learning "cave" with animal furs to feel, animal tracking prints to play with and info about muskrats.




The current, standard, "cheese" face.


In addition, they have an observation deck, a boardwalk, and miles of hiking trails outside.

Along the trail they have stopping points with more historical info and little educational things like this marker that allows you to push a button and hear the sounds made by birds, bull frogs, etc.

Another cool thing that they offer is a Nature Tots program for children ages 3-5 on the first Saturday of each month throughout the whole year. They read stories, go outside, make nature crafts, etc. And in the summer, they have similar Family Fun Adventures every Saturday morning. So next year when he's three, I'm looking forward to participating in some of these programs. They're free and educational - perfect!