Meadowside Nature Center, Montgomery Parks

Meadowside Nature Center, Montgomery Parks Meadowside Nature Center is a facility of Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Located in Rock Creek Regional Park, Meadowside Nature Center offers hands-on natural and cultural history programs for families, schools, and scouts. Visitors can spend their time hiking our eight miles of nature trails or visiting our owls, hawks, and American bald eagle in our raptor aviaries. Currently, the interior of our facility is closed. The building is undergoing renovations, and we are working on new interactive and immersive exhibits.

On Sept. 17, touch artifacts, ask questions, and learn more about your favorite animal ambassadors from the Naturalists ...
09/10/2026

On Sept. 17, touch artifacts, ask questions, and learn more about your favorite animal ambassadors from the Naturalists who care for them! No registration required. Join us from 11:00 am until noon.

On Sept. 18, get ready for a classic game with a green twist! Join us for an exciting evening of Native Plant Bingo, whe...
09/08/2026

On Sept. 18, get ready for a classic game with a green twist! Join us for an exciting evening of Native Plant Bingo, where the stakes are beautiful, living prizes. Instead of standard numbers, we’ll be playing with the incredible flora of Maryland—and instead of trinkets, our lucky winners will take home real native plants to jumpstart their own backyard habitats! We start bingo at 6 pm.

Register: https://mocoparks.org/4guLRqZ

The W.A.N.D.E.R. workshop series is intentionally designed for Women and Non-Binary Individuals to learn outdoor skills ...
09/03/2026

The W.A.N.D.E.R. workshop series is intentionally designed for Women and Non-Binary Individuals to learn outdoor skills in a safer space that centers their lived experience. We hope to foster an environment where Women and Non-Binary Individuals feel empowered to explore, learn, and thrive in the great outdoors.

On Sept. 12, join us this fall for a naturalist-led walk along the C & O canal in search of Maryland’s coolest native fruit: the paw paw. We’ll explore the ecological connections of paw paw trees, tips for responsible foraging, and delicious ways to prepare paw paw fruit. Exact meeting location along the canal will be emailed in advance to registrants.

Register: https://mocoparks.org/4y7nPJP

It’s fall y’all!! We are stomping leaves, sipping drinks, and getting crafty. Join us as we celebrate a change of season...
09/01/2026

It’s fall y’all!! We are stomping leaves, sipping drinks, and getting crafty. Join us as we celebrate a change of season. Highlights include:

Sept. 3 Ask a Naturalist

Sept. 4 Vulture Awareness Day Celebration

Sept. 5 Maryland Day

Sept. 5 Walk Up Bird Walk

Sept. 9 Meadowside Celebration

Sept. 18 Native Plant Bingo

Sign up for these and more at: https://mocoparks.org/4d42iI7

Did you know that the idea for the “marshmallow” originated from the marsh mallow plant? That’s right, they were made fr...
08/30/2026

Did you know that the idea for the “marshmallow” originated from the marsh mallow plant? That’s right, they were made from the roots of this plant and once the outer layer was stripped off, it could be boiled, cooled, then eaten like a traditional marshmallow.

Look for a variety of this plant at the Meadowside Study Pond. It resembles a white hibiscus flower.

Photo: Atlantic Ambience

On Sept. 4, it’s Vulture Awareness Day! Celebrate nature’s cleanup crew by finding out what it takes to be a vulture! F...
08/28/2026

On Sept. 4, it’s Vulture Awareness Day! Celebrate nature’s cleanup crew by finding out what it takes to be a vulture! Fly through the forest on this self-guided ultimate scavenger hunt and find the hidden vultures. Answer trivia, solve puzzles, and learn some vulture jokes as you “carrion” down the trail. Join us at 4 pm and registration is $7.

Register: https://mocoparks.org/4xZeHqi

On Sept. 5, stroll with a naturalist to play detective on the lookout for signs of…birds! This walk-up bird walk welcome...
08/27/2026

On Sept. 5, stroll with a naturalist to play detective on the lookout for signs of…birds! This walk-up bird walk welcomes birders of all experience levels, beginner to expert, to bird together. No registration is required and the program begins at 10 am.

Learn more and register: https://mocoparks.org/4qyg0dm

On Sept. 9, come celebrate all Meadowside has to offer and see what’s new with our exhibits! We’ll have games, hikes, ra...
08/26/2026

On Sept. 9, come celebrate all Meadowside has to offer and see what’s new with our exhibits! We’ll have games, hikes, raptor chats, and a campfire. We’re looking forward to connecting with our community in nature and hope to see you there. The celebration starts at 11 am.

Register: https://mocoparks.org/4y5521N

08/26/2026

Looking for the ultimate summer date night or an evening out with friends? We’ve got you covered—and we’ll even watch the kids.

On September 5, grab a cold drink and join a naturalist for a twilight stroll down to the creek. Next, head back to the tables to unwind to the sounds of live music while diving into fresh, steaming blue crabs and two sides. Wash it down with a local b**r.

Break out your best Maryland-themed gear or just wear a favorite white T-shirt you don’t mind getting a little crab juice on.

Registration includes your full meal, two drinks, and access to first-come, first-served childcare right on-site.

Register: https://mocoparks.org/4x2bwye

Address

5100 Meadowside Lane
Rockville, MD
20855

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Thursday 10am - 2pm
Friday 10am - 2pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm

Telephone

+13012584030

Website

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