Nankin Mills Interpretive Center

Nankin Mills Interpretive Center This is the official page for the Nankin Mills Interpretive Center. NOTE: The center is currently open Monday-Friday from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.

The 2nd and 3rd floors are currently closed due to exciting renovations. Nankin Mills is currently open Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (closed for lunch from Noon – 1:00 PM)

Did you know some spiders love to dance?This is most common with jumping spiders, but other groups like orb-weavers will...
09/15/2026

Did you know some spiders love to dance?

This is most common with jumping spiders, but other groups like orb-weavers will perform rhythmic "web-plucking dances".

To learn more about spiders, join us for our Spider Flashlight Hike on Friday, September 18, from 7:00 PM-8:30 PM at Nankin Mills Interpretive Center.

The fee is $5.00 per person ($6.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older.

Enjoy a presentation and grab a flashlight we provide to go look for spiders on our trail.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday.

For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

🧚‍♀️🍂 Forest Fairy Friday! 🍂🧚‍♀️This Friday, our forest fairy has found a fascinating little friend—a yellow woolly bear...
09/11/2026

🧚‍♀️🍂 Forest Fairy Friday! 🍂🧚‍♀️

This Friday, our forest fairy has found a fascinating little friend—a yellow woolly bear caterpillar! 🐛💛

Despite its name, this caterpillar can be yellow, brown, or even a beautiful burnt orange, like the one our fairy is admiring. It’s often mistaken for its cousin, the banded woolly bear, but there’s a way to tell them apart! The yellow woolly bear has distinctly longer fur and lacks the brown bands found on the banded woolly bear.

And this little caterpillar has quite the transformation ahead! ✨ It will eventually grow into a Virginia tiger moth, while its banded woolly bear cousin will become an Isabella tiger moth.

🧚‍♀️ Perhaps our fairy is keeping a close eye on this caterpillar because it has an important job ahead: surviving the winter in its current caterpillar form so it can emerge as a moth when the time is right!

Did you know that most moth species—about 55%—spend the winter as cocoons? This woolly bear has chosen a different strategy! 🍂❄️

Nature is full of amazing adaptations. Keep your eyes open—you never know what our forest fairies might be watching over next! 🌲✨

Home School Thursdays: Forest Fairies is TODAY from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM at Nankin Mills. Be sure to pre-register!Look for fo...
09/10/2026

Home School Thursdays: Forest Fairies is TODAY from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM at Nankin Mills. Be sure to pre-register!

Look for forest fairy figures in the woods and fields and learn about the nature behind where they are hiding and what they are protecting. The program is indoors and outdoors. Expect up to a half mile hike, the trail is dirt with some small hills and exposed roots.

The fee is $6.00 per student ($7.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older. Caregivers must attend and are free. Siblings younger than age five may attend for free, but they may not participate in activities and must not disrupt the class.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

🧚‍♀️🌿 Home School Thursdays: Forest Fairies! 🌿🧚‍♂️Calling all curious home schoolers and nature explorers! Join us TOMOR...
09/09/2026

🧚‍♀️🌿 Home School Thursdays: Forest Fairies! 🌿🧚‍♂️

Calling all curious home schoolers and nature explorers! Join us TOMORROW for a magical afternoon in the woods at Nankin Mills on Thursday, September 10, from 1:00–3:00 PM.

✨ Search the woods and fields for hidden forest fairy figures
🌳 Discover the fascinating nature surrounding their hiding places
🧚 Learn what the fairies are protecting and why it matters
🔎 Explore, observe, and connect with the natural world!

Bring your sense of adventure and get ready to see nature in a whole new way! 🍃✨

📅 Thursday, September 10
⏰ 1:00–3:00 PM
📍 Nankin Mills

We hope to see you there! 🧚‍♀️🌲

The fee is $6.00 per student ($7.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older. Caregivers must attend and are free. Siblings younger than age five may attend for free, but they may not participate in activities and must not disrupt the class.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

There's TWO SIDES to every spider!To see spiders like this and more, join us for our Spider Flashlight Hike on Friday Se...
09/08/2026

There's TWO SIDES to every spider!

To see spiders like this and more, join us for our Spider Flashlight Hike on Friday September 18, from 7:00 PM-8:30 PM at Nankin Mills Interpretive Center.

We will supply the flashlights!
The fee is $5.00 per person ($6.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday (closed Noon-1:00 PM for lunch).

For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

Shown below is a yellow garden spider also called a "writing spider" because they look like they're writing messages in their web due to zigzag patterning of their web. Scientists have many theories as to why they do this one suggests the pattern helps to confuse predators when the spider bounces the web when a threat is near.

Nankin Mills is closed today for Labor Day!
09/07/2026

Nankin Mills is closed today for Labor Day!

A FAIRLY fun looking program!Home School Thursdays: Forest Fairies on Thursday, September 10 from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM at Nan...
09/07/2026

A FAIRLY fun looking program!

Home School Thursdays: Forest Fairies on Thursday, September 10 from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM at Nankin Mills.

Look for forest fairy figures in the woods and fields and learn about the nature behind where they are hiding and what they are protecting. The program is indoors and outdoors. Expect up to a half mile hike, the trail is dirt with some small hills and exposed roots.

The fee is $6.00 per student ($7.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older. Caregivers must attend and are free. Siblings younger than age five may attend for free, but they may not participate in activities and must not disrupt the class.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

Our first Frightful Friday is TWO WEEKS away!Creep on over Friday, September 18, from 7:00 PM-8:30 PM at Nankin Mills In...
09/04/2026

Our first Frightful Friday is TWO WEEKS away!

Creep on over Friday, September 18, from 7:00 PM-8:30 PM at Nankin Mills Interpretive Center.

Have you ever shined a flashlight to see spider eyes? It’s pretty cool! You might be surprised by how many eyes you see. We will dive into the world of these often-misunderstood animals in this indoor and outdoor program. Expect a one-mile hike, the trail is dirt with some small hills and exposed roots.

We will supply the flashlights.
The fee is $5.00 per person ($6.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday (closed Noon-1:00 PM for lunch).

For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

Forest Fairy FridayForest fairies continue to be spotted around Nankin Mills. Every Friday we plan to document our sight...
09/04/2026

Forest Fairy Friday

Forest fairies continue to be spotted around Nankin Mills. Every Friday we plan to document our sightings. The fairies always seem to be admiring or protecting something. This time it would appear the forest fairy is protecting its friend the monarch caterpillar.

Why do they need protecting? They're an endangered species! Stuff like pesticides, unstable weather, and loss of habitat have caused this. We observed the fairy planting milkweed and tending a pollinator garden to help.

HOME SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION!We're kicking off the home school year with:Forest Fairies on Thursday, September 10 from...
09/03/2026

HOME SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION!

We're kicking off the home school year with:

Forest Fairies on Thursday, September 10 from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM at Nankin Mills.

Look for forest fairy figures in the woods and fields and learn about the nature behind where they are hiding and what they are protecting. The program is indoors and outdoors. Expect up to a half mile hike, the trail is dirt with some small hills and exposed roots.

It's a Trap! on Thursday October 1 from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM at Nankin Mills.

French fur trappers in costume will share their limited French language skills along with the history of fur trapping in the Great Lakes. The program is indoors and outdoors. Expect up to a half mile hike, the trail is dirt with some small hills and exposed roots.

The fee for either program is $6.00 per student ($7.00 if out of county) and is recommended for ages five and older. Caregivers must attend and are free. Siblings younger than age five may attend for free, but they may not participate in activities and must not disrupt the class.

Pre-registration is required by calling (734) 261-1990 or by visiting Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, which is open 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
For more information, call (734) 261-1990.

Address

33175 Ann Arbor Trail
Westland, MI
48185

Opening Hours

Monday 1pm - 4pm
Tuesday 1pm - 4pm
Wednesday 1pm - 4pm
Thursday 1pm - 4pm
Friday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+17342611990

Website

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