The six-year wait is finally over for patrons of Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville, which on Wednesday reopened to the public following its first renovation in more than 50 years.
The nature center at 5100 Meadowside Lane has been part of Rock Creek Regional Park since 1972. The facility has been mostly closed to the public since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and design work on the renovations began.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the refreshed Meadowside Nature Center on Wednesday, Montgomery Parks Director Miti Figueredo said some of the facility’s previous exhibits, while beloved, were “starting to show their age.”
“What we’re trying to do here, of course, is instill in young people and families a lifelong appreciation of the natural environment, and these updated exhibits will help us do that,” Figueredo said.
The nature center now consists of three main indoor areas: a “Nature Nook” geared toward infants and toddlers, a “Habitat Hollow” for school-aged children and four “learning pods” focused on Meadowside’s forest, water, meadow and sky habitats.
“Places like Meadowside remind us that conservation begins with connection,” Montgomery Planning Board Chair Artie Harris said during Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting. “That kind of connection can last a lifetime, as it has for me.”
Grace Yick, Montgomery Parks’ Assistant Division Chief for Nature Centers, told Bethesda Today on Wednesday that a storybook illustrator helped create a “pop-up” effect on the walls of the Nature Nook, which features nature-themed toys and a tree hollow for quiet reading.
The Nature Nook is also where visitors can find many of the center’s non-avian “animal ambassadors,” including toads, turtles and snakes. They remained at Meadowside during the renovations, Yick said.
In the Habitat Hollow exhibit, a walk-through burrow depicting mice, centipedes, grubs and other subterranean critters now stands in place of the center’s old cave. The space also features a rock wall, a “frog pond” with musical cattails and boulders for hopping, as well as an interactive game based around animal movements.
The learning pods near the center’s welcome desk include content in English and Spanish. The replica canoe and longhouse have been replaced by a play kitchen, where young children can learn about ways to save water and energy at home.
The renovations also brought accessibility improvements, including a paved path through the outdoor nature playspace and a dedicated “Fox Den” for nursing parents, children with sensory needs or anyone else who may benefit from a quiet area, Yick said.
The center’s raptor deck remains mostly unchanged — save for some new signage — and has remained open throughout the renovation process, according to Yick. Other outdoor programming continued as usual, too.
County Councilmember Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7) said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony that her children have fond memories of attending outdoor school at Meadowside, which she called “a long standing resource” for her district and the county as a whole.
“You cannot set foot in here and not feel happiness and joy when you see this facility now,” Luedtke said.