Nature Discovery Center553

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best enviro-friendly place in Houston, the Nature Discovery Center is housed in the old Henshaw home, nestled in Russ Pitman Park, a four-acre rural retreat in the midst of the city of Bellaire.

The Center's Discovery Rooms are upstairs, but if you need assistance, the staff are happy to help. These two rooms are full of intriguing exhibits and hands-on activities. Discovery boxes entice youngsters to explore a crystal cave with a magnifying glass, compare animal teeth to their own, explore life in a log, or reconstruct a turtle skeleton. Children can also see frogs, turtles, a tarantula, hissing cockroaches, a freshwater aquarium, and a snake. Puzzles, loads of books, drawing supplies, and a microscope are also on hand.

One of the Discovery Rooms contains larger exhibits that change once or twice a year. These larger exhibits cover a variety of topics with hands-on activities, displays, and specimens to examine. You may find this room transformed into a rainforest, a prairie, the Sargasso Sea, or some other habitat - or you may find that the room invites kids to dig deep into the earth to discover geology in the GeoZone.

The Center has three restrooms, including one with a changing table upstairs. Several covered picnic tables in back of the house make for a peaceful spot to eat among the birds and squirrels.

Storytime with crafts, for children ages two to five, is held every Wednesday at 4pm. Nature classes invite kids ages three to 10 to learn about a variety of topics.

Summer camps are available for children ages five and up, and summer classes are available for children ages three to five with their parents or grandparents.

The Nature Discovery Center also offers birthday party options, including a presentation with live animals, that can be done either at the Center or other locations.

The surroundings at Russ Pitman Park include picnic tables, a tree-shaded playground, nature trails, birdwatching, a fish pond, and a host of small critters such as squirrels, frogs, and turtles.