Just a short 30-minute drive from Milwaukee is a beautiful nature center with a renovated nature space just for kids.
The Discovery Trail at Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha has been revitalized thanks to contributions from the Waukesha Rotary Club Foundation, the Friends of Retzer Nature Center, and funding from Community Development Block grants.
It’s one of our favorite easy hikes for kids around Milwaukee, and it’s free to park and walk around.
The project has revitalized Retzer’s old Adventure Trail with expanded accessibility into nature for all ages and abilities.
The new Discovery Trail includes a variety of “Exploration Stations” for outdoor education, sensory-based play experiences, and STEM activities for families and school groups.
This multi-phase project refreshed the original ‘Adventure Trail’ with the reconstruction of the accessible path and an expanded connection to the accessible boardwalk.
Other additions include a gateway feature, a stone seat wall gathering space, nature exploration stations – including insect, wood, animal tracks, and a giant eagle’s nest – as well as a habitat free-play area, boulder scramble, and native plant observation areas.
Our kids explored this area for a long time, sometimes hopping and balancing on the natural elements, and sometimes taking a break on the nearby picnic tables.
You can learn more about the ongoing Discovery Trail project on the center’s website.
Next, we hiked along the Green Loop and Boardwalk hike, which begins just past Discovery Trail and takes you through a beautiful forest along a babbling brook.
The kids saw frogs and turtles and enjoyed the wooded scenery.
The boardwalk is in excellent condition and accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.
Alternatively, if you take the connector trail to the Purple Trail, you’ll be rewarded with a great view of Waukesha.
No visit to Retzer is complete without stopping in to the nature center where there are real fish, small animals, interactive exhibits about wildlife and sustainability, and educational materials.
The Horwitz-DeRemer Planetarium is also located in this building. Check their schedule before you go to see if there will be a show while you’re there.
Outside of the nature center is a well-kept pavilion with picnic tables to eat snacks and picnic. There’s a charming Children’s Garden nearby, too.
Don’t miss Scarecrow Lane in the Fall, which is a half-mile loop of locally made scarecrows. It’s a reader favorite.
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