Explore VINS

Self Guided: A Day at the VINS Nature Center
The VINS Nature Center has so much to offer students and teachers. Hike our Nature Trails, learn about our resident birds and go on a scavenger hunt as you explore the enclosures. Visit the NEW Forest Canopy Walk (ADA Accessible), Birds are Dinosaurs exhibit, and the Forest Exhibit. Visit our meadow and explore the hundreds of wildflowers that flourish there during the spring and summer. Attend a public raptor program or register ahead for special animal encounters.
Contact Linda Conrad, Lead Experience Navigator at lconrad@vinsweb.org to create the right experience for your group.
Your Day at VINS
Your field trip visit includes the opportunity to participate in daily programs:
- Live Raptor Presentation
- Reptile Encounter
Personalize Your Field Trip
Additionally, your admission grants you access to all the exhibits, facilities, and trails on our campus:
- Adventure Playscape
- Birds are Dinosaurs
- Forest Canopy Walk
- Forest Exhibit
- Live Raptor Enclosures
- Songbird Aviary (Currently under construction for a new and improved version!)
- Woodland trails leading to the riverside (a portion of this trail is ABA accessible)
- Meadow Walk
We invite you to enjoy lunch on our grounds and continue to explore the nature center.
Age Ranges
Explore VINS is suitable for students of all ages
Program Options
We’ll work with you to schedule the raptor program that most aligns with your needs. Topics include but are not limited to: habitat, physics of flight, migration, falconry, and adaptations.

Enhancing Classroom Curriculum with On-Site, Place-Based Education
Explore the natural world with hands-on lessons aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.