Exhibits & Outdoor Activities
Tenafly Nature Center has so much to offer visitors! Whether it’s your first or one of many returns, you will find information about activities to enjoy on your next visit.
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The fae of Tenafly Nature Center are excited to welcome you to their forest. They have been super busy enchanting their whimsical houses so that human visitors could see them along one of the Tenafly Nature Center’s trails.
Visitors are welcome to visit our resident birds of prey at the aviary.
Along this special trail you will find hidden metal bird silhouettes!
How many birds you can find?
See if you can spot the real ones as you continue your journey along our trails.
Looking for a nature-experience for all ages?
Enjoy time among the free-flying native butterflies and moths of the Tenafly Nature Center Butterfly House! Take a peek in our chrysalis box and observe how various butterflies create delicate chrysalises;
Seasonally visitors are sometimes able to get a close up look at our frog and salamander pond. In early spring, members can join a TNC educator for a salamander count as we search for breeding spotted salamanders.
The John A. Redfield Building is the visitors’ center at Tenafly Nature Center. It is a small two level facility that houses TNC’s small natural history museum.
Have you seen our outdoor play area? Created as an Eagle Scout project, a playscape (or natural playground), was placed off of the yellow trail. A playscape is an outdoor play space with minimal man made components. Playscapes are designed with the intent of bringing children and people back to nature.
Visitors are welcome to explore the nature center's Butterfly and Pollinator Garden.
Visitors may enjoy an adventure in reading on our seasonal StoryWalk®, an interactive outdoor exhibit that turns reading into an adventure. Read a nature-themed story while walking in the woods. Designed for beginning readers, stories will appeal to all ages.
Enhance your exploration of nature with our Nature Explorer Backpacks. This self-guided, year round program is designed for families to learn together, at their leisure, as they explore the Tenafly Nature Center trails. To help you on your adventure, we provide a backpack with an easy-to-understand Exploration Guide and an activity kit, which children of all ages will enjoy.
Geocaching is an outdoor activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific locations marked by coordinates, shared on the internet, all over the world.
Tenafly Nature Center is a sanctuary for human visitors - an island of green where bonds with nature can be renewed. Whether you have an hour or a day, our woods offer a peaceful respite from the rush of daily life. We welcome visitors to take a leisurely walk to Pfister's Pond or enjoy a hike along our 7+ miles of trails.
Letterboxing is a “treasure hunt” style outdoor activity. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like TNC) and post clues to finding the box online on one of several Web sites.
Take or leave a book and enjoy reading. We ask that all books left be family friendly due to the nature and age range of our visitors.
Individuals and families wishing to enjoy the trails and not reserve a space exclusively are welcome to use the white picnic tables (located near the upper Yellow Trail).
Tenafly Nature Center is home to a wealth of wildlife and Pokémon! Introductions to the wild have lead to a diverse group of Pokémon taking residence on the Tenafly Nature Center property.
Cross country skiing and snow shoeing are among the activities which you may enjoy here, with Mother Nature’s cooperation, of course! Even when covered by snow, visitors are welcome to bring their own equipment and explore the trails of the nature center.
We do not permit ice skating on Pfister's Pond at this time.
Trail runners are welcome to train and enjoy a sprint through our woods along the 7+ miles of trails. In early spring, experienced trail runners are invited to discover the native terrain of the Lost Brook Preserve while participating in our annual Lost Brook Trail Race.
Wildlife enthusiasts can enjoy bird-watching and observe other wildlife on their own or join our educators monthly for guided nature walks, full moon hikes, or any of our other seasonal programs.
Learn more about the Plant, Wildlife and Ecology of Tenafly Nature Center