Hurstville Interpretive Center
Welcome to the headquarters of Jackson County Conservation. The Hurstville Interpretive Center offers visitors a chance to explore natural resources at their leisure. Step inside to better understand the story behind our natural and historic resources through the many exhibits. Enjoy the beauty of nature as you step outside to discover the prairie and wetland. In the restored native prairie you can search out reptiles, colorful wildflowers, and a world of insects. Visit the pollinator garden to view native plants as well as our many pollinators. Take your binoculars and see what you can find living or visiting the wetlands during the different seasons.
Features
- Staff on hand to assist visitors
- Information on attractions in Jackson County
- Information on natural resources
- No entrance fee, donations welcome
- Handicap accessible
- Clean Restrooms
- Over 20 indoor and outdoor exhibits and activities for the whole family including:
- Enclosed bee hive (with live bees!)
- Live reptiles
- Resident trumpeter swans
- Railroad model of the historic town of Hurstville
- and more
- Natural Playscape: catch a frog or tadpole in the pond using nets and buckets provided, balance on logs and stumps, find your way through our prairie maze, build with sticks, bricks and rocks, play checkers or tic-tac-toe with colored rocks and more! Playscape is located throughout pollinator garden on the west side of the building.
- 1/2 mile hiking trail
- 15-acre restored prairie
- 18-acre wetland with boardwalk, observational deck, and bird blind
- Fishing pond
- Bird blind
- Picnic shelter
- Pollinator garden
- Frog pond
- Public programs
- Group tours
- School trips
- Community Room – available for reservation
- Solar array – producing ~100% of electricity for the Center
