I have been to For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum in Burton, Michigan {just east of Flint} many times, and it wasn’t until I was there recently that I realized I’ve never written a post about it. It’s one of my favorite local spots to visit, and it’s completely FREE! It’s a part of Genesee County Parks, and is a great way to spend a day with plenty of nature-inspired activities and programming.
So what is there to do during a visit?
For starters, there is an amazing barrier-free treehouse. Seriously. How cool is this building?
The treehouse is home to Nature’s Superheroes, The Preservers. You can follow their adventure by walking the Superhero Trail and stopping at each turtle shaped sign to read a piece of the story. It’s super cute! {You can head inside Monday – Wednesday 12 – 4:30 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 12 – 4:30 p.m. It was closed during our last visit.}
We also love finding the hollowed out tree on the path to the treehouse. It makes for such a fun photo op! Last time we were there, we found some painted rocks nearby, too.
Inside the visitor’s center, there is plenty of educational information to occupy kids.
We tend to spend the bulk of our time in here, learning about animals, and their fur, tracks, and even scat {aka poop} 😉 My two littles were fascinated by snake skin the last time we visited.
If you’re super nice to the employees, they may even let you hold something if there aren’t a ton of kids around. I always say it’s one perk of kids that always want to ask questions when there are animals around!
There are turtles, snakes, a tarantula, and more. I’m partial to the box turtle, Rosie, since we are the same age. Ha!
One thing we haven’t done but would love to do is to rent a discovery backpack to learn more about nature, or some snowshoes in winter. There are also walking sticks and yoga mats available. Such a cool perk!
In addition to just visiting, For-Mar also has lots of cool programming. Check out the events calendar for the latest.
Overall, For-Mar is a really cool spot to visit if you’re in the Flint area for the day. Since it’s free to visit, what do you have to lose?!
Learn more about For-Mar and the Genesee County Parks at their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
LOCATION + HOURS
For-Mar is located at 2142 N. Genesee Rd., Burton, Mich. 48509.
The nature center is open daily from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Learn about more fun places to visit in the Flint, Michigan area at this post. If you visit, make sure to check out Sloan Museum’s Robot Zoo, happening just a few miles up the road!
Have fun exploring if you visit!
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