McDowell Nature Center, located within the 1,132-acre McDowell Nature Preserve in south Charlotte, provides educational programs and resources at the County’s oldest and largest nature preserve. The nature center features live native animals, a discovery hall and a gift shop.
Nature Centers and Preserves
Mecklenburg County manages over 7,600 acres of nature preserves throughout the county. We offer four nature centers along with a nature space at Eastway Regional Recreation Center. Each of these locations offers environmental education programming and general visitor information.
Nature Preserves
In order to protect our community’s best natural areas, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation has strategically set aside almost 8,000 acres of parkland to conserve our highest quality forests, grasslands, wetlands, rare species habitats, and water quality. Nature preserves focus recreational opportunities in a mostly passive way through the establishment of a high quality system of nature trails, nature center programming, outdoor shelter rentals, and access to streams, ponds and reservoirs. The Division of Nature Preserves and Natural Resources is a regional environmental leader and willingly partners with other public agencies and non-profit organizations on preservation, conservation and educational endeavors.
