To our family, the Visitor Center is the gateway to the parks. We stop for maps, snacks, shopping, and learning. Most of all, however, we depend on them to amplify our kids’ excitement for all the park has to offer. So what makes a great visitor center for kids?
It’s simple: INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES!
Why to always stop at the Visitor Centers of National Parks
First, you’ll find important information about the park. They offer maps, brochures, and exhibits that tell you all about the park’s history and natural wonders. You can find out about the best hiking trails and scenic routes. You will also find a current schedule of ranger-led activities.
The visitor center is also a great place to get oriented. The park movies and displays give you an overview of the park’s geology, ecology, and history. This will help you understand the park better and make the most of your visit.
Staying safe is important in national parks, and the visitor center can help with that too. They’ll tell you about any dangerous areas and give you tips to stay safe during your visit.
This is also where you will collect your family’s Junior Ranger booklets. They will help you familiarize yourself with the park highlights and adventures.
Last but not least, the visitor center is a great place to find amenities like restrooms, water fountains, and more.
Visiting the visitor center can enhance your national park experience by giving you valuable information, orientation, and opportunities for learning and engagement. They should always be your first stop!
Best Visitor Centers for Kids
You may be surprised to know that some of the most popular national parks, some of the most visited national parks, don’t make our list of best visitor centers for kids. On the other hand, I hope this inspires some excitement to visit some of our lesser-known parks and invest in the learning opportunities they offer. Here is a list of five great places to take your kids that will surely inspire their inner “edsplorer!”
Death Valley National Park Furnace Creek Visitor Center
The Furnace Creek Visitor Center is located in the most developed part of Death Valley National Park. This is a great location to begin your adventures in this park, as there are several major attractions within a few minutes drive.
Now, if you follow me on “social,” you may have noticed my recent and unexpected love affair with Death Valley National Park, but hear me out.
The Furnace Creek Visitor Center is not fancy. Neither the snack selection nor the gift shop is large.
However, when you walk in and swing a right, you will find yourself in an unexpectedly FUN museum full of interactive exhibits!
Even as an adult, I could not keep myself from spinning the wheels to learn more about the park’s rich mineral history. So be sure you spend some time at Death Valley National Park’s Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
You and your kids will enjoy it! Read more about how to enjoy your time at Death Valley National Park.
Saguaro National Park Red Hills Visitor Center (WEST)
nThis visitor center, greeting those who enter the wester unit of the park, is located at 2700 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona 85743. There is little-to-no cellular service in this area, so ensure your needs are covered off-line.
Saguaro is one of our lesser-visited national parks, and I would not say that I have fully appreciated all it has to offer. However, the visitor center blew my mind in unexpected ways.
Did you know that saguaro cacti have SKELETONS?
I didn’t either. But, when you walk into the visitor center and head towards the Ranger desk, you are met with a surreal site of a saguaro skeleton. You will never look at a saguaro the same again. Go see it…in the winter…
North Cascades National Park Visitor Center
As the park’s main visitor center, this facility will welcome you in from the hugs of the surrounding forest. Not only does it offer all the best visitor center amenities, but you will also find several interpretive trails starting from its porches.
I guess I like a “statement piece” because one of my favorite visitor center experiences was posing with the life-sized black bear at the North Cascades National Park Visitor Center.
Since one of the park’s hot topics is the reintroduction of grizzly bears, the bear exhibits were the best of any national park unit. The North Cascades Visitor Center also has a wonderful museum and even a kids’ corner! As quickly as some in my family, myself included, lose attention, we were all happy as clams spending over an hour at this center.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center
The McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center is the park’s main visitor center. It is large with plenty of parking spaces. You will be excited to find their excellent amenities after your long drive through West Texas! No matter the time of year or the hiking abilities of your family, the short trail that begins here will offer plenty of scenic and educational opportunities!
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is another “sleeper-park,” but the visitor center certainly enlivens the experience. Admittedly, it was the Junior Ranger Program scavenger hunt through the exhibits that made it so memorable.
Why don’t all of the parks do this? It is a great way to quickly engage the kids. Guadalupe Mountains National Park Visitor Center was another place we spent over an hour enjoying due to their skillfully created children’s program.
Badlands National Park Ben Reifel Visitor Center
I am working to grow my love for Badlands National Park, but the visitor center lures me back. The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is the largest and most visited visitor center within Badlands National Park. It offers snacks, a shop, a park movie, and a ranger station.
However, the crowning jewel of this facility was a delightful shock to us all!
There is a room towards the back of the building wherein they seem to herd little rangers-to-be. And this secret place is unlike any we have experienced. They call it the Fossil Preparation Lab!
There are multiple stations set up showcasing scientists at work. We watched them brushing and preparing the fossils.
There is a small, children’s table in the Lab where children can sit and work on their Junior Ranger activities. My kids would hop up every few minutes to check on the fossil progress at each station.
It was a unexpected delight that made the park experience one of our most memorable. If you would like to learn more about this process, visit the American Museum of Natural History.
Read more about visiting Badlands National park!
Honorable Mention:
You knew it was coming, right? You MUST take those kiddos to the Yellowstone National Park Visitor Center at Old Faithful. But, it isn’t just about the visitor center. It is an entire learning neighborhood.
Between the geyser, the visitor center, and the Heritage Center (a new use of an adjacent building that focuses on honoring the human and tribal history of the region,) you could and should devote a day to the area. No animals, no Grand Prismatic, just learning.
One additional note about learning opportunities at Yellowstone National Park is that they have a program I have not seen in any other national park: the Junior Scientist Program. It offers an even deeper level of learning than the Junior Ranger Program. I suggest both. Even if you don’t tackle all of the activities, these booklets are fantastic guide for the kids in your life!
I hope this has inspired you to look deeper and broader in your journey to inspire the junior rangers and not-so-junior naturalists in your life. Each National Park is special. I’m here to shine a light on these gems of ours!
