Red Oak Nature Center image

Red Oak Nature Center

Tourist attraction Park Nature preserve

One of the Best Places To Visits in North Aurora


Address

930 N River Rd, North Aurora, IL 60542, United States

Website

www.redoaknaturecenter.info

Contact

+1 630-897-1808

Rating on Google Maps

4.80 (552 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday: 10 am to 4 pm
  • Wednesday: 10 am to 4 pm
  • Thursday: 10 am to 4 pm
  • Friday: 10 am to 4 pm
  • Saturday: 10 am to 2 pm
  • Sunday: Closed

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: nature (15) trails (11) center (10) cave (9) walk (8) cool (7) nice (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Carm A. 2 years ago on Google
    Lovely and huge place. You need to come here during the fall, the colors are precious and breathtaking. I was so stoked to see the Devil's Cave and it's this tiny little cave lol But after leaving Devil's Cave, my camera's battery completely died & it was fully charged. So spooky! Still pretty cool though.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Stephanie N. 1 year ago on Google
    Everything about this place was impressive. We spent most of our time down by the water and at the Cave. The trails are well kept, signs are clear and parking was easy. Highly recommend.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Walter R. 1 year ago on Google
    Great place for a hike in the woods and to appreciate nature. I love bringing my daughter here. The nature center is great. Unfortunately the animal exhibits were closed for a Halloween event.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nena S. 1 year ago on Google
    A super cool place on the Fox River, with trails and a cave. They also have live turtles and snakes in their nature center. After the nature center, you could walk up and down the Fox River Trail. There are a lot of cool things to see with views of the river.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ayaz N. 8 months ago on Google
    A nice trail for a walk or a jog. Friendly for bikers too
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Monica M. 1 year ago on Google
    Educational nature center with so much fun stuff for the kids! Outdoor nature play area. Nature trails on the Fox River. Bike trail and a small cave to explore.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 stupus 2 years ago on Google
    Really neat place. Great nature center. Really cool cave and beautiful preserve.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jrockin87 R. 5 months ago on Google
    Nice little place to take a hike at. They have nice paths thru the forest with quiz questions along the path to get you to interact with nature and help educate you. Have not gone into the center but do enjoy a nice hike here
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jo w. 9 months ago on Google
    Very fun place for families or just anyone who wants to be out for a walk.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ajimon T. 2 years ago on Google
    A nice place for a day trip if you live in Chi. We did a winter hike. The snow shoe rental was 5$ and well worth it. It was super cold but we had a lot of fun. The North Aurora River front park is close-by and it is really gorgeous as well. We visited that on our way back.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kelli O. 9 months ago on Google
    Great for kids due to short nature trails. You can walk up to the river or gaze from an observation deck. Cute but very small cave on one of the paths.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Skinpeach 2 years ago on Google
    I visit regularly. Great trails, sometimes you can see deer. Awesome for hiking and biking! My dog loves it!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Malieya LiliPop W. 5 years ago on Google
    What was supposed to be a 30 minute walk turned into a complete adventure! Ive lived in Aurora for 8 years and didnt know this was here! Very scenic walk. Then as a treat at the end we stopped into the center. The cool air conditioning was a relief! It was clean and very well maintained. The exhibits were very interesting as well. My 10 month old actually crawled around the place. The book corner was my daughters favorite.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bulbasaur T. 2 years ago on Google
    This place has really cool nature trails. And you just need to do a short walk to get to the Fox River.

  • 5/5 Adam S. 1 year ago on Google
    Very nice place to learn about all the stuff by the river very hot day outside and bugs by the billions but still a great experience!

  • 5/5 Carl P. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a great nature center for kids. Lots of information and a few good exhibits for them to explore. Additionally the walking trails around here are quite nice. I would also recommend heading southbound on the main trail and checking out the small cave, which from my understanding is one of the only ones in the fox valley area.

  • 5/5 Carmucha I. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing park, excellent for the families who can share the nature with the children 😀

  • 5/5 Michele j A. 9 months ago on Google
    My granddaughter begs to go to Red Oak. We like the indoor exhibits that are very educational. The nature hikes thru the woods along the many trails are a fun way to appreciate and learn about the animals and plants around us. With so much to learn, we'll be returning many times.

  • 5/5 Jason R. 5 months ago on Google
    My 4 kiddos (5-10 yrs old) love this place! They sure love exploring that cave! :). And any staff members have always been so kind and helpful! They often even have special small activities even for littles. Like when we went yesterday, they had a scavenger hunt activity where the littles walk a trail trying to find the scarecrows set up right off the path. My wife and I have enjoyed our walks here and we even did a date of snow shoeing once—which was fun as well!

  • 5/5 Sarah W. 5 months ago on Google
    Love this place! The turtle enclosure is glass in the front so it's easy for littles to see. My daughter also loves the tunnel. Lots to do inside and lots of trails right outside!

  • 5/5 Faith 4 months ago on Google
    Beautiful park with lots of hiking by the water. Neat area for kids play too.

  • 5/5 alyse k. 3 months ago on Google New
    We pulled up here and a train just happened to be passing! This nature center is always fun to explore. They have animals inside that you can study and look up close at and a lot of play things for kids. Our favorite part is exploring the trails and finding the cave next to the river!

  • 5/5 Alyssa C. 4 months ago on Google
    We went here for my son’s preschool field trip during fall. Absolutely beautiful trails and great interactive and educational nature center. We loved it and will definitely be back with the whole family. The cave is also super cool.


Call +1 630-897-1808 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed
  • Activities
    • ✓️ Hiking
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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