We love visitors at Aldo Leopold Nature Center!

Visit us seven days a week to connect with nature and exercise your senses in our oak savanna, wetland, prairie, and woodland ecosystems nestled in the heart of beautiful Monona! Located on Femrite Drive, between Monona Drive and Copps Ave, and nestled between Woodland Park and Edna Taylor Conservancy – Aldo Leopold Nature Center (ALNC) is your neighborhood nature center and we invite you to come, explore the magic and wonder of the natural world, located in your own backyard.

Directions

Please consider these alternative transportation options for visiting us!
 
Aldo Leopold Nature Center
330 Femrite Drive
Monona, WI 53716

1. 1. Take the South Beltline (Hwy 12-18) to Monona Drive. Exit North and continue past the Monona Drive/Broadway Street intersection.
   2. Turn East on Femrite Drive and pull into the driveway after the Monona Meadows sign on the North side of the street. There is a sign for the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and Monona’s Woodland Park.
   3. Follow the driveway up the hill; the Nature Center is located just south of the main parking lot. All buses must park in the first parking lot. For schools, this is also where students will greet the Naturalists.

• Trail Map
  Hike the grounds to explore our prairie, pond, and woodland trails.
• Trailside Backpacks
  Enhance your discovery of the natural world with our Trailside Backpacks filled with tools and activities to engage with nature.
• Nature Passport
  Grab a Nature Passport to complete annual challenges at Nature Net sites throughout South-Central Wisconsin.
• Play Outside
  Cook in our Mud Kitchen, engage with our Discovery Tables, and find other ways to ‘play’ as you explore the trails.
• Children’s Shack
  Stop outside our replica of Aldo Leopold’s famous retreat.
• Immersion Theater
  Enhance your outdoor experience by stopping in our Immersion Theater to explore our world from the macro to the micro.
• Visitor Etiquette
  Nature Center Policies & Frequently Asked Questions.

Hike and explore our prairie, pond, and woodland trails with our self-guided hikes and Digital Docent: Climate Change Impacts walking tour (scan the QR codes around our grounds or view the PDF version here). Trails are free and open daily from dawn until dusk.

Stop inside to find information on our Scavenger Hunts, including Scavenger Hunt BINGO, or check out a backpack to participate in our Family Trailside Backpack Program.

 

ALNC Trail Map
 

Our Children’s shack is a 3/4 size replica of Aldo Leopold’s Shack in Sauk county – the shack near the Wisconsin River in which he and his family spent many weekends practicing phenology by observing and recording the natural world. According to his children, the Shack isn’t where Aldo Leopold did the bulk of his writing, but rather the place where he got his ideas. Not fully staffed, the Children’s shack is open for special events and programming with tours available upon request.

Explore our indoor Nature Nooks! Designed for the littlest adventurers to engage with prairie, pond and woodland habitats and even learn a bit about Aldo Leopold, your young child will have hours of fun playing and discovering in our indoor ecosystems with our Catch & Release Fishing stage, Prairie Plant Sensory table and Tree Hollow and Woodland Animal puppets.

ALNC is proud to be a part of Nature Net’s Nature Passport program! Get started by picking up this self-guided family program at ALNC or one of the other Nature Net sites throughout South-Central Wisconsin. Discover new places and take your adventures on the road! Learn more about Nature Net on our website.