About

NBNC’s 28 acres of fields, woods, and river offers opportunities for all ages to play, learn, and explore in nature!

Learn More About Us

Calendar

Visit our calendar to explore upcoming offerings,
from art gallery openings, to afterschool programs,
to educators institutes, to family events and more.

See our Calendar

Nature Programs

As Central Vermont’s hub for nature education, we offer expert presentations, field trips, and workshops to enrich your understanding of the natural world.

See Our Nature Programs

Education

See Our Education Programs

Our distinguished nature-based education programs immerse children in extraordinary learning environments with an acclaimed, innovative teaching team.

Rentals

Our beautiful facility is popular to rent – inside, outside, or both – for meetings, classes, presentations, and family celebrations.

Rental Information

Comm Sci

From amphibians to Saw-whet Owls, North Branch Nature Center studies and protects local wildlife with the support of passionate volunteer scientists.

See Our Community Science Programs

Support-slide

Please support NBNC by becoming a member, volunteering, and/or making a financial gift to help us connect even more people with the natural world!

Support Us

Connecting People with the Natural World

North Branch Nature Center connects people with environmental education, natural history, and community science. More than 17,000 people visit NBNC to be in touch with the sights, sounds, and sensations of the natural world.

Our 28-acre preserve of forest and fields is nestled in a gentle bend of the North Branch of the Winooski River, just two miles from downtown Montpelier. NBNC is the delight in the eyes of children as they watch fireflies in a field. NBNC is a group of naturalists exploring the secrets of warblers and willows. And it's a quiet place to walk or ski, swim or sit, or simply relax beside the river. There is much to explore. Please join us.

NBNC News Watch

Name: ECO Homeschool Winter Session (Ages 6 – 12)
Start: 2025-01-27T08:45:00-05:00
End: 2025-01-27T14:30:00-05:00
Location: North Branch Nature Center

Marine Ecology - A High School Travel Class

In this January - July 2025 course for Vermont high schoolers, students will delve deep into Earth’s oceans and study ocean geology, biology, ecology, zoology, chemistry, and how humans impact ocean ecosystems. The course culminates in a two-week research trip to Bermuda in July. Learn More

Our Carbon-Neutral Travel Trips!

Our 2025 Adventures Afar will bring you to the planet's most enchanting places to encounter a dazzling diversity of wildlife. Now 100% Carbon-Neutral thanks to our partnership with Northeast Wilderness Trust's Wild Carbon program. Learn more.

Fall Homeschool and Afterschool Open!

Our fall Afterschool and Homeschool programs provide a meaningful and fun learning environment in which children are mentored in social and environmental stewardship. We employ a model of experiential education where children learn by doing through activating all of their senses.

Biodiversity University - Field Courses for Naturalists

Biodiversity University offers 2-day courses in natural history topics from geology to botany to entomology. See our 2024 season at our BioU Page!

Our Land Acknowledgement

North Branch Nature Center acknowledges that we reside upon the traditional and unceded home of the Western Abenaki People. These lands and waters have been a site of meeting and exchange among Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years. North Branch Nature Center honors, recognizes and respects the Abenaki as the traditional stewards of this landscape. We strive to respect and protect this land, while continually honoring the legacy of Vermont’s Indigenous People, the Abenaki People of the Dawn.

The River's Edge Blog

Hunting for Connections

Nov 11, 2024

By Naomi Heindel, Executive Director and Chelsea Clarke Sawyer, Communications Coordinator Our Executive Director Naomi Heindel sat down with three ...