North Branch Nature Center bug watch
North Branch Nature Center bug watch
North Branch Nature Center river
North Branch Nature Center kids
North Branch Nature Center building
North Branch Nature Center beaver
North Branch Nature Center beaver
About

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

Calendar

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

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

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.

Education

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.

Comm Sci

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

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!

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Connecting People with the Natural World

North Branch Nature Center connects people with environmental education, natural history, and community science. More than 15,000 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.

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NBNC News Watch

Announcing 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!

New Book: Educating Children Outdoors by Amy Butler

Educating Children Outdoors is a resource for educators interested in spending extended periods of time in nature with their students. Bringing over two decades of experience working outdoors with teachers and students, former NBNC Director of Education Amy Butler offers curricular guidance on nature-based lessons that align with K–12 education standards and build on the innate curiosity and wonder children have for the natural world. Order for pickup at NBNC or shipped to you.

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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.

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The River's Edge Blog

Dot’s Place

By Dr. Opeyemi Parham, donor of NBNC’s new yurt Editor’s note: NBNC has received the generous donation of a yurt, ...
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The Nature of Loons: An Afternoon on the Pond

By Emily Sloan, Office Manager My paddle sweeps and swishes, a light breeze floats along the water surface, and I ...
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Thinking Like a Shrub Willow

By Ken Benton, Director of Education Often in the spring, when the waters of the North Branch have not fully ...
Read More
Robins Nest

More about North Branch Nature Center

Robins Nest

Connecting People with the Natural World

North Branch Nature Center

713 Elm Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802) 229-6206

Hours: Center Open Monday-Friday 9-4
Trails Open 24/7