Red Oak Nature Center

Sense the Seasons: This amazing tour of nature opens worlds of discovery, providing an educational panorama of wondrous facts, figures and illustrations of how the natural world cycles from one season to the next. More than just learning about the cold-to-warm transitions of winter, spring, summer and fall, Sense the Seasons takes you on an interactive journey with real-life sights, sounds and smells. It’s a magical experience!

Wildlife Room: The wildlife room is home to many animals that live and thrive in the Fox River area. The newly remodeled room features a 500 gallon turtle and fish habitat, along with new habitats for frogs, salamanders, snakes and more.

Acorn Classroom: Providing a great educational venue, the Acorn Classroom is home to various programs – including Scouting, Junior Naturalists and Red Oak Nature Center’s Nature Preschool.

Maple Classroom: Upon entering Red Oak, you’re encouraged to visit the Maple Classroom, where you can relax for a cinema-like experience and view our entertaining and informative video about all the cool stuff around Red Oak Nature Center. Narrated by Parker – our fox mascot – you’ll learn about the history of Red Oak and surrounding areas. Parker takes us on a year-round tour and describes many of the fish, birds, wildlife and flora that inhabit the Fox River and forest around Red Oak.

The Cave: Follow the Fox River Trail down to The Cave at the river’s edge, where you can explore the only known cave in the Aurora area.
Observation Deck: Step out, take a deep breath and enjoy truly spectacular views. Located directly behind the Nature Center, the Observation Deck sits over the Fox River and is an ideal vantage point for viewing river wildlife, migratory birds and the wooded shorelines and islands.
Picnic Shelter: The spacious picnic shelter features a limestone fireplace and plenty of tables – the ideal setting for an outdoor lunch. (Sorry, not reservable.)

Trails: Six wood-chipped hiking trails and the nationally renowned Fox River Trail wind throughout the woods that border the Fox River. Dogs and bikes are allowed on paved trails only.