Spotlight: Deep Creek Lake’s Discovery Center

One of the coolest things that we did, other than the hike, was visit the Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park. This nature center had a lot to offer in terms of wildlife, ranger interactions, and interactive hands on exploration. Pictured here is my son Joey standing with the taxidermy and pelts. You could handle and pet each fur which he thought was pretty cool.

On the first floor of the Discovery Center you can walk around to different exhibits where you can learn about a variety of wildlife that call the park its home and even a couple that live outside the park’s boundaries. Here is a tank that had a couple of turtles in it. But there were also displays with snakes and other reptiles as well. In addition to live animals there is also casts and prints, taxidermy and pelts, and informational panels that really give you an all around fun and immersive experience. Its just about as close as I got to a bear this weekend.

Downstairs is a kind of classroom where they were running a Reptile Encounter when we visited. The Ranger was patiently explaining how a snake climbed trees to eat bird eggs. The kids were fascinated… definitely just the kids, we totally didn’t stand in the back and hang on every word… Pictured here is Falker and her big scary bear encounter. It is worth noting that the Discovery Center went out of its way to present a very immersive and exciting experience. It was one of the best nature centers I have seen. But the inside was not all it had to offer.

The Discovery Center also had an Aviary with a variety of birds of prey. This was especially exciting for our resident Falconers- Falker and Shaun. The Deep Creek Lake State Park Aviary tends to several injured bird including a Bald and Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owl, and Perigone Falcon. Definitely a really cool stop. Overall the Discovery Center is a must do at Deep Creek Lake State Park. Highly Recommended.