Environmental Education Center

A delightful hidden gem in Basking Ridge. This spot hosts the Festival of Trees every holiday season, and it’s truly a beautiful sight. Around 30–40 Christmas trees are decorated and displayed by various local organizations, including Girl Scout troops. It’s wonderful to see so much creativity on display. The fact that the exhibit is indoors is an added bonus. There are also several nature exhibits to explore, and the staff is incredibly friendly. Would definitely recommend it!

Second time visiting, there was a local art gallery of student art. As well as the fish tank in The lower level is always fascinating to see. Lots of living organisms are in water that you never think about. The discover room also has some frogs and a gecko. Overall enjoyable environmental center and nice stop with an infant.

Myself and my boys (9 and 3 years old) visited this last weekend for the maple sugaring demonstration and had a great time. We stopped in the main building to buy tickets and had enough time for the kids to explore the discovery areas. The interactive displays were interesting for both the kids and adults in our group. Clean bathrooms which we used before and after our hike. We had to hike out to the sugar shack and due to the weather the trails were very muddy in sections and icy in others (which we expected). Despite those challenges I found the trails to be well maintained and at the beginning of the trail there were some fun activities for the kids to enjoy like knot tying. The maple syrup demonstration was super cool and the naturalist was very knowledgeable explaining everything in an interesting way that was easy for kids to follow.

Great place for picnicking and exploring with kids. Take your camera, your binoculars and some protection against mosquitoes.
The center has great stuff for kids including a library and an indoor tiny play area.

Great education center on local flora and fauna. Fun place to learn about all the creatures great and small in the area. Fun interactive exhibits for little kids too. The basement (there's a lift) is especially exciting and I was impressed with all the things like fossils and history of the region on display. There are trails around the lake as well. I think the sign said no dogs....we didn't go on trails due to lack of time.