Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Reviews

Lots of activities for the kids and they had a great time!

So much fun, come see all the wild life NH has to offer

Open w COVID social distancing. The bird exhibit is closed. Kids adventure playground still open. It is still a great place to visit

Even with the Covid regs in place, a great place to go. Seeing the local wildlife was great. Really liked it

Interesting, informative, great for kids. Captive animals appear to be well cared for.

Nice place to visit but we had planned to take the loom but after getting there we couldn't take our baby

Great place, love all the exhibits and the animals, the staff is great as well. Always a fun time. Going on a weekday closer to late afternoon helps avoid most of the chaos of field trips.

Nice place to relax and enjoy some nature. Bring bug spray, the mosquitoes there are brutal. They do a nice job and the staff enjoys caring for the animals. Not a huge place but definitely interesting.

took a boat tour of the lake with mike as our guide. OUTSTANDING. Mike was very knowledgeable about wildlife and history. Saw 3 bald eagles and many loons.

A nice trip that explores native New Hampshire animals and ecosystems. Membership is a great value, too. Good for kids.

Our daughter is 4 and loves this place, and has since she was 2. There's plenty of shade for hot days and everything's laid out so that even when the parking lots are full, the trail never feels over crowded. It is a science center, and not a zoo. Quite often, the animals are hidden from view. More often, though, quiet patience brings you face to face with NH's amazing residents.

I strongly recommend a stroll through Kirkwood Gardens while you're there. This area is technically outside the Science Center, so free to enjoy, but it's immediately adjacent and offers a nice mid-visit break for kids to potty and eat snacks (food and drinks, other than water, not allowed on the trails).

The gift shop has gift shop prices, but they also have low cost options for kids to enjoy gift shop victory.

If you live local enough to visit more than once or twice a year, get the membership. Not only can you get in free, but just about every public activity the Center offers comes with a perk for members, including 10% at the gift shop.

Very fun for children. Staff is friendly and happy to educate the children and answer their questions. Interesting for adults too.

The walking trails are well shaded and plenty wide. Volunteers were available to answer some questions about the animals. Plenty of things to keep the little ones interested in climbing or participating in a fun game while older ones and adults are enjoying live animals and exhibits.

Lots to see, nice trails easy enough for a toddler to walk and explore. There is even a playground for kids. There is a picnic area just inside with plenty of tables and a place to buy snacks if you didn't pack your own.

Kids loved it. Outdoor trails between exhibits made it more adventurous.

Fun for everyone, like a zoo but immersed in nature!

Lots of great things to look at and explore. Very well maintained and planned out. Paths are easy traverse with a stroller. Bring a picnic lunch! My only real complaint is its pretty pricey. $20 per adult, $15 for kids over two. Might not be totally worth the price...

It may be the only science center in the area, but it's pretty great! There's a kids playground that my kids always enjoy, exhibits of local animals and a lot of good information that's applicable to this area.
3 hours is about the right amount to explore and learn.

Great animals and friendly staff! This was my 3rd trip this year!

I've loved going here since I was a kid. It's a beautiful place with great animals. We had a blast looking for turtles and frogs on the marsh walk :)

Great for families of young kids.
Season pass is a great value if you re frequently in the area.

Really neat special place. Workers walk around with owls, and are very eager to answer questions about the wildlife.

Informative, beautiful, well laid out, varied displays, for all ages, with inventor play areas for children

I love coming here! It's as much fun for me as it is for my daughter. They have added quite a bit more hands on activities and more animals. Definitely worth a visit and a revisit!

Absolutely bring the family here! A very enjoyable few hours.

Outstanding place to learn about the wildlife in New Hampshire.

We LOVED this place! So much to explore, and creatures to see, and information to learn. We enjoyed the Chipmunks scurrying around the park and learning about them and seeing all the animals in beautifully constructed habitats. It seems a little pricey, but we easily spent four hours here on a quiet Monday. So much interaction and play.

Great Place for the Family.. Even the Young Ones.. Much to do and See..

What a fantastic nature center... this place is not only for children... adults and children both will enjoy a day here. Pack a lunch, they have a great area to picnic.

Very nice, very well done presentation. A good way to learn. Some of the interactive exhibits were not functioning. It may have been due to offseason. Not sure.

I love visiting the otters and other wildlife at the Science Center.

We had a lot of fun. This is great for kids. Lots to learn about plants animals in the white mountains. lots of educational exhibits. Live animals including Bear coyotes deer fox owl etc.. Awesome playground and indoor play area with multiple levels and a spiraling staircase.

Went with my 3 years old son and family. He was entertained and the rest of the family enjoyed seeing all of the animals.

wonderful experience. We did Squam lake cruise and nature trail. You learn so much about New Hampshire wildlife. The friendly staff is doimg a great job.

Its always fun to come here!! This time we came in the afternoon and it was a little hot. Not all the animals were out but it was still a great time! Barred owl, deer, black bear and mountain lions to name a few! They did a great job incorporating social distancing without taking too much from the experience.

Great price through discount programs, and really fun interactive ways to learn about local wildlife.

Great event for sight seeing and educational for the whole family.

Since discovering this place a few years ago I have been in love. I make it a mission to visit at least once a year. Last year I even had my daughters birthday here! Most recent visit was Saturday when me and my husband were celebrating our wedding anniversary. I highly recommend this place. Animals are amazing and well taken care of. The path ways are also well tended to.

Always a great day seeing all the wildlife. And now the 5 animatronic dinosaurs!!! So cool

Kids loved this place. The dinosaur exhibit is awesome and it s very educational in many different ways. A place to return to for sure!

This is an amazing zoo/nature reserve. Anyone with little kids should take the kids h here

Nice place - good walk through the out door areas - the animals are all there to be seen and most or all are recurs of one kind or another.

Great to see nh's animals in natural great interactive learning for littles

Very nice place. But fantastically overpriced. The $19.00 price of admission for an adult is not justifiable.

Clear well groomed trails, helpful staff, fantastic learning and play for children, beautiful animals and birds of prey!

Fun for all ages. Take the Squam Lake Pontoon Boat Ride connected with the Center

Staff were Awesome and the Loon Cruise was so Fun & Educational!! DINOSAUR Presentation was Pretty Cool!

Great nature trail for kids. You can see approximately 10 animals in the trail for about 1 hour. A lot of educational resources in the exhibit. Additionally, there s friendly crew.

Fun place to see all types of Animals. There's a lot of hands on areas mainly for kids but Adults are sure to have fun as well.

We stopped by here on the suggestion of 2 NH natives as a place our 10 year old grandson would enjoy. Well to use "enjoy" would be an understatement, if I were to describe my grandson's experience. There are so many different exhibits, each inviting and engaging young and old minds alike. The animal habitats are brilliant in design. We watched a presentation on the porcupine that had my techno-geek grandson filling up the Q & A session with his curiosity gone wild. The whole staff is very knowledgeable, professional, and polite. The trail and exhibits are clean and well kept. The whole experience was great for our grandson and myself as well.

It's so beautiful here, awesome place for family time and field trips.

Great place to learn about local wildlife and nature! Hands on and interactive exhibits as well as knowledgeable staff giving talks about specific animals.

I can't say enough positive remarks about the science center. I grew up going and now I bring my son. We love seeing all the animals in an outdoor setting and they continue to add exciting new leaning exhibits. I highly recommend going if you've never been!

A beautiful lake and an interesting boat trip with an excellent guide.

Wonderfully organized and maintained facility.
Great staff and just the right size for families.

Honestly it would have been 4 stars, but the weather on the day we went was raining, so many of the animals were hiding.

Kids would go everyday if they could! Great place to visit. They are handicap accessible, have wonderful exhibits, have awesome animals and programs. The volunteers interact with live animals and guests which is always fun. Hikes available. A beautiful garden area to explore as well as two stores. The kids can walk it backwards yet still beg to go as they just love to play in the playground areas and see the animals. As must do.

This is a very pricey cross between a zoo and a nature trail. The science center features several exhibits relating to the animals in the area. It also has exhibits relating to conservation etc. They offer animal shows, demonstrating live animals several times a day, and feedings three days a week, so check the schedule to see if your favorite is on display. In addition to the move animal exhibits the center features several walking trails offering an opportunity to see local wildlife and plant life. Most tree species are marked for easy identification of the local foliage. There is also a ninety minute boat tour of squam lake available for an additional fee.

Amazing nature walk and local animal preserve/rehabilitation conserve.

My Husband and I stopped here on the way home from visiting Mt. Washington, and we were pleasantly surprised! It was very clean and well maintained, and there were a lot of healthy active animals. We did the live animal exhibit trail...I m pregnant and wanted something nice and easy. We took our time and it took about 2 hours (if you have kids, there s so much to do with them, like a playground and picnic area). There were many benches, most of it was in the shade, no big hills, and it was very stroller friendly and handicap accessible. It was so educational, and lots of care and thought went into all of the exhibits, great for kids and adults! Can t wait to take the baby back here in a few years!

We love this place. My daughter and I go at least two times of Summer. And we always have a great time. We recommend a visit to anyone who loves animals.

Great place for the kiddos. But a bit on the expensive side.

Understandably with Covid-19 and the coronavirus pandemic some exhibits were closed to the public and it was a rainy day when we visited. Staff is helpful but not very engaging; I felt they could entertain the poor animals more as well. Animals in captivity need companionship outside of the "enclosure mates".

The animal exhibits and trails are amazing!!!! Decently priced too... Great way to get closer to nature!

Very cool place. Has a huge playground for kids and hiking trails. Can make this an all day event!

The lake is huge and beautiful nice docking for boats very clean

Very nice place to bring the children to observe nature and animals. However, be ready to walk.

Amazing Science center! Your visit includes a nice walk through the location as you work your way to different stations. Many animal exhibits and loads of hands on, busy activities. Enough to keep both young and old entertained.