Trout Lake Nature Center — Attraction in Eustis

Me and my family usually love this place. This is a little natural oasis right by Publix. Last time we stopped by for a picnic, it was raining lightly but we wanted to have a picnic. There was a swarm of seniors outside the main building, all staff members. A lady walked right up to us while we were getting out of our car. Said "HI ARE YOU MEMBERS?! NO?! OK we have a new per car policy, $5!"

Ok thats weird and new, heres your $5 and we have to sign a clipboard. Oh and then she tells us after we paid that what we came for (the trails) is closed for renovations. Then she walks away. Not only is the fee iritating but they collect it in a weird way where they holler at you in a parking lot while youre still getting your kids out of the car.

We were the only family that even stopped by that day. Our name was the only name for that day on their registration clipboard. We left shortly after because we couldnt walk the trails or do much of anything but look inside at the small amount of exhibits we have seen 40 times.

The people who run this nature center are so so short sighted for putting a $5 paywall on the nature center. This place didn't have a lot of families visiting and it will surely have less now. I don't want to have to pay $5 to take my kids here for 20 minutes and I know other parents will be even less likely. This place was already a ghost town and will be even more deserted with the new policy. Its definitely their right to charge for the nature center but assuredly it's going to dry up their visitors.

I know for a fact this Nature Center gets a lot of donation money, for example large chunks come from Disney. They send constant fundraiser info out and have a ton of volunteers. They should gladly allow families to come in for free and they should learn how to monetize better. They have a fundamental misunderstanding on how to appeal to a modern family and are shooting themselves in the foot. It's a shame because it was a great spot for a quick picnic, a great little hike with family in Lake County. Maybe they don't want families there at all and this is just an excuse for...

Another central Florida gem. We went for a guided, morning bird watching hike. The volunteers were incredibly knowledgeable, welcoming, and patient with our boys. Even our dog was welcomed warmly on the hike. Their event schedule has many different events covering all kinds of nature themed topics. The main hall has excellent displays with lots of educational and interesting information about different native and some non-native plants and animals. There is a water fountain and clean bathrooms in that building as well. There is another building which has a museum, but we didn't get to check it out. The hike began on time and they even had multiple bottles of insect repellent for guests in case you forgot your own. The hike was so fun and the view from the dock of the sun rising over the lake and rookery was simply lovely! Afterward, we did some hiking on our own. There are a few different trails. The three we did were beautiful and lots of fun. The kids' Adventure Trail was my boys' favorite as it has a (slightly) wobbly bridge. It ends at a huge and gorgeous old oak tree. All the trails, bridges, and boardwalks we went through are in great shape. We were smitten and will be...

It is so much fun to share the love of nature with my grandchildren. Never too early to promote conservation, as it would break my heart to know that maybe one day they wouldn’t be able to take “their” grandchildren, to be able to have a private-ish interesting conversation with them, and see woodpeckers and some quick fun. We only spent 30 min there, but we didn’t do the board walk, which I had some previously. It’s a long walk and they are 3 and 6, and the three year old still wants to get held, so I wasn’t going to do that without a stroller . lol. My granddaughters favorite thing was the lady bug tic tak toe board outside the welcome center , but my favorite is always seeing these kind and truly enjoyable greeters they have. I never see the same one twice, and they are all so great. Make you feel good in your heart kind of people. Love them. My grandson loved the tortoises pen. They offer special things to do, so look at their website so you won’t miss the new fun things they do to keep it fresh and interesting. I mean, who doesn’t love fresh air, family, and doing something that will...