Farmington Hills Nature Center — Attraction in Farmington Hills

A hidden gem

Unfortunately I came back today after taking a day off work to hang out with my daughters and celebrate my little one's first birthday.

There was some confusion about not being able to enter the lobby from a patron that stopped me at my car and asked me if I was going to be going in. She asked me if I had the phone number of the nature center to call and ask them if they were closed.

I called to do exactly that, not even looking at the sign that she was talking about because I hadn't left the car yet. I was met with a very unfriendly Ashley who told me if I actually read the bottom of the sign. I would know that the preschool class was just using the bathroom and it will be unlocked when the preschool is finished. Okay fine, she didn't know that I didn't read the sign. Extremely rude but no problem we can wait. We waited about 5 minutes and then walked to the lobby and waited as we were told. A preschooler pressed the handicap open door button, opening the door for us. The lady who had originally asked me to inquire about the closure, asked the camp counselor if we were supposed to wait outside. The counselor said the door wasn't unlocked because the establishment wasn't opened yet. It was after 10:00 so they were open. Very confusing. So I called back to get the story straight and Ashley picked up the phone again. Audibly frustrated that I didn't understand what was going on. At this point three different people were telling me three different things and I was just making sure that myself, another adult and three toddlers weren't going to be freezing in the cold for nothing.

She then proceeded to come outside and talk to the other staff members in front of the giant window that we we all looking into. I could hear everything she was saying about the person who called her twice. (me)

She immediately open the door and reiterated what she had said two times before, the sign is out. The lobby is closed until the preschoolers are done. That's probably frustrating to have to say three times, but I hope that you can understand what had actually conspired there and not what you thought was happening. You were so extremely rude to me that you stopped me in my tracks and unapologetically embarrassed me.

This is such a wonderful place we found a few weeks ago and now I don't ever want to come back. I hope you don't treat...

One of the guides was impartial to certain children. During the nature walk, the guide would ask questions of the children. The guide would only call on certain children to give answers or ask questions. My granddaughter didn't raise her hand much in the beginning, but after a while she did so. At first I gave the guide the benefit of a doubt, thinking maybe she's distracted by other children raising their hands. I started noticing that the guide would actually look at my granddaughter and would then turn her attention to others whose hands just went up. So I spoke up 3 times after, the guide purposefully looked at my granddaughter and then ignored her each time with her hand raised high, multiple times at this point. I tried to address the guide regarding the matter. At first I thought she didn't hear me. But then she intentionally turned her back towards my granddaughter with her hand raised. After I noticed that I said aloud for the third time that she, my granddaughter has had her hand up for the longest time. The guide then turned towards my granddaughter in a huff and said "ok, I'll address her" or something to that affect, then the guide walked ahead of the group in a huff. I said something to a parent nearby and she also stated that she heard me address the guide several times. I brought it to the attention of my granddaughter's teacher, but he stated he was to far away to hear what had transpired. I let him know that I was going to report that particular guide, which I did in a telephone call prior to leaving...

What a dream! Have been looking for some easy trails near bodies of water in the Metro Detroit area and had a truly magical experience here. Went on a sunny Sunday and while there were a few events going on across the campus, still was able to enjoy a serene stroll and quiet time listening to the birds and running water.

Parked near the nature center where any of the trail heads are located. The trails are well labeled and there are many maps and posts along the different routes which made it easy to locate where I was. The River trail was what I was most excited to stroll, but hit the Spicer, Estate and Orchard trail as well. It was in the high seventies and the start of the river trail isn’t shaded so I took the Estate trail to get there. The river was smaller than I envisioned but I still enjoyed sitting and sifting through the rocks and pebbles near the River overlook.

The native wildflowers along the Orchard path were so beautiful - they do rightly warn you that Orchard has a steep grade, so be warned.

There were other people on the trails but it wasn’t super busy even being a beautiful weekend day. Got caught in a small storm as I was leaving but was able to find shelter under a thick canopy of...