Fenner Nature Center — Attraction in Lansing

The park itself was very clean, and the walking paths were well-maintained and clearly marked, which made it easy to navigate and enjoy the scenery. We appreciated the effort put into keeping the grounds tidy and accessible for visitors. Unfortunately, our experience with the rented pavilion was a completely different story.

When we arrived, the pavilion was in terrible condition. The tables were covered in a mess — slime, paint, and various other sticky or dried substances. It looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned at all after the previous use. There was debris scattered across the floor and random items left behind, giving the whole area an unkempt and neglected appearance.

One of the biggest inconveniences was the lack of trash cans at the pavilion site. Without a nearby place to dispose of garbage, it was frustrating to manage our own cleanup on top of dealing with the mess that was already there. For a rented space, we expected it to be ready and welcoming, but it felt more like we were cleaning up someone else’s party before we could even begin ours.

The park is beautiful overall, but the pavilion upkeep and lack of on-site trash disposal were...

This is one of my favorite places in Lansing. There are a number of trails from an open prairie setting to divergent wooded pathways. Two ponds with frogs, turtles, fish and some water foul. It's not unusual to see deer or other animals off to the side of the trails. There is a bathroom in the main building down some steps, no good wheelchair access for this place but if you keep to the improved trails, it is usable for wheelchairs. There are several grades of trails and it was useful to me after surgery and time in a chair to learn to walk again, and it has a few scattered benches if you want to spent time in seated mediation there. They are low however so if you do you might want to bring your own cushion or zafu. As far as the most common question about this place, no the buffalo is gone having died many years ago. He was a popular sight as we used to walk the trails over...

I was supposed to host my sister's bridal shower in the new Davis Nature Pavilion here in May. It got postponed due to the Governor's "stay at home" orders and I was allowed to pick a new date for no extra charge. The Pavilion ended up being perfect for our event (which was held last weekend) as it was big enough for the guests to distance themselves but small enough to where we still felt "together". It was nice outside so we were also able to utilize the patio area. The only hiccup was when a random trail walker walked into our party to use the drinking fountain and didn't seem to care that he was intruding...it was weird. Alexa and Jamie were very helpful in accommodating our group and even made last-minute changes to the table arrangements to help us feel more comfortable. I highly recommend this facility and would not hesitate to use it again...