Harriet Alexander Nature Center — Attraction in Roseville

We recently had my daughter's 5th birthday party at HANC. The Naturalist, Jennan, was there early to allow us to set up, she had set up fun activity stations for the birthday guests (ages 3-7), and she provided a couple of fun story time readings and presentation about turtles. The kids even got to see and pet a live turtle, Pistachio. That was a huge hit with the kids. It was a fun and very affordable venue to have a birthday party. They can even tailor the programming for specific age groups. There is a kitchen and many tables/chairs for serving food at the party. We ordered pizzas and had cupcakes, making it easy for clean-up at the end. Highly recommend HANC for kids...

Have not actually been inside the center itself. We walk the wonderful boardwalk through the marsh. Saw: lots of red winged blackbirds, ducks, geese, also several goldfinches, song sparrow, and several other marsh birds that I can't name. Easy walk, less than a mile for the full loop, good for kids, but it's full sun the whole way so don't go when it's too hot/ bright, we had lots of complaining on that front. There's also a little bitty amphitheater up the hill under the trees, I'm guessing they use it for nature talks, but our girls had fun making up a "show" while we rested on the benches...

My family and I live nearby, we enjoy the time we spend there. It is a very limited space. I haven't been in the nature center, maybe that would boost this place to a 5⭐. It is a fun boardwalk over the marsh. We typically see waterfowl, with an assortment of other birds. We have also seen a variety of frogs, turtles and snakes. It is across the street from the Roseville/central park arboretum, which is a nice way to extend your walk. There is also a decent playground just north across the street from Harriet Alexander Nature Center just in case you are looking for a way to entertain...