Elachee Nature Science Center - Gainesville (GA)

5 /5 Annie Borges: My 3-year-old nanny kid had an absolute blast at the Elachee Nature Science Center today! I honestly can’t believe I hadn’t discovered this hidden gem sooner. The facility is beautifully maintained, educational, and engaging—but what truly made our visit exceptional was the staff, especially an incredible environmental educator named Katie. From the moment we arrived, Katie went above and beyond to make our experience special. She took the time to thoughtfully answer all of my questions and my curious little one’s (no easy feat!). She patiently guided us through hands-on animal encounters, offering safe, up-close experiences that were both fun and educational. What really stood out was her natural ability to connect with children—Katie was so kind, patient, and skillful at gently redirecting my energetic three-year-old. You can instantly tell she’s passionate about what she does and deeply cares for the animals in her care. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and her kindness left a lasting impression. Thank you, Katie, for turning our visit into such a magical and memorable adventure! We can’t wait to come back.

5 /5 Mary C: We brought the kids and wow! This place is amazing. Katie was very knowledgeable and kind to the little ones. She is very enthusiastic about the animals and freely shared! The trails were perfect. Love this place!!

5 /5 Melanie Pell: We came to Elachee Nature Science Center after hiking the Lake Loop at Chicopee Woods. In the summer theres free entry to the center from 12-3. You can go down stairs and see snakes, turtles, frogs, tarantula. Upstairs there was a room with nature related activities for kids. My kids really enjoyed this.

3 /5 Yasmin Smith: Nice trails system. You can decide the distance you want to go. Just a point of clarification to see the lake you will have to hike over 6 miles out and back (if you are parked at the science center like I was) elachee trail, to bridge trail to lake loop. Or you can drive over to it and park there (2100 Calvary church road).

5 /5 Bailey: I hiked the 4.5 mile lakes trails. Nice shaded trail. Well marked blazes. Watch out for spider webs. Not many mosquitoes, even in the summer. The lake has fish and turtles of all sizes. The trail has cool lizards, frogs, snails, and mushrooms.