Reviews of Belle Isle Nature Center (Zoo)

Stitched Pumpkin

For being the size of my thumb, this place had a bit more than anticipated, although a lot less than I'd hoped - before I saw how very small it was. Bees, aquatics like turtles and frogs, not-your-backyard-deer, a trunk tree house (ground) play room with AWESOME painted walls, an outdoor mini play area before the deer, bird feeders, and pretty much everything you've ever wanted at your own house that you've just never got around to making happen. Parking was good, more down the road. Place did not stink of fragrance but did require a mask. Very friendly, including to people with disabilities. Went for the Bee Fest and, although cute, I think there could have been more to do, see, learn about, explore. There wasn't a lot in the way of HOW YOU CAN HELP! type of concepts. Lots of mini education info. Stayed 2-3 hours.

Leslie Evans

Awesome place

Steven Larky

Great place for outdoor hiking and play

Eunice Green

Loved the peace

Janicia Senior

Love it!!!

Lashanda Henderson

Beautiful and informative

Robert W. Lawson II

If you visited the nature center a number of years ago and are expecting the same experience... don't. It's dramatically scaled down from what was effectively a "zoo for small things" to a few large fish tanks, some old tired deer, a bee hive, and a bird viewing window. When my oldest child was very young, I seem to remember an outdoor circuit where you could see everything from butterflies-on-up... indoors (I believe) HAD large exhibits with detailed education plaques. The Detroit Zoological Society should be ashamed of how they've starved this facility while the rest of the park has flourished. 3 stars for good memories.

Felicia Turman

It was beautiful.. we had a great time

Tito Stanley

Educational

BassmanDan Martin

I really enjoyed myself at this small nature zoo. Turtles, frogs, lizards, fish. I even got to pet and feed some tame deer. A nice peaceful afternoon at a charming location.

Kenya Brooklyn Santiago

One of my favorite parks in the USA

Timothy Paul

Fed some deer, saw some rare ish birds and some cool reptiles!

Jonathon hyde

Nice and friendly staff

Christy Crouse

It was rainy but nice.

Marwa Wright

My kids live this place!!!!

Mitzi Jackson

Great parking, young ones and nature lovers enjoyed!!!

BluJay

Pretty neat little place and its free!

Tina Tabbi

We had a great time, lots to do with a 4 year old at your own pace. Will return soon!

Shauna Jennings

Really neat, just wish they had a bit more to it

Agata Di Maggio de R.

Nice place to share with kids, and not expensive

Aryan King

Small but awesome inside

Chris Gallucci

What an awesome, free (if you don't want to donate) place to go. You can see (almost) all the local wildlife in one building. If two 25-30 year olds can have a good time there, anyone can.

Sivan Sako

Nice place to rest

Ravendra Kumar

ok for oncr

Samuel Lee

Not opened

Roosevelt Paige

I Love The Way Belle is Set Up , i will give it a 4 star,you can have lots of fun out there ????????????.

William Lythgoe

Cool, family, friendly place with lots to see and beautiful Nature Center where we Seniors went, besides the fountain. Staff was very nice.

Dominique Carter

I am a native Detroiter and just love nature and the tranquility that comes along with it. Check it out.

Rewan Elkfass

It is not even a zoo all is there are frogs, snake and deers.

Beth Hall

Beautiful place to relax

Mark Davis

The kids loved the play scape it had the coolest stuff according to them. There was this one ride that you can push them in a seated swing up and down a long track, it was a blast. The actual nature center was fun and interesting for them. IT WAS FREE, which is crazy. What a great day for the kids to spend having fun and learning.

Jason Beylerian

Nice little zoo. Good thing it's free, because there isn't much there.

Penny Jones

It was nice but the only thing open was the Conservatory

Eric C

Enjoy your state parks! There isn't much to this "zoo" (deer, bees, turtles), but it's worth a stop in to learn a little bit about native wildlife. Your stop can be quick (10 minutes) or hours long should you choose!

Doomsday Greggers

Cool place. Lots of interesting things to check out.

kammi ooten

Good as it can be atm I like it

chris harrie

Great place. Nice quick trip

Lorraine Coleman

Enjoyable !" Love open outdoors

Amber Green

Pretty and quiet. And there's even a little playground.

Tabitha Myer

Checked online last night to verify days and times for the different things on the island. So, we drove 4 hours to have a nice enjoyable time as a family. Got here and the ONLY place open is the nature center. The little kids (2-9) enjoyed it, but otherwise, it definitely was NOT worth the gas. Apparently nothing is open until the Grand Prix is over with. Which that is not posted ANYWHERE! Updating the website could be quite helpful. Needless to say, I will not be returning.

Ori Alvarez

Really fun and entertaining place

Alisha

Up and coming beautiful park. Volunteers are working hard to restore this, once magnificent, family destination. I plan on coming here as often as possible!

Josh Moore

Wish there was a little more, it was free so there you go!

Ol Ant

There amjnals are cool

Edward Belles

Nice place to visit

SassyJaye (OneofGod'sNaturalbeauties)

Needs more activities and displays.

Natividad Gaston

A nice hided jewel

Heather Fulayter

Had a very nice time. The kids loved all the nature

The Schwarbs

Nice area and building. Pleased with a lecture on bird identification.

Valerie King

For small children

Kate Brenner

Free, informative, wonderful local animals! Water and bathrooms inside.

Dave Tapling

Great half-day trip for younger kids. Time it right and you'll get to feed the deer.

Mike Schultz

This is a very nice place to bring the kids or grandchildren.

Pamela Servatius

Great place for kids and adults to learn about local native wildlife. Nice staff/volunteers, special programming weekly for little ones, and a few times a day, can feed the fallow deer while learning a bit of history of the island. There's also a newer, medium sized playground across the street.

Twan Squad

This place is not open in the inside yet ... Still took a peak at their Nature Trail .. Very relaxing

Antonio Broadnax

I love this place always reminds me of being a kid ????????

Rekt Lord Onegaminus

Full of amazing animals found right here at home in Michigan. If you are there around 1 or 3 pm you can take part in an event where you meet some deer and give them a treat. EXCELLENT for kids.This is also free admission! If you have a recreation passport for the Belle Isle everything there costs nothing to experience. It more than makes up for the cost.

Jeremiah Bishop

Belle Isle for Charivari 2016! Such a beautiful area! I wish there were more staff to clean litter and to enforce no littering.

Jerry Walker

Great place to go with your family

Soraya Greer

Great place to visit with kids. The Aquarium and Conservatory are free with park admission! The Nature center was also really neat. We had cold weather, but I can only imagine it'd be better on a nice sunny day.

M. Mack

Fun for the whole family. Free admission is great.This place is a little small. The aquarium set up is very neat. Bathrooms are clean.

joslyn Wright

The nature trail was open enjoyed the walk it's nice clean and the differnt insects and animals are a site to see

Bosslife B.L.K.

Awesome... highly recommend it for the kids

Aerial Night

Cute, quaint, well organized. Great for kids. Clean restrooms.

Creative1 2

David was a great tour guide, full of knowledge, didn't mind answering questions and the children and two teachers, we had a great time we'll go back again!

Jessica Szpanelewski

It was nice to bring my young boys

Carol Burnett

It is so wonderful to see the island being used and also cared for. Nature center is on its'way to being spectacular.

Renee Pledge

Super interesting

Lindsey Black

Beautiful!

Sukumar shah

Great place, excellent nature exhibits on display. You can touch & feel different animal parts such as skulls, skin(furr) horns etc. nice decor & children play room. Bird house outside center is very nice & many birds & sparrows are taking shelter. Small but beautiful place & without visiting this place your visit to island is not complete

Gena Green

Wonderful Place! Love the summer camp????????

Ben Williams

Always trying to figure out how they grow those beautiful plants have flowers a wonderful place to take a date and a beautiful background and take pictures

Brown_Haired_Prick

Beautiful plants

Eloisa Sanchez

(Translated) Oh insects and a place where children can play. There is also a place to read books. And this place is very interesting. (Original) Ay insectos y un lugar donde pueden jugar los niños. Ay un lugar también para k puedan leer libros. Y es muy interesante este lugar.

Ben Bonnough

Was amazed at how awesome and many different things to do..

babyydayday

Lots of things to do

Giada Corrias

Nice place

Stacey Michelin

Beautiful park.

ام سهيل

Fun for the whole family for free.

Melissa K

Fun place to take the kids.

Kara Keress Ren

This place is amazing

Joya Mills

I brought my 5 year old great nephew here and we had an excellent time. There are about 7 turtle exhibits housing various turtle species, a salamander, frog and snake exhibit. There is a very cool bee farm and an outdoor area to observe and feed deer. It's a wonderful place to visit; especially, with a young child.

daniel j. kunnath

Great Place. Very friendly staff of rangers and park security. The improvement of this park to the organized control by the State of Michigan park authority, is truly amazing. We have always been Belle Isle park visitors, so I have seen it during it's fallen times...and believe me I feel 100% safe there now. No one could ever dispute this fact. Good job State of Michigan for returning dignity once again to this Gem of a park.

Keren Gelfand

Nice exhibits and deer encounter is fun. But small place. People there are very nice and friendly!

Dineau6 peckachu, too

Lived here nearly my whole life and had never been to Belle Isle. I was very impressed with the nature center. We fully intend to return again and again.

Dan DeSloover

Very informative and they have a wide array of local live aquatic animals on display with lots of information as well as a bird watching area.

Sunni Dee

Loved the experience, great for family day and a nice stroll downtown.

Cindy Oset

Love Belle Isle

Barrington Powell

Great area for the kids n picnic

Elisaí Otero-Figueroa

Nice place to visit

Sean T

Great facts on animals that live in Michigan. It's free too.

Sean Downey

Great place and it's free admission

Jessica Trowbridge

Free admission! A great place to take your family.

Anonymous Person

Great place to take the littles ones if your on the inland. It doesn't match up even close to the old Belle Isle zoo but that's the past. Since the state took over the park, there has been some improvements outside the surrounding area such as a new playground right outside the Nature Zoo and as of 9/2016 they were just finishing up on pouring final areas of cement for the sidewalk inside the play area. Looks like it should be finished very soon. Enjoy!!

J B

Always Awesome.

Jim Bott

Great day for the park.

SuzyQofficial Farhat

Loved it

Dane Peterson

There may not be a zoo anymore on Belle Isle but there is this lovely nature center with plenty of creatures. It would be easy to spend an hour here inside with young kids. There are the animals but also night cam recordings to watch. There is a 'tunneled out tree' to play in with a painting of seasons and animals on the inside. There are also lots of puppets. There is a bird watching area where we even saw a groundhog! There are bathrooms inside and portapotties outside if the building is closed (this message is for you bikers ????). Inside there are also vending machines. One for drinks and one for snacks. There is a water bottle filling water fountain inside. Another of my favorite thing that is not on the map is an AMAZING new playground right there on the water!!! For ALL ages.

Jae B

Cool, but I wish they had more stuff. Very child-centered. Not good for adults. The deer encounter was solidly disappointing.

Eileen Fields

So Much Fun!!

Detroiter Girl

This is my best place in Detroit #1

Chivonne Townsend

The nature center is very relaxing and educational for the kids! The new playground across the parking lot is a plus!

Madi Abel

really nice if you like learning about environmental stuff- fish, plants, animals, nature. Plus it's beautiful!

Laura Jackson

Belle Isle is just wonderful.

elizabeth clayton

Amazing time and it's free

wanda kohlmeyer

Great place to visit.

Rickey Dixon

Has so much to offer, Should check it out soon

Rose Deliu

Love visiting Belle Isle. There are areas I'd like to see cleaned up.

Ruturaj Bhalerao

Small and sweet place.

Ralph Treece (Ralph and Cindy Treece)

We went on a super cold day but they allowed us to feed the deer. The kids loved every minute of it. They laughed because the deer were just their size. Also check out the newer play area near the center.. it's amazing!

Kevin Patterson

Great little spot. Bring the kids! Feed the deer!

Stale Media

A pretty nice place. I would recomend

Bruce Seiler

Cool place to take in some nature and sunshine in the big city. This is truly a gem. Better to go when it is a bit colder to avoid the large crowds.

Heather Whoever (Lil Pyro)

Always a great time when we go! Staff is friendly and all smiles

Ali Ali

Nice

Elaine Snyder

It was great for being free!

Vibha Bajpai

It’s an island located at 15 mins drive from Detroit Downtown. It’s fun place for families get together, it has got little beach side, kids parks, aquarium and nice parks very close to each other.

James Coffey

First time visiting was a wonderful experience. All places visited was free

Oguz Sarkut

An Island between US & Canada. Nice place for families. They have a free museum too.

jose ferrer

Nice informed wonderful

Kathy Wathen Murray

Great

kevin russell

Awesome Belle isle winter in Michigan

Asher Bank

Super beautiful area! Come her if you've got the time. Good for kids.

Ron Lawrence

One of the best things you will ever do for free (it's all donation based), is visit the Belle Island attractions. The Nature Center is very informative, interactive for kids and adults, and is also located right next to a beautiful little park for the kids.

Jennifer Olson

Very pleasant and informative????????????????

Stephanie Nadeau

Very family friendly!!! Clean and staff were quite informative!! My family and myself enjoyed ourselves very much today! My 8 year old son had a blast feeding the deer!!!!

Redwingnut25

Went with class field trip, the staff was patient, knowledgeable, and kind. Awesome!

Shana Eaton-Taylor

Belle Isle is beautiful! So much to see and do with the kids.

Athira Nimesh

It's a small indoor nature center but quite nice. One outdoor activity is the deer feeding which occurs 3 times a day - 11am, 1pm and 3pm. The admission and the deer feeding is absolutely free. Excellent experience for kids. There's a very neat playground right opposite to the building which has not so common equipments such as playground zip line, rocking boat etc. Kids will enjoy those for sure.

saqura sanders

Great place for my class

Mike0

Awesome place to take the kiddos!

Dj Scotty D

Great place

Sandra A QUEEN

If your a flower and plant lover this is the place. I loved the butterflies back in the day. They were so colorful and the atmosphere was so serene. Perfect place for a wedding.

Kim Thompson

Love love

Saphx

It really peaceful

George MP

Nice little zoo. We enjoyed the live displays of turtles, albino deer, a couple of Black Rat Snakes, and the educational displays for the kids. There is a nice birdwatching area which drew in a Bluejay, the first I have seen all summer. It even had a groundhog hogging the food ????

MOHAMMAD ALI ALSABRY

(Translated) excellent (Original) ممتاز

Rob Mantinan

You have guest wifi on site but won't allow guests to use it normally. I think this policy should be revisited. The cell service is really poor on the island due to proximity to Canada and so using the wifi is very helpful.

Lance Cahoon

Always a great day

Jacob Daniel

Love belle isle! The nature center is awesome and belle isle needs more attention!

Detroit Jet Ski Rental

Love it

Robert Maddrey, Jr.

Coming from Tampa and Atlanta, I guess I am spoiled but I was just expecting more. Then again this exhibit is free so comparing it to paid attractions is probably unfair on my part. Clean, family friendly and informative it's a great stop while visiting Belle Isle. Get here early enough for the Fallow Deer feeding. The honey bee exhibit is also done very well.

Sophia unicorn squad

Born and raised in Michigan and this was my first time to visit. Enjoyed it. Clean, easy to walk through and didn't feel rushed to hurry through. Displays were all interesting and educational.

Elizabeth G

We've been coming here for quite some time now and always have a great adventure. This is a Belle Isle must see for growing and adventurous minds. Directed towards younger ages but in my opinion, fun for all ages! Plus there is a neat playground right next to it!

Linda Ringstad

Went to Nature Center with my son and grandson. It was great to see the whole island was well maintained.

Cass Clark

I was surprised of the opening. It's a great place for kids

Brittanee Marcum

Free , interesting and exiting!

Teakia James

It's coming back to the way I remember when i was a kid

Tamika S

For a small zoo, it's ok. Need to keep "attractions" open and available until real closing time. Don't say you have a pond when there's no water. Hoped to see more native to Michigan critters besides turtles. Come on Detroit. You can do better.

Caroll Brown

Needs big improvement!

Miriam Gómez

(Translated) It is wonderful for the children, every month they have hands on activities for children and the place is very well looked after, they also have a deer with schedules to give them food (Original) Es maravilloso para los niños, cada mes tienen hands on activities para niños y el lugar está muy bien cuidado, también tienen un venado con horarios para darle alimentos

Katie Hickner

I loved the vibe here. It's so much fun to walk to the deer feeding. :-)

Julie Flores

We have so much fun there!

Mindy R

So nice to walk around....

Jasleen kaur

Wonderful place to visit!

Jaime Jensen

Kids loved it

Amanda Hampton

Loved it

Stephanus Botha

Very interesting centre. There was a tour group of kids so it was a little bit loud.

Alona Jones

Loved looking at the cool insects and reptiles.

Rob J

Loved our visit here yesterday, been visiting this place since i was a little boy and brought out a carload of kids from.2 hours away that have heard me talk about Belle Isle for a long while. Staff was very friendly and welcoming. the center was clean and educational, seen the fattest squirrels i have ever seen along with a couple of plump opossums and a few fallow deer. Also seen an albino turtle. Another Great FREE ADMISSION thing to do with your family in the cuty of Detroit. Be sure to give a donation to help with operating costs.

Tim Aulph (neoprime33)

I like what the state has done with the place; looking forward to more to come.

Shane Osnoe

Staff is friendly and lots to explore

Stephen Smith

Best park in the D

Ricky Honablue

Lots of cool animals and is really informal and lots of fun

Dayna Anderegg

The fallow deer are my favorite.

Gina Bunger

Looked very old.

Arafel Fischer

Small but very informative. Has a nice outdoor section with a path you can walk around.

2 TONE

Very cool park.

Cristian Oprea

Interesting, but it is a small walk, but they are working to open again the amenities in the island

Jenny Plummer

The nature zoo is awesome and tiny. If you're looking for a real zoo's zoo, this isn't the place for you. But if you want to see lil turtles, spiders, squirrels, and some weird deer, you're in the right place. The staff is super friendly and the building is really nice.

Danaque M.

Great for toddlers

Simone Cato

Love it!

Barbara Davies

a good way to learn about who we share our land with.

Brandy Reiber

Great free activity to do with the kids.

Mike Siegwald

It's clean. Nice. Free and my son loves it

Suzan Campbell

Awesome place for families on Detroit's island park.

Tania Armandez

Very nice to see all that they have to offer the public!

Tanika Tanika

Boringggggggggggggggg

marvine mbcride

Our Summer Meals Field Trip was so much fun

jason billingsley

Small lil zoo

brah brah

I had so much fun we got to see animals and see awesome things

Adam Miller

Kids loved it go at 1pm and watch them feed the deers !!

Tiera Thomas

The nature center and all the aquariums and flower centers all beautiful. The parks are nice to. Also the bathrooms where clean and all of them where open when we went in a school trip.

Ryan Konrath

This was a very very small "zoo", if it can even be called that. The exhibits are almost entirely inside, and consisting of mostly reptiles. There was a window overlooking some feeders for bird-watching, and a trail through the wooded property where you *may*... possibly... see a deer. But, we were advised against it by staff, saying we most likely wouldn't see anything out there. Bottom line: this was a neat (albeit short) stop on our trip around Belle Island, but it certainly isn't worth the trip by itself.

kenneth subala

Great place to stop and recharge the kids

Devin Holtmeyer

Kids loved it . The whole island is fun for the whole family. Have a state park pass? If so everything is free and donations are appreciated! Support are beautiful state!!!

Hope Clay

Was a lot of fun to walk around and learn about the local wildlife.

Andrew Wiersma

Great bird viewing

Linda Dowton

Fun to see the critters and friendly staff.

A. Maru

Super cute little center. Just something to look at~

Melissa “Marvelissa” Davis

I got engaged in front of Scott Fountain - so obviously I love Bell Isle. Such a beautiful part of a wonderful city.

Brenda Ba

I have always lover this park they have new things to do kids had a blast

Mary O'Terry

Great little place to beat the heat when at belle isle. Lots of charm built in to the little circular building. From the natural blocks and story time tree house nook to little tidbits of information of the animals that live in the area we thoroughly enjoyed our tour in the air conditioned building.

Mark Tremel

The Nature Center is one of many attractions on Belle Isle that is free. A small zoo appropriate for younger children, it is conveniently located near a playground and one of the inland island lakes. It is on the far eastern side of the island, so you will have to drive almost all the way around the island to get to it. If you see the driving range, slow down because it is right across the road from it on the left.

Keiko Pi

So many things to do and the isle is beautiful.

Jason Butler

Fun

Domenico Ayus

Cool

mike z

Feed the deer

Jason Naumann

Small and unimpressive. There's better ways to spend your time and educate your children on Belle Isle. Go see the conservatory.

Charles Glidden

Pleasant little Place had turtle display. Staff not particularly engaging.

rodney tate

Great place to take your child

Kassandra white

Great place with the kids. Free.

Lakshmi Tejas

You can see amazing turtles

Scoti Clayton

I have a better Nature Center in White Lake called Indian Springs! But it's something to do very briefly while on Belle Isle. Small children like it!

Ash

Great place for family picnic.

Ashley Gutowski

Great little center. Lots of small critters. Had a blast feeding the deer. Everyone was able to feed them a lot. The deer are skiddish with noise

Lyndy VanEenoo

Great exhibits, fun playground right across the street and friendly staff. Can't wait to come back in the summer to spend more time outside!

Amie Lynn

I was here for Nature Tots , it was a great program! My 2 year old had SO much fun! We can't wait until next month. I love all the things they offer at the nature center though, our older kids love their summer camp.

Gia Ellis

Nice place for nature as far as turtles, amphibians, snakes and fish but the deer....it hurts my soul to see them locked behind the fence with no freedom to run free when they live on an island. ...they look so unhappy.

Sarah Jackson

Free, fun, you get to see and learn about local wildlife. Staff are super kind.

Siba Prasad Tiadi

A good place to spend time with family

Ericka DeFord

Simple but very cool. Sat and watched the bee's for some time, learned things about our local environment!

Cara Rapai

Excellent place to bring little kids! My 1 1/2 year old daughter love looking at the turtles and fish. My 5 year old liked feeding the dear and some of the science based activities. Also it's free, even the parking!

Gordie Hanna

Free and local. I loved the interactive exhibits and areas that appealed to my three year old. Feeding the deer was a super treat too.

george bowman

I wasn't too impressed with this when we took my son on his trip there a couple weeks ago. It's virtually one big circle and you're looking at reptiles.

Freddie Freeloader

Fun place to visit

Mark Bradford

Awesome!!

yamany shemman

They need to work a lot on this place they need to add more animals and more activity for kids

mark boyle

Awesome

jessica O'Mara

It's small but please dont let that deter you. They have so many adorable turtles and they also have an indoor bee hive that you can watch through plexiglas. I watched a bee be born! You can feed deer at various times of that day. We will definitely visit again.

Mark Hakim

A must see

Joel Nitzkin

Ok ret of bell isle attractions closed

Sidney Christofi

Great affordable fun.

Munira Salim

Enjoyed myself

Shaina Marie

Updated park right next to it.

Ed Bruce

Family friendly

Ang G

Small with a, few displays. Sporadic hours. Thee best thing here was the observatory bee hive. Marked queen and errthang.

Meagen May

????????????

Vijay B

Its good place to visit , one of the oldest US aquariums to visit. Apart from that it has its own beauty, you can come here to see conservatory botanical, aquarium, their shows etc. There is $9 fee per car. You can take strollers and food inside. Small island but its beautiful.

David Kautz

Really lovely nature center

Aaron Knight-Sims

Nice atmosphere

Aseneth Parker

Great place for kids and adults alike.

Adrian Johansson

Very nice, small nature facility, be sure to visit the deer

N Cippon

Loved the deer and all the little exhibits. Kids enjoyed it alot

Kenneth Saville

Awesome and free

Blaine Tillander

Yes, it needs more $$$ and significant updating of amenities and maintenance, but this is iconic Detroit and worth the trip.

Courtney S.

Lovely place to take a child to learn about animal's and play ☺.

joHari }joJo{

Fun all over again..... Hadn't been there in years. I want to start a campaign to upgrade and keep it open year round!!

Josh F

In the heart of Detroit, the island offers a glimpse of the way things used to be. The nature center is not going to take more than an hour to fully enjoy, which is good though because there are plenty of other things youll also want to do while youre there. The aquarium is on the comeback, fishing is great all around the interior streams and ponds, and a couple great parks the kids can play on. You need a State park pass to get in. Dont be surprised.

Vanessa Wilson

I love the bird feeding station you can watch from inside. There's one of those book sharing boxes outside, so you could take a book and sit to read it at the bird window. Would be great with a coffee or tea.

Faisal Afridi

Good place to to take your Family. Never knew that turtles have backbone, one of the staff showed me. Great learning experience.

Tequila Youngblood

They really need to get more animals, but the deer feeding experience was GREAT!!!!

Renae Allen

Needs more engagement activities.

Dashona Broadnax

Great

Becky Lindsey

Great family fun for free!!

Xavier Williamson

Beautiful

Oacia Fair

This is very nice, especially for kids. It is definitely worth to stop by and learn some new things. I really enjoyed seeing a group of black squirrels and birds just co-existing. It was beautiful. I also liked the egg comparisons.

Zaira Gentile

Super fun! As a kid, I really enjoyed it!

Deborah Evans

Family friendly fun on the island. Located near a new playscape. Lots of live fish and amphibians.

Roberta Pelton

A cozy little space for nature education. Well worth the drive across the state, for the full Belle Isle experience.

Kera Sharpe

Nice park for a long walk or bike ride to get out of the city.

Jo Rohloff

Great educational experience with live animals such as frogs, turtle, snakes & more.

Ryan

Litt the deers were boring but still there

Alora Deising-Eovaldi

Turtles, snakes, birds.

Monty Fondren

AWESOME

Sarah Morris

Accidentally went on a Monday when everything was closed.. but still fun!

THE JERM

Small Zoo, but neat place to visit!

Sherisse M. Butler

Great place to take the kids.

Beonkia Smith

Its FREE! And FUN for the children for kids of ALL ages

James

Haven't been in years

Charlotte Massa

Interesting place

Cory Hillman

first time visiting. we will definitely go back.

Carla Marten

Very nice Nature Center. The bird sounds playing in bathroom are a nice touch.

J Chesney

Great place for adults and children

Rachael Gahn

My boys and i loved this! We went easter Sunday and it was opened and it was our first time to the nature center. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot and even made the deer feeding time! It was a great day at belle isle again!! There is a park outside the nature center so my kids playes after looking around tge nature center and feeding the deer. They also had a bingo sheet for the kids and a scavanger hunt sheet for kids of all ages to do! It was set up really nice and lots of facts about all kinds of animals!

Anna Spoto

Not a huge variety of animals but I really enjoyed looking at all of the turtles and frogs. They have an area with many bird feeders and it was cool to see all the different species of birds that were enjoying the food (along with the squirrels ????). The bee hive was my favorite!! I was able to watch and observe a functioning bee hive. It was so interesting!!

Angel Maciel

Its a nice place to visit with the little kids. Its a really small place but theres a lot to learn from their animal and specime displays.

Belinda ferguson

Fun and new places for the kid's to play.

Blanca Aguilar

Perfect place to spend a family day

Teri Serecky

Beautiful

Kecia McNeal

It was nice but I would have liked to see more wildlife

ROBUXKID 777

Not good

Jami Kelly

The Bat exhibit/performance/presentation was Absolutely spectacular!!

savannatx20

Nice place to visit for something that's free...nature center is located in the back past the zoo that closed down

Robert Williams

I took my 2 year old and he enjoyed looking at the turtles and he ran all over the place and they enjoyed his energy. Cool spot to take the kids. It's definitely worth checking out.

Sean VanSickle

Neat place with free admission.

Melissa Moldovan

As always educational for my grandson

Sarah Leszczynski (killaHuntress)

Absolutely fantastic nature zoo! Staff is knowledgeable about wildlife on the island and willing to answer any questions you have. Children absolutely adore it and adults love the air conditioning break. They have the opportunity for hand feeding scheduled every 3 hours when they're open. Would definitely recommend everyone stop in and check out this fabulous location on Belle Isle!

Darren Gonzalez

Great place to unwind.

Bill S

This is a nature center set apart from others in that it is deeply inset with the surrounding flora and has a more open feel from its location on the island of belle isle. A must visit. Often.

Shandrafaye Dunn

Awesome place to teach children about nature and absolutely free!!!

Kimberly Ireland

Well done! It's small enough to keep the kids interested and the deer experience is something special. Definitely going back.

Satier Unique

Place for a field trip and to take the kids. My boys really enjoyed looking at all of the different reptiles and birds and being able to touch just about everything. The best part is the playground it's awesome.

Jakirul Islam

A nice place

Gina Lynn

Perfect Sunday afternoon!

Manraj Singh

Fun island with lots of beaches, and tons of things to do.

Tamika Walton

Nice cool area

Natashia Smith

Nice!!!

Tyrone Webster

Still working on it?

KRISSY

Very friendly place for kids, special needs and more. At 1PM you can go along and feed the deer. Lots of cool things to see. The beekeeper is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. All around family-friendly, cool place.

Tina Kowalski

The kids enjoyed visiting & loved the new playground near by.

Bj Perez

Great

Lisa Mcpaul

My kids and I love it here

Virginia Yurich

The nature center is great but what is even more fabulous is the playground right outside. I’ve never been to such a cool playground!!!! There’s a small nature playground right outside the nature center and then the bigger playground near the parking lot. You can fish there too.

Tiffani

My kids love this place. We come often to both the play place and center. We learn something new each time.

Tim Dickinson

Wonderful nature center and trails. Views are amazing. Park could be cleaner though.

Jessica Lopez

Soledad Diana Lopez to see a girl

Karen Huffman

Love love love the island!

keith kasper

Its an awesome park full of history and great things to do with the family!

Giovanni Marano

I don't know Spanish but that place was great. The food was delicious and the people were very professional.

Eugene Zarzecki

Looks great, the state did a very good job.

Alex shelby

Very friendly staff

Brandy Kay

Very fun and informative! Our daughter loved it and so did I! Highly recommend a visit if your on Belle Isle! The white deer are so cute! Plus it's FREE lol!

Barb Wedlick

Great

Lyndsey Oaks

Loved it. Thought the deer experience could be a little better. There was no shade for then in the open area and could only see one. The aquarium was closed due to a feild trip so maybe online could have this marked so we go at different times

Z Alnajar

Glad the state took over, this place is allot nicer than what it was back in the 2000's I love it

Nancy Sanchez

Exhibits a bit dated but pretty cool all the same

Kim Gooch

A cute place in the city

الارض الخضراء دودي

Very goooooood

linda schuyler

Thanks

Scott Keith

Belle Isle is a great place to take the family to spend a day off. I give it only 4 starts because it still has a lot of work to clean up the place and build out facilities, but they have done amazing work from what it was a few year back. The kids loved seeing the wildlife and playing on the playground. The playground structures are some of the best I've seen anywhere. Give this place a chance, but remember it's still a bit rough (abandoned buildings, construction sites, bad signage, etc)...give it time, it looks like it will keep getting better.

Larry Krajewski

Very nice. Had fun with grandkids.

Mike Emerson

The park is an exceptional place to take the family for a picnic. The conservatory and fountain are very impressive and scenic views all around. There are things to do for kids of all ages. A highly sought-after place

Kevin Perry

Pops took me there upon return from Free China. Most remembered was their eels. Chicago has free Aquarium visits also. This idle also had a zoo butterflies and a famous fountain. It also is now a national park I believe after isle royal. They host the Grand Prix race which is world famous.

amel posner

This make me sad

Cecile W.

Great place to go for a day trip. Aquarium is small but very lovely. Nice picnic area with plenty of restrooms, NOT porta pots. Nice walking area around the Island.l Easy access in and out of the Detroit area.

Dave Stone

Beautiful facility

Donna Jean

Interesting..fun place

Glenn Six

Great place to bring the kids.

William Robinette

Really cool for little kids ! But why lock down the deer exhibit ! ?

Christine Phillips

It was great there . There are doing a lot of renovation. Belle Isle is still beautiful place bring family. I have alot of memories there love love love.

Melvina Roundtree

Great place for everyone to visit. Always something to learn and explore.

Laura Norman

They getting ready for Grand Prix

J Mccaskill

We really enjoyed our time with the family and bees ! Beautiful exhibit ????❤????

Bigpun Young

Love this place been coming since I was a kid

Sandra McDonald

Fascinating for children and adults.

Carolee Giersdorf

Very nice and clean. It is a smaller Nature Center but is done nicely and is informative. We enjoyed it.

Amanda wylie

This place is a hidden gem, there is so much to do & it was all free! The outdoor center is so simple yet my kids were entertained for two hours & got to feed deer. There is a cool park right across from the building, the aquarium is not far, & again free! We just discovered this place last year & will spending may weekend days in the future here the island is so beautiful.

Heather H

A fun and educational place to take the kids!

Heather Papczak

We visit Belle Isle when we are in Detroit visiting family. Excellent place to spend the day

Caleb Beedle

Very unique, first visit. Wish the whole island was active again.

Dan Ramsey

Cool place. You never know what isin your own backyard.

julia smith

it was so beautiful for my first time l love it thank y'all so much for it l am for Birmingham AL l live there now

Louie Farah

Beautiful and relaxing

Andrea Richardson

Short but nice when you're spending the day!

Raven Johnson

No guides or help with anything. Saw a baby bird egg cracked on the ground and it made me so sad.

Barb Ulrich

We had an awesome time visiting the beach area, the Nature Center and the Big Slide. The water was nice and clear enough to see a school of minnows swimming around our feet. The Nature Center was very informative. The ???? bee house, with glass on both sides is really cool! All of the displays and animals were well done! It was also a nice place to cool off and use the restroom. We ended our day at the slide and my grandson loved it! It cost a dollar to ride down the slide but he thought it was well worth it! The far left lane, when looking at the slide is the fastest. ????

Zach Snyder

Absolute gem, inside one of our best state parks. #publiclandowner

Joseph Clark

Great for the price

L Mac

Love this place. Very underrated State Park

LM Cox

Awesome place!

Cheryl Breech

I love Belle Isle.

Robyn Volker

Great place to take kids. Learn new things and interact with exhibits.

Mary Shearer

Very nice & interesting

Bernard Bedell

First time there. Needs some work, but exciting to see all the changes being made! Plan to go again soon.

Fred Abel

Awesome place. So much fun, so much to learn. Clean and neat and friendly

gretchen wentworth

Great family day if you go early enough for everything to be open

Matt Brusoe

I really enjoyed checking out the Nature Center while on Belle Isle. While it's a small building, they had a nice selection of exhibits and I was able to take my time looking at them. I am looking forward to going back this summer and checking it all out with my wife

Robert Lee

Great place to walk and explore. Not a fan of the aquarium but the greenhouse is amazing. The nature center is wonderful for the kids.

Ashley Waterman

A very nice place. Must visit

george jeruzal

Awesome family destination

Mike M

Not much to see in the center. If you come to Belle Isle with a car, won’t lose anything if you go there. But I wouldn’t recommend bicyclists or pedestrians to go to this place since it is kinda isolated and so far away from other places on the isle.

Dwight J Brown

Nature display

Kati Nance

This made for a great family fun day! Parking was easy and free. There are soda and snack vending machines, free deer feeding at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm, lots of cool animals, and beautiful nature paths.

Sarah Denhart

A really cute place with a lot of fun activities for kids but they let adults join in the fun too! We fed deer.

katlyn

I think this place was cool, lots of frogs, snakes, salamanders, bees and birds. U could interact a lot... For example, u can feed the deer at certain times, look at pictures and animals etc.

Princess Queshané

I'm giving it 5 stars because my 2 and 5 year old siblings had a great time their and cried when we had to leave. It's not a large facility and you can get through it in about 30 mins but we managed to stretch it out to an hour because they have this cute play area inside of what looks like a hollowed out tree. I believe they also have activities their some days of the week for children aged 2-4. So for a fun and quick stop to get the ants in the pants of busy children out this is a good place to go.

Jeff Norman

Free fun, the people were nice as the building was clean. My 8 year old daughter had fun.

Gail Reside

I enjoyed belisle tremendously

Pamela Tucker

It was fun and interesting.

Robert Crowe

A really great place for some nature relationships.

Sandy Burrell

Great

Elaine Mantinan

My daughter loves the Nature Tots program for kids. The center isn't huge but it has a great turtle habitat and some other animals inside, as well as a short nature trail outside. Some deer live on site and you can feed them at certain times. The place is very clean and welcoming. There is a natural playground area that is part of the center as well as a brand new playscape across the parking lot by the water that has picnic tables and benches. It's definitely worth checking out!

leon johnson

Very nice place inside

Mi'Rya Laird

We seen some much and I learned a lot from there also when I went to Summer camp there I got to see a fox and it was adorable ❤️

josh silberstein

Nice exhibits of local wild life. Good for the kids.

Lamentations 3:22

Great!!!

Carl Flint

Awesome day here at Belle Isle!

Expert “Always” opinion

awesome place kids had lots of lots to do

Alan Joseph

Clean and bright.

crazykap

Very nice set up and Very well kept. The tour guide was extremely informative.

sandra brown

Clean and the staff were great!

Jeremy Potts

Love belle isle!

Cory Mcgee

Friendly staff and very nicely maintained

John Golec

Can't get enough of this place

Margaret Dutka

Love this place

Ross Desimone

Ok too many turtles

susan “Donnell” masak

Great place????

Dennis Mccabe

I was very impressed with the nature center but i would be better in the summer

Cathy Vargas

Nature scape is the best!

Jerrold Bartholomew

A modest but enjoyable museum with numerous aquariums and other wildlife exhibits. The deer did not show at feeding time and apparently they haven't in quite awhile, but the playground was great fun for the kids.

Alan Lundy

Nature center was closed for renovations but the staff had a wonderful outdoor honey bee experience for everyone to enjoy

David Booth

Just meeting a friend for a vessel exam. Fishing boat passed issued a vessel exam sticker, we had coffee (Tim Hortons)& talked. He was going to go fishing. I went to Sector Detroit. Great parking lot No Pot Holes.

James Peak

Love this place

LaTonya Swan

Calvin had a blast and a great time....

joe sanchez

Love it..

Julia Garcia

Beautiful! Nice to see so many people taking advantage of such a nice park.

Ed Fry

Great for small kids.

Cibi Boovendran

Very good and fun free place

Thomas Munchbach

A park that is becoming great now the state took control

Nicole House

I skipped work to go here and may I say I should've just went to work

Reid Nelson

Gorgeous island in Detroit, great for all of your recreational desires. There re great events and plenty of spots for a bbq.

Nancy Markiewick

It was nice, interesting.

Jan Gibes

This is a place from my childhood. I love the place. It was awesome to see the changes and educational opportunities. A great place to share with your family.

John M

Nice place to enjoy with your family

Jodie Oconnor

Awesome place!!!!

Bobby Atkins

Nice place

Carol Roszka

Wish there were more interactive things but cute cave with wood cushions and wooden kitchen set. Great for toddlers

Yousef Abu hawa

The best of the best park i ever seen...great plce to visit u ur famly ur live even for wedding. Birthday party...u need relax come on and visit..

Whitney Stein

We had such a blast out on the island and the zoo was awesome. My daughter and son loved it there. Defiantly worth going too.

joanne savicki

Very nice

Sheila puglia

Had a great time here!! My grandson loved it!

Arch Bell

Love this place

Yul Green

Really a great place to take children to learn about nature really nice very educational.

Alan Wilinski

It was a nice place to visit Lots of things to do. A lot of places to explore. The beach was asome.

James Calhoun

Well maintained.clean

Alan Smyth

The whole Bell Isle experience should be a must must do if you visit Detroit. Plan for a whole day to take in all the activities.

Khalid Scott

We planted a tree and got to take it home!The science exhibits were cool.

Chris R

Could be so much more. Huge island. Many great parks and views of Canada. Many run down areas and abandoned parts.

Megan Street

Unique and treasured architecture.

Irina Me

It is good to see.

Connie Young

Great place to visit with children of all ages, nature center is very clean with lots of hands on activities for children and exhibits featuring native fish, reptiles, mammals and plants...best of all, it's completely free with your state park pass...

Tracy Cavanaugh

Signage sucks. Everything is one way and no signs

Tavel Smith

Its a great place to visit various attractions.

Viola Dues

Needed more of a variety

Rene Pomare

(Translated) I don't care the weather is a nice place to walk (Original) No importo el clima es un lugar agradable para caminar

S C

Very fun

Cobizniz Coles

Great experience great staff

Katrina Sikorski

Great place to bring smaller children

Jawad Ul Hassan

Excellent place for families

Sean Potoczak

I loved it. Feeding the deer was awesome

Ileana Segura

(Translated) A very quiet place to spend the day with the family. Parking is very cheap $ 11! It has different spaces including a small aquarium, a nature conservation center, a small museum, a beautiful fountain and if that were not enough you can take a dip in the beach. Visit the turtles and surprise yourself by observing a honeycomb inside. It is worth mentioning that all attractions are free, so be prepared to make a donation. That way we can help keep the place in good condition. (Original) Un lugar muy tranquilo para pasar el día en familia. El estacionamiento es muy económico $11 ! Cuenta con diferentes espacios entre ellos un pequeño acuario, un centro de conservación de la naturaleza, un pequeño museo, una preciosa fuente y por si fuera poco puedes darte un chapuzón en la playita. Visita las tortugas y sorpréndete observando un panal de abejas por dentro. Cabe mencionar que todas las atracciones son gratuitas, así que ve preparado para hacer una donación. De esa manera podemos contribuir a que el lugar se mantenga en buenas condiciones.

Amy Hobbs

Beautiful ????

sandi hustek

Not all that great tanks looked like they needed a cleaning.

Paris Morgan

It's like having all the nature from your very own backyard enclosed in one building!

Rashard Johnson

The place to go

Ryan Lewis

Make sure to stop here! Great information and exhibits on Michigan species!

Mary Stapleton

Play area containing all wood crafted play toys. Drums , exzylaphones, log

Stephanie

Because Covid an appointment has to be scheduled to visit Nature Center.

Elizabeth Hunter

The new park is great

jane doe

Great place to learn about local habitats

Aaron Klumpp

Belle Isle Nature Center is a really educational experience. It tends to focus on native to Michigan species through informative posters and displays. A good place to walk through with the entire family

Shaheed Abdo

Nice place to walk around, I just wish they had more frequent times in which they feed the deers so you can see them.

Liam Kane

Small nature center, but very entertaining . The entire family had a great time and learned lost of new things!

Kimberly Chamberlain

Love the new playscape!

jordan schaefer

Nice place to take the family

Sue Main

Great place to discover and enjoy the beauty and wonder of God's amazing Creation, for both adults and children!

a.c. williams jr.

Worth a look and further study.

bridgett Harvel

Very informative, nice and clean nature at its best

Omar Hawari

I love this place but the deer and sheep are never out out they put a sign up with the time they release those animals but those times are never very accurate if they could stick to schedule that would be very appreciated besides that all the animals there are very cool like the snakes and frogs if you do go I suggest you take a look at their artificial bee hive is marvelous

Rhonda Thoman

We went for a clean up event and never did find anybody. So we went to a nature thing. Looked at albino deer.

Kim Casteel

Great exhibits and artists!

Jennifer Hall

Took my grandson to the center and he loved it...went there when I was a kid. Fun memories

Starlit Mack

amazing experience me and the kids love it

Teresa Kemper

Good place to just go to relax.

Jenni Hereford

Very beautiful, the day was quite relaxing and enjoyable. Conservatory is a can't miss!

Robert Hamilton

Favorite place

Teusdae Bradley

The kid loves the deer feeding!!

Bill Mauz

The guided hiking programs are excellent. Staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and engaged. Thank you to my guide, Luke!

Kali Roth

My kids love this place

Dwight Labadie

Good place to take kids up to 13 year olds

Frank Ruczynski

Watch out for the bees in the back swamp trail.

Lisha Kilgus

This place is great. A lot of great interactive things for the kids. The deer encounter was fun. The treehouse was a favorite. Such a fun and interactive place to go with the family!

Katie Makris

For what it is, this little island zoo is lovely - featuring native Michigan animals (aside from the fallow deer). My 3 year old loved it. The exhibits are nice, the bee hive was interesting, and it's overall setting is beautiful on Belle Isle. The staff was super friendly and informative. We will definitely go back!

Margaret Jackman

We love this place! We try to do one of the free classes every week!!!

ETC 882016

Clean kempt friendly awesome, aside from being educational and a bit of fun. Fantastic for kids, especially groups of them. Make sure your local school takes a field trip there. It's been great for decades, even better now that the island is much quieter. Spend 10 minutes or take a couple hours. I've not tried this, but call them up and ask him when you can take a tour.

Bruce Malone

Nice little place for children.

Michelle Perry

Brought back a lot of child hood memories

Akinia Brooks

The nature center was closed but we enjoyed the play area and the cozy spot that was good for fishing. If you want a great spot for a picnic it's directly across from the golf course and there's a parking lot that allows you to see everything going on from your car as well. There's tables with benches and room for a grill (we had two) plus plenty of trees for shade.

Emily Hiebert

Nature Center is nice, rather small. Has a nice kids play area and features local species. Close to a good size play structure. My biggest problem is with Belle isle itself, so much construction hard to get around to the nature center.

Christy Byers

Nature center has deer feedings 3 times a day in the summer. There is a few turtles & a fish in the inside pond. There's lots of great information on native animals and plants. There's a fun play area for little kids inside and a fun outdoor area. They also have a nature hiking trail. There is a great playground right across from the parking lot too. Great for a quick visit or a longer stay with great information.

Michael Kutchey II

Great learning Center and wonderful staff

Matt Rutkowski

A nice brief walk that allows you to see a few animals. Well kept and clean

Mike Gleason

Great place for kids to learn and explore

Nicholas Ott

Nice nature center! Kids love it

April Harman

Loved the turtles and other aquarium life. The staff were very nice.

Barbara Ablett

Beautiful, kids loved it

Dina Terrell

Boring. Nothing like I remember as a kid. Just a bunch of turtles. The have the cute treehouse to play in...

Jeremy Fox

Nice little aquarium with fresh water critters, and beautiful plant life.

Christine Ritchie

Pretty area.well maintained.nature center was nice.good for all ages.