Best nature centers in Cleveland

We all feel a little guilty when it's a gorgeous day outside and we're watching TV or surfing the Internet. If you live in Cleveland, you have a variety of options when it's time to get outside.

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
28728 Wolf Road in Bay Village
440-871-2900
www.LENSC.org

Visitors can stop by every day of the week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to get close to domestic and wild animals like a red fox, a bald eagle and a boa constrictor.

The center offers hands-on encounters with the animals, which are on display in indoor and outdoor viewing areas.

Lake Erie specializes in taking care of sick and injured animals. The center cares for 1,000 animals per year before releasing them back into their habitats.

If you can't get to Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, maybe it can come to you. The center staff travels to church, school and scout groups to put on 45- to 60-minute animal outreach programs.

If you meet an animal you especially like, you could get the chance to "adopt" it on a monthly or yearly basis.

The center website has a gallery of adoptable animals from which to choose.

When should I visit? Check out the Perseids Meteor Party on Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. The center will host a program at its planetarium, followed by meteor and telescope viewing (weather permitting). The cost is $3.

Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
2600 S. Park Blvd. in Cleveland
216-321-5935
www.ShakerLakes.org

The Shaker Lakes were threatened in the mid-1960s by a proposed freeway that would have connected the East Side with downtown Cleveland.

One of the ways the protesters saved the green space was through the creation of the Nature Center, which provided environmental education and preserves the surrounding lakes, forests and fields.

The Nature Center expanded in 2003 to expand its classroom and community meeting rooms, as well as the Jean Eakin bird observation station.

The expansion followed sustainable building practices such as geothermal heating and recycled building materials.

When should I visit? How about a nighttime hike through a cemetery? The center will sponsor Bat Night on Aug. 27 from 8-10 p.m. at Lakeview Cemetery.

Gardenview Horticultural Park
16711 Pearl Road in Strongsville
440-238-6653

Horticulturalist Henry Ross opened this park to public in 1961, and it features specially selected plants like the Arctic Fox bugleweed and the Gardenview Scarlet bee balm.

Gardenview is divided into a 10-acre arboretum and 6 acres of English cottage gardens.

When should I visit? On weekend afternoons if you're not already a member.

F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm
1828 Smith Road in Akron
330-865-8065
www.SummitMetroParks.org/ParksAndTrails/FASeiberlingNatureRealm.aspx

Nature Realm has a lot to offer, whether you want to hike in the woods, hang out by the water or duck inside to enjoy nature exhibits.

Metro Parks purchased the land at the top of the Smith Road hill in 1964. It formerly belonged to Seiberling, who founded the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.

Nature Realm features two easy half-mile hiking trails and a moderate 1.3-mile trail.

Also, the Nature Realm recently expanded its visitors center into a 10,000-square-foot building with a huge deck, a gift shop and the popular indoor bird-viewing area.

The visitors center is closed on Mondays, and dogs are not allowed at the Nature Realm.

When should I visit?Call the number above to sign your little ones up for Kinderealm classes. Every month, kids learn about new animals in the classroom before going outside to search for them.