Lyonia Preserve and Environmental Center
Looking for activities for your whole family? Check out Lyonia Preserve and Environmental Center!
This place has hands-on activities, hiking trails, guided hikes and events, live animal exhibits, and actual wildlife encounters on the trail. The best part is that most activities are free or nearly free so everyone can attend.
My family and I have visited Lyonia Preserve and Environmental Center since 2014. First, we attended their Tiny Trekkers program. Now, we attend homeschool classes, activities for older kids, and miles and miles of trails.
Keep reading to learn everything you can do at Lyonia Preserve with your family.
Where is Lyonia Preserve?
Lyonia Preserve is in West Volusia County in Deltona. It is a 360-acre scrub ecosystem surrounded by homes and schools. It’s a slice of conservation land to enjoy and help residents learn about the importance of this area. Visitors will likely see rabbits, gopher tortoises, and the threatened Florida Scrub Jay.
The preserve is located at 2150 Eustace Ave, Deltona, around 40 minutes from both Orlando and Daytona Beach. They are closed on Mondays but open the rest of the week. Please make sure to double-check their hours during major holidays.
Summer Camps at Lyonia
Please remember the following information:
Every year, the Lyonia Environmental Center hosts nature-themed summer camps, which typically include:
- Guided nature hikes
- Arts and crafts
- Science experiments
- Live animal encounters
- Games
- Themed snacks
Although my kids have not attended the summer camps, they have participated in many of the homeschool classes and events over the years. The camps are engaging and help indoor kids, like mine, get outside while also helping our young residents understand the importance of our precious scrub habitat and its unique needs.
The summer camp and homeschool classes have a cost, but they are reasonably priced.
Educational and Fun Monthly Events
In addition to the summer camps, Lyonia hosts family-friendly monthly events, the majority of which are free or very budget-friendly.
Activities include:
Tiny Trekkers for little ones
Popcorn and documentaries for older kids
Hands-on crafts and edible science
Holiday-themed events
These monthly events, suitable for every nature lover in your family, are posted on the Lyonia Environmental Center Eventbrite page, and reservations can also be made there.
We recently attended the Nature at Night: Plant Like a Floridian event. The kids learned about protecting our waterways and native and invasive plants. They really enjoyed it. They were able to walk around our yard, identify native plants, and explain why they are important.
Hiking Lyonia Preserve
Mornings in the preserve are full of bird songs and scurrying bunnies. In the evening, you will get the same show, with the potential to see and hear bats emerging for their nightly rounds.
Some of the monthly events are hiking activities, but if you are a hiker, hit the trails on your own from sunrise to sunset.
We have explored many of the trails at Lyonia with our kids. We started out carrying them on our backs, and now we can hardly keep up with those long big-kid and teen legs. Learn more about the preserve and hiking trails by clicking here.
Pollinator Garden and Scrub Jay Wings at Lyonia
Make sure to take a stroll through the pollinator garden. It's full of native plants and labeled so you and your kids can learn. The littles will enjoy the small path leading straight through the garden. Of course, if you have any questions, ask the Lyonia experts.
There’s a small bench where you can sit and take a moment to enjoy the various flowers and the visiting bees and butterflies. Always keep an eye out for songbirds, and you might even see a gopher tortoise cross your path.
Oh, and don’t forget to pose with the beautiful Scrub Jay Wings mural drawn by Erica Group which is part of the Wings of the West trail.
Lyonia Environmental Center
If the weather is too hot to explore the trails, come inside and explore the Environmental Center. My kids and I have been enjoying the center for years.
Kids and adults alike can enjoy the hands-on displays about the preserve and conservation. And you don’t want to miss the discovery room with reptiles, resident animal ambassadors, and a huge saltwater aquarium. You might even be able to visit during feeding time!
There’s always someone helpful and knowledgeable to answer any of your questions about the preserve, events, and displays. You’ll also find an assortment of brochures and printouts you can take home to plan future activities and learning.
Rotating Exhibitions
Along with hands-on displays and the discovery room, the center has rotating exhibitions. They are another way to introduce visitors to the scrub habitat and conservation efforts. Past exhibits include the “You are Here” traveling photography exhibit, photography from the Lyonia Photography Club and other local photographers.
Ready to Visit?
I hope this gave you a good idea of what Lyonia Environmental Center and Preserve offers your entire family, especially during the long summer days!
If you have any questions about their activities, please call them at 386-789-7207, ext. #21028.