Exploring Teatown with Your Kids

There are so many cool places to see and explore in Westchester County. One location to get on your radar is a visit to Teatown. Located in Ossining, New York, Teatown is a non-profit nature preserve and environmental education center. The location is open year-round where you can find 15 miles of hiking trails, a two-acre island refuge home to 230 species of native wildflowers, educational and nature-focused events, wildlife exhibits, programming for kids, and much more.

Below, we’re sharing some of the many ways you can explore Teatown with your kids.

Take a Hike

With over 15 miles of trails (open year-round), you and your family will have access to appreciate and soak in nature in over 1,000 acres of protected land. Over the course of your hike, you’ll see native plants, maybe some animals, and more.

Families with young kids will love their easy trails, ranging from .9 miles to 1.5 miles. These trails offer beautiful views of Teatown Lake and natural wooded areas. They also have moderate and strenuous trails with different scenic overlooks. All of the trails showcase the incredible biological diversity of the lower Hudson Valley, connecting to the Briarcliff Peekskill Trailway and the Croton Aqueduct Trail. Check out the trail map to plan your hike before you visit. Trails are open from dawn to dusk.

From May-June, you can take a guided tour of Wildflower Island, a refuge within the greater Teatown preserve. This island is home to 280 species of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, sedges, and rushes where you can see and experience the beauty of the ever-changing blooms. Reservations are required for this tour.

Check Out an Event

There are tons of events offered at Teatown. For the fall, check out Natural and Native Crafts where you can learn skills of the Lenape children by hand weaving phragmites mats, creating a corn husk doll, and more. The event Misunderstood No More will teach you more about the importance of snakes, bats, spiders, and bugs for a healthy world. See the beauty of the fall foliage in the Color Hike. This hike is moderately difficult and best for kids ages 8 and up.

For Halloween weekend, adults can take a haunted hike as a part of Teatown at Twilight on Friday, October 28th. On Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th, you can visit with your family as a part of their Enchanted Forest event. This includes a 30-minute guided walk with whimsical characters and familiar forest friends.

Cindy’s Garden

Visit Cindy’s Garden, an educational sensory garden. Open everyday from 9am-5pm, guests are invited to interact with the plants and insects. You can smell leaves, watch a butterflies, writre, listen to the insects’ conversations, or simply relax.

Visit the Visitor Center

The on-site visitor center is a fun place to see exhibits, gardens, art from local artists, and take home a souvenir from the nature store. The exhibits feature non-releasable birds of prey include great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, opossums, snakes, turtles, and more.