Since the Environmental Discovery Center had it's official grand opening in May 2016, I had been wanting to stop in and check it out. Recently, my family did just that!

I was immediately delighted when I got out of the car and on one of the first signs we saw (pictured below), one of our friends, Chuck Tague, who was a naturalist and fabulous nature photographer, was honored at the center. Not only is he honored outside on one of the signs, but inside there are also three of his photographs on display (pictured below). I loved that! Chuck, who passed away in June 2016, was someone who I considered to be a modern day John Muir. He was fabulous at leading hikes, teaching others about nature, and I looked forward to his daily nature photography posts on Facebook. He is surely missed, but it makes me happy to see him being honored at the Environmental Discover Center in Ormond Beach.

The center is a new building and it's very nice. There is a lot that you can learn about our environment by visiting this center. They have signs to explain various plants, as well as about animals. There are a few animals in a large aquarium, but there is also other things on display, such as bones, skulls, pictures, and more. They even have a live honey bee colony that you can observe in action. The Environmental Discovery Center is free, which is great. They offer a variety of free classes for the community, ranging from topics such as animal tracks to how to use microscopes. Follow them on Facebook to keep up on all of the events they hold.

There is a pond out back, where we saw some turtles swimming around, and the building has a nice porch you can sit on and observe nature (they even have binoculars you can use). They also have a map that offers a few trails near the building, including one that goes around the lake. I asked the woman working there, but she didn't know the lengths of any of them. I really think they need to get that determined and label the map accordingly, but other than that, I think the place is great. I love environmental centers and this one offers a lot of possibility in being able to give people a place to learn about the nature that they are a part of. Take the kids and stop by this place, and check out the educational classes they offer. Many of them are also added to the Volusia County Moms events calendar.

The Environmental Discovery Center is located at 601 Division Ave in Ormond Beach. You can visit their Facebook page here.

Here are some pictures I took there: