Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center - Sioux City, Iowa

Randy B.

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center is a place I visit often to decompress. The building itself is beautiful with all kinds of exhibits ! I enjoy sitting outside and watching the great variety of birds that come to feed. Also has some great hiking trails that wildlife can usually be observed. VERY much worth a visit !!

Renae

Between the indoor and outdoor activities, you could easily spend half a day with the kids here. There is a lot to see, especially for the little ones. We discovered the Raptor House this visit. I'm unsure how long it has been an exhibit, but I have been to the Nature Center a handful of times over the last 10 years, and never noticed it somehow. It has a live Owl and a live Hawk you can see. There are plenty of hiking trails too, some not too bad for kids.

As far as things that could be improved, I would say operating hours for sure. They are closed Sundays and Mondays (online only said they are closed Mondays, but the sign had papers over it when we arrived---possibly a Covid change?), and only open until 4:00 when open. It would also be nice to see more interactive displays inside. There are a handful, but most things are to see/read. Or an option to play audio for kids. On this visit, I had my almost six year old along. He is in the early stages of reading still, so I had to read a lot to him. Most displays had long paragraphs. Don't get me wrong, the information is wonderful, it just gets to be a lot of reading aloud.

Overall, we will be back when we have more time. We only had about an hour and a half this visit, so we didn't get to wander much outside. The facility is nicely air-conditioned (it was 90+ degrees when we visited), very clean, and kept modern. The staff that we encountered were very pleasant and full of information.

Karissa W.

Lots of learning in a beautiful setting in the Loess Hills of Iowa. All about the prairies and woodlands. Live and taxidermied animals and interactive stations. Outside has more wildlife viewing and maintained walking trails. Handicap accessible facility but not trails.

M N.

This is a well maintained nature center with quality indoor and outdoor activities. Indoor there are several mounted animals on display along with an working bee hive. Outdoors they have a waterfall, play area, and trails. It is a great experience for old and young.

Beth S.

My kids and I always have a fun time. We love walking the trails and seeing the animals and displays inside the building. They always have different activities throughout the year that we enjoy.

Jamie N.

One of the BEST nature centers I have ever been to! The displays and info were superb. Incredibly clean, great bathrooms. The hiking was great, loved the little raptor house, and saw plenty of wildlife on the grounds.

Lisa M. G.

Free to visit. Kids loved the nature center. The owls, fish, snakes, bees, and turtles. The trails were nice to walk. Saw some turkeys and deer.

Alison L.

I was surprised by all the cool exhibits here. Definitely a great place to see stuffed examples of Iowa's native wildlife, quite a lot of variety. And an adorable little rescued owl they keep in the back. Plus a lot of trails close-by, with some stunning hilltop views. Will have to come here more often!