Sand Ridge Nature Center 15891 Paxton Avenue, South Holland, IL 60473

"If you love to be next to nature, Sandridge nature center is a place to do it. They have beautiful walking trails and you get to see wildlife in it's natural surroundings. The building has some interesting artifacts, the staff is friendly, helpful and informative and it is very clean, including the rest rooms. It is a delightful experience and a beautiful piece of property that God has done some inspiring handiwork"

"This nature center is a gem. There are 3 walking paths that you can take (2 short ones, 1 longer one). It's beautiful in the Fall. The folks who work there are welcoming and very helpful. It's one of my favorite places to walk. You feel like you're far away, but you're right outside of the city."

"Inside the nature center they have turtles, snakes and other creatures. Outside there are settler cabins, bird cages, and low impact nature trails threading through the wetlands. This is a great area to see butterflies, dragonfly’s, and damselflies living among native prairie flowers and grasses."

"I absolutely loved coming here, my family had wonderful time. The staff was so patient and gentle with my rambunctious siblings. Shout out to Ms. Lanie, she showed us so many cool birds and things and went out of her way to give us a tour, and she was extremely knowledgeable and cared for our safety on the trails. The trails are beautiful and I would highly recommend for people to come and interact with the staff and animals!"

"If you would like to learn to identify more native prairie plants, this is the place for you. I met 2-3 new-to-me flowers that I will need to introduce to my butterfly garden at home. With several different ecosystems on the property, there is fantastic variety. We saw no fewer than 4 monarch caterpillars on the milkweed outside the front door of the lovely nature center. There is a classroom in the nature center that acts as a perfect "bird blind" to watch the hubbub in their "Bird Garden". The trails are well maintained, the boardwalk is a GREAT way to view the marshy areas. The staff in the Nature Center is very friendly and knowledgeable, and invited us to an upcoming free program."