One of the country's biggest nature centers

Just southwest of the city, where the Pine and Chippewa Rivers come together in Homer Township, is the Chippewa Nature Center — one of the largest privately run nature centers in the whole country. It covers more than 1,500 acres of woods, wetlands, rivers, and open fields, with about 19 miles of trails open every day of the year from dawn to dark. And it’s free to visit.

There’s a lot packed in: a visitor center with hands-on exhibits and live animals, a window for watching wildlife up close, an old-fashioned 1870s-style homestead farm with a log cabin and barn, canoe and kayak launches on the river, and year-round programs from maple-syrup days in spring to guided paddles in summer. Like a lot of good things in Midland, it got its start with help from the Dow family foundation. You can even bike to it from the Tridge downtown. (Note that pets aren’t allowed on the grounds.) The Chippewa Nature Center’s website lists its trails and programs.