Tucked away in the woods of Tupper Lake is a science museum that’s considered among the best in the country. The Wild Center Natural History Museum placed second on USA Today’s list of top 10 science museums in the US.


Now it’s back open for its busiest time of the year.

“We’re really excited to get people back through the door to check out some of the new exciting things happening within the walls of the Wild Center, said Marketing Director Nick Gunn.

Some of the new experiences include the Climate Solutions exhibit, which opened last summer, and Birdly, which a virtual reality experience that allows you to feel like you’re a bird flying through the skies of New York City or an insect in a field.

Many schools take class field trips to learn more about wildlife and the Adirondacks, and can run around exploring everything the museum has to offer

“School groups get some very special programs, they’re going to have some animal programs, where our education staff teach them about animal adaptations and the wildlife found here in the Adirondack park, and they’re also going to be enjoying our exhibits and walking our trails,” said Leah Valerio, Curator for The Wild Center.

The Wild Center has lots of trails to go along with its indoor exhibits, including the wild walk, a trail along the treetops that includes a replica spider web.

The Forest Music trail is a quarter mile loop that plays symphonies written by students at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

The center has many events planned for this year, including a summer speaker series and the “Get Outside” festival in July.

The wild center is open Friday-Sunday, but will be open 7 days a week starting Memorial Day weekend.