Outdoor Adventure Center

The kids winter break is almost over. They were only off for a week and a half this year, instead of the normal 2 weeks, so I am a bit sad to see them go already. I thought we would celebrate what's left of break with a family adventure. So we bundled up the kids and drove the hour and a half to Detroit to explore the Outdoor Adventure Center.

The Outdoor Adventure Center is located on the Detroit Riverfront and run by the Michigan DNR. It is advertised as a place where "Up North" comes to the city. They have displays for things like water current, animal trapping and the fur industry and even the conservation and laws regarding golden and bald eagles.

Upon entering, we were encouraged to take a selfie with the black bear. There is a sign telling you what to hashtag when you post to Instagram. My children are far too serious in this picture. I'm not sure if they are playing divas, or militant teens, but the smiles came later. 

This is part of their display on water currents and the Great Lakes. This map let you feel the difference in depth throughout the lakes and see where they joined with the Detroit River. The amount of shipping that is still done along the river and into the Great Lakes is astounding. The most interesting fact we learned is that the current of the Detroit River flows so fast, it could fill all of Comerica Park in 2.5 minutes. 

There are little photo ops like this through the entire building. You can take pictures dressed as a fisherman, a hunter or even a conservation officer. Aly is a shudder bug and had to pose at each one of these and get her picture taken for her scrapbook. I'm just happy she was having a good time. 

The aquarium is beautiful. It is stocked with fish native to our lakes and rivers. We were able to locate all of them except the walleye. I guess we will have to show that fish to the kids this spring when we catch one for dinner. 

There is a bear cave on the first floor that you can explore. Inside there is a bench to sit on and an educational video about bears that you can sit and watch. M felt the need to growl at me while I took her picture. 

In what is normally the archery room, we were able to participate in an indoor "snowball" fight. They were actually fluffy stuffed balls the kids could safely throw at one another. Baby Bear was a little unsure about the "snowballs" and far more interested in watching the people. You can check their Facebook page for other events. 

The kids got pretty comfortable in this yurt. I never camped like this as a kid. Maybe if we didn't just buy a camper, I would have looked into this for the summer. It is stable and very roomy. I'm sure I will be telling you about some of the campgrounds in our state this summer, and also about our misadventures as we figure out how to set up our new toy. 

Before now, I never quite realized how large rock salt actually is. Detroit has a huge salt mine below the city that supplies us with the salt for our roads. I'm definitely happy that they break it down before putting it down over the ice. 

This was my favorite part of Outdoor Adventures. I have a soft spot for waterfalls, which explains why I got married over one. I love the stuffed animals above the falls. there is a little stream below that you can cross by stepping on river stones. 

Getting a picture of all four kids in the forest area proved to be a difficult feat. I always end up with someone looking away or making a crazy face. Baby Bear was well past her nap time at this point, and I'm pretty sure if I kept taking pictures, she was going to cry. 

She was much happier playing on the tree side. the big kids climbed up the center of the tree to second floor, but we took the elevator with the baby to meet them up there. Maybe next time she will be big enough to go with her siblings. 

On the second floor, there is a small plane you can sit in and pretend to drive. There are also multiple animal hides to feel and signs telling you about the fur industry in our state. There is an area where you can test your aim with squirrel and deer hunting. You can also do some virtual snowmobiling if you are so inclined. 

The third floor had a beautiful eagle that had been hit by a car in the 1990s. Multiple signs tell you how conservation saved these majestic birds. You can even get a birds eye view of our state, but pretending to be an eagle and virtually fly along one of our rivers. 

I wish I had taken more pictures, but a sleepy baby is a clingy baby, and that makes it hard. If you are in the city, I encourage you to check this place out. It is fun to see how much our state has to offer and is a great way to get "outdoors" in this freezing weather. 

Tell me about your favorite place to visit in Detroit. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Kristie