Wander at Will: When the rain won't go away, head inside to play

Editor’s note: This story is part of our Wander at Will series, which is designed to inspire you to enjoy the many recreation opportunities in your Will County preserves in whatever ways you are able to. Whether you’re a well-traveled explorer or just starting your outdoor adventures, you’ll find new ideas, tips and hidden gems to help you connect with the outdoors all year.

Rain, rain go away, as the old saying goes. But we need the rain, so you may need to have a few tricks up your sleeve to keep yourself entertained on those rainy days when the great outdoors doesn't feel very hospitable. 

On those days when Mother Nature is sending you a clear message to stay indoors, head to one of the Forest Preserve's four year-round visitor centers, where a rainy day still offers plenty of opportunities to connect with the natural world.

The visitor centers — Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville and Plum Creek Nature Center near Beecher — are a great way to keep kids occupied and engaged, but adults will find plenty to do as well. 

Whether you are looking for a quick diversion or a place to spend an entire afternoon, each of these inviting spaces will occupy you until better weather calls you back outdoors. Four Rivers, Hidden Oaks, Isle a la Cache and Plum Creek Nature Center are all open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays. Admission to all Forest Preserve visitor centers is always free.

Here's a closer look at what you'll find to do inside our visitor centers on those rainy days. And if the weather happens to clear while you're there, there is plenty more to see and do just outside as well. 

Four Rivers Environmental Education Center

Four Rivers is situated near where the Des Plaines, DuPage and Kankakee Rivers meet to form the Illinois River, and these vital waterways feature prominently in the interactive exhibits and displays here. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a 2,000-gallon fish tank that houses local river species. 

Inside the exhibit hall, visitors of all ages can create a backyard creek at the interactive water table or see how watersheds work by manipulating them at the interactive sand table. The exhibit space also includes large windows overlooking the bird-feeding area, with adult- and child-sized binoculars at the ready to get a closer look at who has winged their way in for a visit. 

The Grand Hall at Four Rivers overlooks the river passing behind the building, and a wall of windows showcases all the day's activity, from barges floating by to eagles soaring overhead. Visitors can learn more about our local wildlife here, and young guests can pull up a chair to read a book or craft a creation of their own in the Kids' Corner. And don't forget to keep an eye out for the animal hidden inside the education center. The animal changes each month, and all who find it can get a prize from the front desk!

Four Rivers is an accessible facility and has been accredited by the National Inclusion Project. 

Hidden Oaks Nature Center

The forest comes inside quite literally at Hidden Oaks, where the first thing visitors see upon entering is a life-size replica oak tree filled with creatures and critters. The oak theme continues in the main exhibit space, where visitors can learn all about these stately trees and how important they are to the ecosystem. You can even don an acorn cap to look the part!

Hidden Oaks is home to a menagerie of animal ambassadors — turtles, a tortoise, a snake and a salamander — to help people learn more about the reptiles and amphibians that populate our planet. The nature center also includes an exhibit space where the activities and information are updated several times throughout the year, so there's always something new to experience — and learn.

For guests willing to endure a few raindrops on a rainy day, the green roof at Hidden Oaks offers a bird's-eye view of the surrounding preserve. Those would would rather stay dry can see what birds don't mind a little rain while looking out on the bird-feeding station, located just outside the front entrance. 

Isle a la Cache Museum

As the Forest Preserve District's only museum, the focus at Isle a la Cache is a bit different than at the other visitor centers. Here you'll find plenty of opportunities to connect with the people who have called Will County home through the years and learn how the land helped sustain them and still helps sustain us today.

The museum focuses on the 18th century, when Illinois Country was home to the fur trade along the Des Plaines River. Displays and exhibits at Isle a la Cache depict how the worlds of the Potawatomi and French voyageurs intertwined in the 1700s. Visitors can see and feel the furs that were once so vital to life here and also learn how Native people and voyageurs used the land for their survival. 

The museum is home to an aquarium with state-endangered Blanding's turtles as well as a rescued box turtle hybrid named Theodore. In the library, guests can also spend time watching nature right outside the windows, with stocked bird feeders attracting a variety of species.

Plum Creek Nature Center

Birding is a big draw here, and there are plenty of spots in the nature center to pull up a seat and watch as the birds come and go from the large bird-feeding courtyard. Many of our favorite migrants are frequent visitors, including Baltimore orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds, and you can also watch year-round favorites like woodpeckers, jays, cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches and more as they fill up on seed. 

The nature center features a honeybee exhibit and educational hive so people can learn about the important role bees play in our food supply, and the facility is home to three reptiles — a skink, a snake and a turtle — that will help people develop a newfound appreciation for these creatures and their similarities and differences to our local animals. 

And similar to Hidden Oaks, part of the exhibit space at Plum Creek is updated throughout the year so visitors, kids and adults alike, always have something new to enjoy and learn.