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Forest Exploration Center, Wauwatosa, WI

Photo: Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Forest Exploration Center

A volunteer-run nonprofit managing a 67-acre mature hardwood forest in Milwaukee County with an accessible one-mile nature trail.

1800 Forest Exploration Drive, Wauwatosa, WI 53226 · Wauwatosa, WI

About Forest Exploration Center

The Forest Exploration Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that runs a managed urban woodland in Wauwatosa. Its 67 acres hold mature hardwood trees such as oak, maple, ash, and basswood, plus many other native species and a rich layer of wildflowers. The forest is one of the best surviving examples of the southern hardwood forests that once covered southeast Wisconsin. Visitors can walk a one-mile self-guided loop designed for all abilities, and the site hosts a large bird population, with more than 158 species recorded in the area each year. The organization also runs volunteer stewardship days, bird counts, trail maintenance, and an exhibition space with local artists.

  • #forest
  • #nature trail
  • #birding
  • #accessible trail
  • #volunteering

What's around here?

The closest stops to Forest Exploration Center, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Shopping
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Mayfair Mall

    No admission fee

    Shop Macy's, Nordstrom and Crate & Barrel, then catch a movie at the AMC 18 at this two-level enclosed mall west of Milwaukee.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Root Common Park

    Check prices

    Small triangular green space in Wauwatosa with a concert stage, play instruments, and a World War I veterans memorial next door.

    1.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Pocket Park

    Check prices

    Small city park at the Harwood and Wauwatosa avenues corner, with a stone wall that doubles as seating and naturalized plantings.

    1.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Milwaukee County Zoo

    Check prices

    Spend a day with bonobos, gorillas, elephants and penguins at Milwaukee's county-run zoo, then ride the miniature Safari Train.

    1.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums

    West Allis Historical Society

    No admission fee

    A local history museum in West Allis, Wisconsin, with a log schoolhouse, an outdoor memorial garden, and a historic cemetery.

    3.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Webster Park

    Check prices

    A northern Wauwatosa park with a play area featuring grass-like turf and swings.

    3.4 mi awayMore like this

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