Discover Live Animals and Hidden Trails at Long Branch Nature Center

Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park is managed by Arlington County and offers wheelchair-accessible trails, exhibits, a children’s Discovery Room, live animal displays, interpretive gardens, and a viewing pond. Tucked behind a medical building off South Carlin Springs Road, it has the feeling of a genuine discovery — the kind of place you’d never stumble upon accidentally but never forget once you’ve been. The 18-acre nature area includes a managed meadow, two ponds, demonstration gardens, and a mixed hardwood forest of oak, hickory, tulip poplar, and blackgum, all set along Long Branch Stream, which flows downstream through Glencarlyn Park to its confluence with Four Mile Run. The paved trail along the stream is wide and stroller-friendly, while more rustic woodland paths invite those who want to slow down and look more carefully at what’s growing underfoot.

Inside the nature center, the children’s Discovery Room is cheerfully mural-painted and stocked with hands-on materials for young naturalists, and the live animal displays are a reliable hit with kids of every age. Programs for the youngest explorers include Babies in Backpacks and Tiny Tots, giving parents and their littlest ones guided time in the great outdoors, while the knowledgeable staff also leads programs for school groups and organized visits. The center’s rose garden draws butterflies and pollinators across the warmer months, and the surrounding park connects to both the Four Mile Run trail and the W&OD Trail, making it a natural anchor for a longer walk or bike ride. Open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday 1–5 p.m., admission is free. Find programs and events at parks.arlingtonva.us/long-branch-nature-center.