Facilities

Richard Nixon Park

The nature center will be closed Friday, December 24, Saturday, December 25, Sunday, December 26, Friday, December 31, and Saturday, January 1. The nature center is always closed on Mondays.

Please note that the nature center displays and classrooms are frequently closed for school field trips or summer camps. Please call ahead if it's important for you to know which areas are open in advance. All groups with 10 or more people are required to pre-register your visit so that we can alert you to what areas will be available.

Richard Nixon Park, located in Springfield Township, features a 14,000-square-foot Nature Center. Nestled on 213 acres of meadow, woodland and aquatic habitats Nixon Park supports a wide variety of plant and animal life. Donated in 1968, through a gift of land from the Bob Hoffman family, the park was named after the newly elected President Richard M. Nixon.

The original Nature Center, which highlights Pennsylvania's natural history was constructed in 1978 and open to the public in 1980. This part of the center features amphibians of PA display, insects of the world and insects of York County displays, live reptiles, birds and mammals of PA, a children's touch room, and much more. An addition was built in 1992 to house a worldwide collection of specimens donated by William Koller. The exhibits include an Arctic Display, African Savannah, and Northwest Territories of the United States.

Hours

Nature Center: Tuesdays through Saturdays
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Sundays
12 to 4:30 pm

Mondays and Holidays - Closed

Park Grounds
Open daily 8 am to dusk

Features

Hiking Trails: There are over six miles of trails. Since Nixon Park is designed primarily for quiet observation of nature, you are asked to keep other activities to a minimum and observe our special rules. Bikes, horses and pets are not allowed on the trails.
Nature Center: Full-time Naturalists staff the center and offer guided nature walks and programs to pre-scheduled groups. If you would like to schedule a program for your group visit the education section of the website for more information. The center is ADA accessible.
Sunday Walks / Programs: Most Sundays from April to October there is a program at the Nature Center featuring natural history and related topics. View the parks events calendar for the current offerings.
Themed Programs: Throughout the year different theme programs occur focusing on different nature topics such as Maple Sugar Weekend, Great Backyard Bird Count Weekend, Reptile Week, and more.