COVID-19/ Coronavirus Update

Updated May 6, 2020

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center continues to check advisories about the COVID-19 coronavirus with the NH Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control, our nature center and zoo colleagues at local and national levels, and other reliable sources of information.

We don’t know when we’ll be able to open the trails for the season, pending guidance from state officials. All programs and activities are cancelled until further notice. We will update information here as we know more.

New Hampshire Day is tentatively moving to a fall date, yet to be determined.

Kirkwood Gardens Day is cancelled but plants will be available for sale beginning June 1 at the garden.

We made the difficult decision to postpone the visit of the Giant Insect exhibits. We hope they will visit in 2021.

Science Center staff are trying to estimate the pandemic’s impact on future operations. We are making plans to keep our visitors, volunteers, animals, staff, and community safe when we reopen. New measures will include requiring pre-purchase of timed admission tickets online, making trails one-way to aid in physical distancing, limiting capacity, adding hand sanitizer dispensers on the exhibit trail, using intensified cleaning, having staff wear facemasks, and keeping some buildings closed temporarily.

Our ambassador animals are healthy and doing well. The animals go outside and are fed and cared for every day by our dedicated animal care staff, who are working staggered schedules.

Our Education team has developed innovative and fun ways to stay connected to the public while we are closed, especially schools, students, and families. Virtually Wild School Programs were recently announced as a way for schools to access educational programs for students.

Blue Heron School teachers meet online every weekday with their preschool and kindergarten students.

The Facilities crew are working together while observing physical distancing as they prep the grounds, gardens, exhibits, and boats for the season.

Many staff are working at home and are taking turns in the office focusing on day-to-day operations. Everyone is practicing physical distancing. Staff meetings take place online, allowing us to gather together and keep communicating with each other.

The Science Center has posted a variety of resources to social media and the website with many ways for the public to get Nearer to Nature.

Until we see you on the trails again, please take care of yourself and your families.

Virtually Wild School Programs Resources from the Science Center Support Us

Jace Killjoy, 06/29/23
I love going here, and the rain made it easier to enjoy without crowds. The animals are well taken care of and have lots of wonderful enrichment. Great fun for kids and adults.
Mike Shank, 09/17/23
This is an amazing place for all ages. It's beautifully laid out and has a wide variety of NH animals. The natural setting of the enclosures are so well designed. The walk through is a great day out in and of itself. We were all fascinated by the educational pieces here. The variety of ways they provide such fascinating information while entertaining all ages, the animal meet and greets, daily special programs, hands on learning are almost a PhD edutainment. So incredibly well done. The people were fabulous, the grounds peaceful and the day glorious. Highly recommended! Thanks for such an excellent day out for all ages and interests in our big, diverse family group.
hillary simpson, 07/15/20
Its always fun to come here!! This time we came in the afternoon and it was a little hot. Not all the animals were out but it was still a great time! Barred owl, deer, black bear and mountain lions to name a few! They did a great job incorporating social distancing without taking too much from the experience.
Kayla Calabro, 08/22/22
We drove up from Milford for a day-trip in August. It was an absolutely delightful experience for me and my two kids (6 months and 3 years). We used a jogging stroller and intermittently used a baby harness - both kiddos benefited from opportunities to ride, as the path is relatively long for little legs. We were greeted by lovely staff, who gave us useful information about picnic areas (there are two) and bathrooms (there are several). Then we got to roam around the property, greeting various animals. There was a bat show and a Bard owl that we got to see up close. The only sad part was that the mountain lion wasn't on site the day of our visit. I will definitely be making the trek up to visit this place again next year.
Ann-Marie Ames, 07/05/21
Absolutely exceptional place to go. I've been to other nature centers in Maine and New Hampshire and love this the most. The enclosures were well taken care of and the employees cared very much for the animals. The raptors were very well taken care of and the place was not run down like some other places. A lot of my family went of all different ages and every one of them was captivated by the beautiful animals. A very natural Scenic setting and much education. Check out some of the photos.