Lakewood Discovery Center
250 Lakewood Drive in Salina, KS
Telephone: (785) 826-7335
"Our mission is to develop environmentally educated citizens by providing a unique setting which nurtures curiosity and interest in nature.
We offer a variety of nature-based educational programs and events throughout the year. You can use salinaparks.com to view our programs and sign up. Take a look at our summer programs- fishing, archery, BB guns, canoeing, and much more!
We are also available for group events, such as class or church fieldtrips, or for facility rentals. Give us a call for more details."
Upcoming Lakewood Activities...
September Summer
Wednesday, September 14th from 6:00pm until 7:30pm
Ages 5 years old to 12 years old
Cost: $10 per person
September is the month leading us to the Autumn season and one last chance to do those summer things we love to do. Join us for an evening of making Lemonade, eating watermelon, and backyard party games.
Barns & Things
Friday, September 16th from 8am until 5pm
Ages 16 years old and up
Cost: $60 per person
The “Big” round barn known as the Starke Barn near Red Cloud Nebraska boasts to be the largest round barn in USA. In addition to this great feat, its construction does not use any metal fasteners at all, an engineering marvel to be sure. We will tour this piece of Americana along with visiting Willa Cather’s origins, the center of the United States (sort of), and a couple of pumpkin patches along the way. Lunch will be on our own at the Palace.
Women Prairie Pioneers
Friday, October 7th from 7am until 7pm
Ages 16 years old and up
Cost: $125 per person
Join us as we visit Pioneer women that have impacted their times as innovators and educators. We will stop to visit the “Little House on the Prairie” home of Laura Ingalls Wilder that we all know from the hit tv show. She and her family were prairie pioneers of their day and she would go on to be the legendary writer and character we all know. We will travel on to a new “Pioneer woman” in Pawhuska, OK. The success of the Pioneer woman has brought a new vibe to a small prairie town in Northern Oklahoma. Enjoy shopping, dinning and touring all there is to do in Pawhuska.
Turtles of Lakewood
Wednesday, October 12th from 6pm until 7:30pm
Ages 5 years old and up
Cost: $6 per person
Do you like turtles? Do you know a lot about turtles that live here at Lakewood? If you are like us and love turtles join us for this turtle extravaganza at the nature center. We will show many types of turtles and have you help feed and care for some of these fascinating creatures. We will even get to meet “Tank” a tortoise with talent.
Campfire Stories
Wednesday, October 19th from 7pm until 8:30pm
Ages 6 years old and up
Cost: $6 per person
Get in the Fall spirit with a good old fashioned night of campfire stories. Enjoy some warm cider and a good story to get your blood pumping. We will hear funny stories, historical stories, tall tales and a few creepy epics to round out our evening. Bring a friend to lean on and hang on to for a fun and frightful night.
Halloween Haunted House
Wednesday, October 26th from 6pm until 8pm
Ages 5 years old and up
Cost: $10 per person
Lakewood invites you to our haunted house of nature horrors. Enter if you dare! Explore our natural world of creepy crawly critters, carve a pumpkin, and if you have enough gumption you can try to survive our Cave of Doom and Halloween Demise. We will have witch’s brew and rotten snacks to try if you DARE!
KC Dinner & Show
Wednesday, November 16th from 8:30am until 5pm
Ages 16 years old and up
Cost: $110 per person
From the hills of rural southern Alabama to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, LOST HIGHWAY follows Williams’ rise from humble beginnings to superstardom. This unforgettable play, peppered with jokes, stories, insights and bits of gossip from his actual life will remind you of what Williams did best: casting the simple spell of his yearning songs on adoring fans. You’ll hear more than 20 hits including: “I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Jambalaya,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” and “Your Cheating Heart.
Christmas at the Crown
Sunday, December 11th from 11am until 6pm
Ages 12 years old and up
Cost: $80 per person
A Crown Holiday Spectacular. A Rockettes-inspired Christmas spectacular, this big band and talented troupe of singers and dancers will dazzle with high-energy vocals and dance numbers. Singing, dancing, and comedic acts will entertain audiences of all ages this holiday season. You won’t find anything like this in Wichita!
Honey Bees 101
Wednesday, December 7th from 6pm until 7:30pm
Ages 5 years old and up
Cost: $8 per person
Honey Bees are essential to our planet, they work everyday of their life to help their hive continue the next generation. Along the way they not only collect nectar, they build homes, care for each other, Oh and propagate nearly 80% of all fruits and vegetables that we enjoy so much. Join us to learn from our bees, make some snacks from honey and even take the honey challenge.
History of Invasive Wildlife
Saturday, January 21st from 1pm until 2pm
Ages 12 years old and up
Cost: $6 per person
Kansas invasive species are here to stay, learn their stories and how they have impacted Kansas and abroad. We will talk about impacts these animals have had in the past and our current efforts to control this Pandora’s Box of the natural world.