This is the best time of the year to take advantage of the beautiful weather and trek down to your favorite park and recreational area. Many recreation departments have organized events and activities to help families bond, get in touch with nature, and get active.

Visit National Recreation and Park Association to show and share the love for your favorite park and recreation. It has a wealth of calendar of events scheduled nationwide and free downloadable resources.

I’ve always loved nature! My love for nature stemmed from my childhood. Nature has was always a learning resource that taught me lessons that couldn’t be seen from a different person’s perspective in a classroom, only my own. It also naturally helped foster a love for traveling, exploring, and history. This all helped me broaden my perspective, value the things that are often taken for granted, and generally taught me what textbooks could not. That’s why I instilled a love for the aforementioned with my own children. I’m happy to say that they take delight in all of these things as much as I do, especially nature!

Nature is truly a learning resource. That’s why hiking is one of my all-time favorite activities that I love to do with family. Hiking is one of the most pleasant ways to connect with nature, bond with family, and enjoy the world around you. I deem it nature’s therapy since we’re always at the most serene and peaceful state of mind when hiking. It has been proven that hiking can reduce stress and foster creativity. I can attest that nothing clears my mind more than when I’m surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve in Evansville, Indiana is one of my favorite destinations that my family and I can connect with nature. It’s the sister to the Wesselman Par 3 Golf Course and Wesselman Park. From its breathtaking scenery to its historic past, Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve is an ideal spot for picnicking, biking, hiking, and relaxing. It boasts more than 200 acres of bottomland hardwood forest and 6 miles of trails. It is also home to more than 150 species of birds, over 300 species of wildflowers, and a wide variety of reptiles, mammals, birds, and amphibians.

The Nature Center regularly hosts events and features a bird viewing room, library, exhibits, displays, meeting rooms, and a gift shop. Trekking through the Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve was once a free afternoon of leisure, but they now charge $5 per an adult and $3 per child for a day’s pass or $40 for a yearly pass for the whole family. The price of admission doesn’t deter us since the Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve is a true gem!