The Ontario Science Centre has always been a popular destination for families, whether local or traveling from out of town. The addition on the Cohon Family Nature Escape adds another great hands-on experience sure to please kids and adults.
From discovering space and walking through the TELUS rain forest to the always popular Science Arcade and the new traveling Ripley’s exhibit, the Ontario Science Centre is buzzing with activity. Sometimes you (or the kids) need a little reprieve. The Cohon Family Nature Escape located on Level 6 (the same level as the Living Earth and Science Arcade) invites visitors to step outside and connect with nature.
Unlike many urban outdoor spaces, the Nature Escape is built in and around the the existing ravine versus clearing the area to take over. The natural materials used, like the boardwalk and dirt paths, weave visitors through the compact area, taking on an organic feel like nature itself.
The Nature Escape touches all your sense:
Feel – the moss on the tree wall, the branches on the hidden hut, the smoothness of the tree slide, and even the metal sculptures of enlarged elements found on the original Maple Leaf Forever tree trunk
See – animals that make outside their home (we even encountered rabbits), the bat box high in the trees and a bonus for fighting mosquitos, and the wooden nest house.
Smell – the air and how different is can smell depending on the weather, and the native flowers found through out the park
Hear – birds that are talking to one another, how different outside sounds compared the busy indoor areas within the Ontario Science Centre, and the Maple Leaf forever song versions at the interactive display
The only sense missing is taste but maybe you can bring a snack along for that. Along with being a great area to explore and connect with nature, the Cohon Family Nature Escape is just that, an escape into a little serenity from the excitement of the Ontario Science Centre.
We normally walk right by this part of the Centre but on a whim we made a detour and boy are we glad we did.