Review of Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in State College, PA

 

Millbrook Marsh Nature Center 

Now that I look back at the month of August, I see that my wife and I have traveled to quite a few places during our month long stay at Altoona, PA.  One of those places that really struck a chord was Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in State College, PA.

Millbrook Marsh Nature Center is located about 50 miles from Altoona, in central Pennsylvania.  It is a 62 acre site consisting of 12 acre farmstead area and an adjacent 50 acre wetland area.  The center features a restored bank barn, a wetland laboratory, picnic tables/pavilion, a boardwalk and walking trails.

We knew right away that we would enjoy this place while we were researching a suitable place to visit during our stay.  We also knew based on our previous experiences that our Pomeranian Toby, would like this place!

We set out for the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center at our usual departure time of around 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. We took the fastest route to State College, which is via I-99 North from Altoona.  It was a hot and humid morning, so we packed our water and snacks.  We also packed Toby’s water and his treats, as he will demand to get his treats when exploring new places!

Our Google Maps took us to a deserted spot within the center’s proximity, but not at the visitor center.  We had to backtrack to find the visitor center, but luckily, we found it on our second try.

We parked at the huge gravel packed parking lot in front of the visitor center then made our way into the center.  We met a mother and her son who were visiting the center.  They warned us of a snake further up the trail.  They were worried Toby might run into the snake.  We thanked them for their consideration.

At the entrance to the center
Boardwalk is absolutely beautiful 
Awesome views!

We were on the lookout for the snake as we carefully made our way into the boardwalk area.  We immediately fell in love with the boardwalk and the wetland area.  There were so many birds happily flying around the marshland and the river.  We heard crickets, as well as frogs trilling, barking, grunting, and croaking.  It was our kind of a place!

Along the boardwalk, we met several visitors enjoying their walks.  We all commented how beautiful the center is, then we made our way deeper into the wetland.

River view!
View of the river and the wetland
Toby on the boardwalk 
Another shot of the beautiful boardwalk 

We stopped by a huge tree by the river where there were many waterfowl and ducks, seemingly playing on the water and enjoying a nice summer day.  We took few moments to enjoy the idyllic scenery unfolding right before our eyes.

Awesome river views
Cute ducks enjoying the views
Saw these pretty berries
Beauty everywhere…
So many beautiful views

After several minutes of taking in the scenery, we continued our walk.  We had reached the end of the boardwalk, so we headed back the same way back, rather than getting off the boardwalk to walk on the gravel path surrounding the center.  The boardwalk would be easier on Toby’s paws…

We backtracked the way we had come, but made sure we took every boardwalk path we could walk on so we can cover every nook and cranny of the boardwalk.  We were mesmerized by changing scenery all around us.  Every turn revealed more scenic views of either the river, wetland, flora, and wildlife.

We constantly stopped to take photos and to etch the scenery deep in our brains.  We wanted to remember this place’s beauty how nature intended…

After completing our trek on the boardwalk, we decided to take a little water/snack break on the picnic pavilion.  We each talked about how wonderful this nature center is.  We were also happy because Toby was also enjoying himself.

For our last stop, we checked out the garden at the entrance to the center, next to the picnic pavilion.  We noticed how beautiful all the flowers there were blooming.  Beautiful colors were everywhere: reds, yellows, purples, greens, oranges, etc.

Beautiful!
Loved the colors!
Found this bench painted like a marsh!

After checking out the garden and smelling the flowers, we walked out of the garden and found a bench that was painted to look like a marshland.  My wife, the artist, loved the artwork.  We lifted Toby up on the bench and took a photo of him smiling!

We slowly walked back to our car, already reminiscing about the nature center we had just visited.  We really enjoyed everything the center had to offer, including a beautiful natural setting, a wonderful boardwalk, and a flower garden.  

We highly recommend this place if you’re ever planning on visiting State College, PA area.  Thank you all for reading!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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