Recreation Groups

If Ruffner Mountain is one vast, interconnected web, then the Nature Center is just that, its center. Within its walls, you will find the Exhibit Hall, featuring a wide variety of native species, including a gray ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides), a black “speckled” kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra), a copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), an Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), and more. Outside you will find a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and a Barred Owl (Strix varia). In addition to the Exhibit Hall, our Animal Care Department is located at the Nature Center. Here, we care for 15 to 25 animals at any given time.