Robins Nature & Visitor Center at Maymont

Richmond, VA – Road Trip #5
The Robins Nature and Visitor Center (RNVC) is part of Maymont, but since it has it’s own check-​in, I decided to write a separate review. RNVC is the only part of Maymont that actually has fees compared to donations ($ 3 for adults 13 – 59; $ 2 for 5 – 12 and seniors 60+; free for kids 4 and under; and Maymont members). RNVC has a tram stop for Maymont members, which is good because the walk can be long.
The Visitor Center is basically the lobby – there is info about the Dooleys; clean, nice bathrooms; a snack room and souvenirs; and a topographical map of the grounds. This will take you all about 15 minutes, but it’s interesting to learn more about the history of Maymont. There is not a fee for the Visitor Center although donations are always welcome.
The Nature Center is nice but small, and this where you pay for the entrance fee. Guests can enjoy self-​guided visits around the exhibits, but there are staff to answer questions; they also have education programs throughout the year. I saw turtles, fish, seahorses, alligator, and snakes. Unfortunately, the popular river otters exhibit was closed that day. The new American Alligator exhibit is informative and was one of my favorite. Make sure you see the seahorses – I spent lots of time watching; they are so fascinating!
I would think that RNVC is a welcoming cool spot during the hot months, and includes the nicest bathrooms on Maymont (at least what I saw). RNVC was my least favorite part of Maymont, but it can be fun for kids. This would be a great place for 4^th graders who are studying about Virginia. If you have time, I would check it out; otherwise, skip it if you’re short on time and trying to decide what to see.

I attended an event here for the LISC Richmond event. What a beautiful indoor/​outdoor venue. You can stand on the patio which has a tent and look out over the park. I saw bison! My one suggestion is that they need more lighting for a night event.

This is going to be my favorite place for a long time. Heard of the place for a long time and finally got to go. The whole park is garden, nature trail, historic mansion combined. And this nature center is a nice addition to it. I recently added American toad, tree frogs as pets and I can see all of them here. Learning about their natural habitat helps me set up their tank a little better to mimic their natural environment and make them more at home. You can also see all the venomous snakes in the region here. Not a pretty sight for me since I am afraid of snakes a little, but it is useful to recognize them and hopefully you can get away faster if you see one in the wild.
Overall, very nice place to spend a day and you don’t see places like this much anymore. The south side of the park is near the rail road and you can still see trains passing by. Not far from the trails is the James River, but you can’t see the river from the park.

I’m surprised this gets to be in a separate category and is not included in Maymont’s regular reviews. That said, this is a fantastic place to bring the kids when the weather is not cooperating for outside activities (or even if its perfect outside). Once you have been kindly greeted by the staff you enter into a small museum dedicated to the fish and creatures of the James River, and educating on different aspects of the science involved with the complex environment. They keep many of the turtle and fish species native to the James in the Aquarium set ups which are constructed to let you see inside the underwater environments. At the end of the tour you are surprised to find the otters playing and swimming in a very thoughtful viewing tank, which tops our Richmond Zoo’s otter exhibit. If you haven’t been completely swept away by those little guys you might notice a dark corner cave that houses owl’s and some other nocturnal creatures. They also have a decent gift shop (which does carry small otter stuffys!). Lastly if the weather is on your side the Nature center is another entrance to Maymont, hosting its own butterfly garden and parking lot yet giving you another route for exploring the park. ENJOY! I always have :)

We attended a wedding in Maymont Park in the Japanese Garden and the reception was held here in the Visitor Center. The outdoor patio was wonderful, and the guy who drove the tram volunteered to give me a ride back to my car after the park had closed. The space was perfect for about a hundred people or so.

Really cool place to spend a few hours. The Nature and Visitors Center was more than we expected. Much of the information tied into our son’s activities in school. The park/​zoo/​gardens afterwords were wonderful. The Japanese Garden was an event in itself.

This is a great place to go with kids, especially on a rainy day. The nature center is a recent edition to Maymont Park and the Maymont Foundation. I enjoyed learning about the James River via the live water displays showing they types of specimens typical to The James and how the whole ecology was linked together. One can also learn more about the types of animals kept at Maymont Park’s Petting Zoo and Animal Collection. The focus is on native animals to Virginia. It is a great place to learn about the world immediately around us as there are no «exotics» on display.
The best part of the exhibit is watching the otters at play. Maymont Nature Center links 13 water tanks together to form a living history. You will be delighted by what is in your own back yard. Great for school tours and learning trips as well.
**Please note that the entrance can be a challenge to find as it is off one of the roads leading through Byrd Park so plan accordingly with good directions**

The Nature Center is small, but towards the back there’s a River Otter habitat that rivals the one at the National Zoo in DC.
When I lived nearby and had a gap between work and school, I’d come here to watch the otters. When I was feeling good, I’d come here to watch the otters. When I was bummed out, I’d come here to watch the otters. Basically, everything is even better when you can relax and watch otters.
Bonus points for the habitat designers who put a plexi window to the outside space — thus enabling visitors to watch otters from the weather controlled inside, or watch otters from the outside.