Wayne County Parks
Nankin Mills Interpretive Center
Program fee: $6.00 per child, $2.00 per adult for county residents, unless otherwise noted below!
Add $1 per person for non-Wayne county residents
Pre-registration required for all programs (except Native Day), at the Park Office, 33175 Ann Arbor Trail,
Westland, 48185. We accept Check, Cash or Charge. To charge over the phone, call 734-261-1990.
All programs are held at Nankin Mills Interpretive Center unless otherwise noted.
WINTER
Winter Hike and Campfire
Saturday, January 30, 2016, 1 – 2:30 pm
Dress warmly and come out to explore winter nature on a hike with our naturalist through
Holliday Nature Preserve. We will search to see which animals are still active in the winter and
how others use different strategies to survive the cold months in Michigan. We will also look for
seed capsules and other ways that plants make it through the winter. After the hike, we will warm
up by the fire and share some stories with a cup of cocoa. Recommended ages 6 and up.
Outdoor program.
Slithering Snakes
Saturday, February 27, 2016, 10:00 – 11:30 am
Discover fascinating facts about Michigan’s 17 different kinds of snakes, such as which is
the longest, which are poisonous, which one pretends to be dead? We will also discuss snakes
of the world, meet some live (but friendly!) snakes. Children can make a craft to take home.
Indoor program, Recommended ages 6 and up.
Make it at the Mill – Birdhouses!
Saturday, March 5, 2016, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Birdhouses are used by cavity-nesting birds, such as chickadees, wrens and bluebirds.
We will supply all the materials needed to construct your own birdhouse to take home,
along with information about which birds you can expect to use the nesting box. One
birdhouse kit per family, please. Recommended for ages 6 and up, with parental
assistance. Additional material fee of $7 for the bird house kit.
Maple Sugaring at Cass Benton, Saturday, March 12, or March 19, 2016
Register for one start time: 10 am or Noon. Outdoor Program, 1½ hrs.
March is maple-sugaring month in Michigan. Bundle up and join our naturalists at Cass Benton Park in
Northville, where a historic “sugar bush” still exists. We will share the history of maple sugaring and take
a short hike into the woods for a tree-tapping demonstration. Enjoy pancakes with the “real thing”
afterwards! The Park is located off of Northville Road, north of Six Mile Road. Meet at the picnic shelter.
The program is outdoors and the trails can be muddy, so dress accordingly! All ages welcome, but the
trail in the woods is not stroller friendly.
SPRING AND SUMMER
Frog Call Rodeo
Saturday, May 7, 2016, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Learn about the many different species of Michigan frogs and toads and meet some live
members in our Nature Center. Create an amphibious craft and then venture out to the
pond at Nankin Mills for a catch and release activity. Those interested can carpool to
another location a few miles away in Holliday Nature Preserve to enjoy the spring
symphony of frog romance! Learn to recognize their different calls. By the way, none of
them say “ribbit”! Pond edge can be wet, wear waterproof boots. Indoors and outdoors,
Ages 6 – Adult.
Let’s Go Birding – Adult program
Saturday, May 14, 2016, 9:00 – 10:30 am
Join the Nankin Mills Naturalist for a cup of coffee or tea and then hike to search for our
feathered friends around Nankin Mills and in the Holliday Nature Preserve. We have some
binoculars available, but it is best to bring your own if you have them. Trail can be muddy.
Bird-feeding tips will also be provided. If you want more birding, come to our “Let’s Go
Birding – Again” program on August 27! Recommended for adults only, mostly outdoors.
Fee: $3.00 per adult
Bug Hunt for Families
Saturday, June 11, 2016, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Discover the importance of insects as pollinators and members of nature’s
food chain! Besides being amazing, they are strange and fun to observe! We will learn
about them indoors and make a buggy craft. Then we will head outdoors on a bug catch
and release! Nets and jars are provided. Indoors and outdoors, Ages 6 and up.
Make it at the Mill – Kites!
Saturday, July 9, 2016, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
First, we will make our own kites, and then - “Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height!!”
Hines Park will provide the open space and hopefully enough wind for lift off! A local kite
club will be on hand to demonstrate some unusual kites for us. Indoors and outdoors, Ages 6
and up, with parental assistance. Additional material fee of $5 for kite kits.
Make it at the Mill – Bat Houses!
Saturday, August 20, 2016, 10:00 am – Noon
Bats are amazing creatures, eating up to 1000 mosquitoes a night! They are also suffering plummeting
population numbers. Find out more about these amazing mammals and construct a bat roosting house to
take home. Houses can hold up to 100 bats, giving you the opportunity to observe them eating up
the mosquitoes in your yard! One house per family, please. Recommeded for ages 6 and up, with
parental assistance. Additional material fee of $10 for bat house kit.
Let’s Go Birding – Again!
Saturday, August 27, 2016, 9:00 – 10:30 am
See program description for May 14. Join us again to search the treetops for beautiful birds! Fee: $3.00/adult.
AUTUMN
Fall Family Fun: Leaves and Cider
Saturday, September 10, 2016, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Enjoy this beautiful season in Michigan as we hike to see the fall colors, learn to identify
native trees and discover the reasons for the color changes. Bring a light-colored T-shirt
to create leaf prints as a memory of the season. Watch a short cider-making demonstration and
have a taste (sorry it has to be the pasteurized version) of cider and doughnuts.
Indoor and outdoor program, Ages 6 and up.
Native American Heritage Day
Saturday, September 24, 2016, 1:00 – 5:00 pm, FREE EVENT!
For the thirteenth year since 2002, The North American Indian Association will host a special
Social Gathering at Nankin Mills to share their culture and their heritage. A drumming circle
will lead the dancers in beautiful regalia through the ceremony. Native American artisans will
demonstrate, display and sell their crafts. Native American food will also be available for
purchase. Bring the whole family to share in this celebration of America’s first people. Bring
your own lawn chair and umbrella for shade, as seating is limited. Outdoor event, at Nankin Mills
Picnic Area across Hines Drive from the Mill. All ages welcome.
Halloween Forest Fun Hike, Friday, October 14 or Saturday, October 15, 2016
Register for one start time: 6 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm, or 7:30 pm. Program is 1½ - 2 hrs.
Take a guided night hike to meet our “not-so-scary and sort-of-silly” nature-related characters.
These costumed creatures will tell you all about themselves and share some Halloween prizes
and treats! Please arrive 15 minutes before your starting time. Hikes will be held outdoors, so
dress accordingly. Program will be moved indoors only if it’s very rainy. After a 45 minute
hike around the grounds of Nankin Mills you will come inside for a live animal show to meet
many amazing creatures from around the world! Ages 4 – Adult.
Make it at the Mill – Pumpkin Catapult!
Saturday, November 12, 2016, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
As a group with the Nankin Mills Naturalist, help build a catapult and then try to launch
some pumpkins into the stratosphere, or maybe just ten feet! Join us for this fun
activity!! Outdoor program, Ages 10 and up.
Holiday Fest and Mill Lighting
Saturday, December 10, 2016, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Join us for an old-fashioned celebration of the season at historic Nankin Mills. From
4:00 – 5:15 pm families can participate in unique holiday games and make several
seasonal crafts to take home. Prizes are awarded for game participation. The second
part of the program is sponsored by the Friends of Nankin Mills and features a
community sing-a-long, Mill Lighting and special visit from St. Nick! This will be the
29th anniversary of the Friends of Nankin Mills Mill Lighting! All ages welcome, but
the building is too crowded for strollers. No charge for 3 year and under.