Rowe Woods
Rowe Woods
Site Features
Rowe Visitor Center
The Rowe Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9 am-5 pm. It houses restrooms, our front desk, membership, The Nature Shop, the Whittaker Library, nature observation windows, and more. Free wi-fi access is available at the Visitor Center.
Please note that the Visitor Center is closed Thanksgiving day, Christmas day, and New Year’s Day.
Front Desk Naturalists
Visit our Front Desk Naturalists to ask questions about your trail discoveries or get more information about upcoming programs and events.
Membership Desk
Visit our Membership Desk between 10 am-5 pm to learn more about membership, apply your daily admission toward membership, and more.
The Nature Shop
Open from 10 am–5 pm daily, The Nature Shop features a variety of items, including hand-glazed ceramics, bird feeders, mason bee houses, books, apparel, jewelry, toys, and more for purchase. Many of our items are locally made and support artists and small businesses in our community. All proceeds from The Nature Shop go to support our mission of Inspiring Conservation.
Click here to learn more about The Nature Shop and upcoming events.
Click here to browse our online shop.
The Nature Shop is closed Thanksgiving day, Christmas day, and New Year's Day.
William J. Whittaker Library
Come relax by the fireplace or drop in to work part of the day from one of our tall tables. Members can check out books, DVDs, and other resources on natural history, science, and nature-related literature.
Wildlife Viewing Windows
Discover nature at one of our large wildlife viewing areas. Binoculars and guidebooks are available for reference.
Educational Exhibits and Children's Play Area
Our educational exhibits change seasonally and focus on the natural history, wildlife, and plants of our region. Our Children's Play Area has interactive touch displays, props, and more to encourage discovery and exploration.
Abner Hollow Pioneer Cabin
Abner Hollow Pioneer Cabin was originally built by pioneer settlers in Adams County, OH in the early 1800s. The owners of the property where the cabin stood are long-time members and benefactors of CNC. They donated the cabin as a centerpiece for education about pioneer life. The cabin was dismantled for transport and reassembled on this site in 1997.
Celebration Garden
During Carl Krippendorf’s time, the area where the current Celebration Garden lies consisted of arbors, small stone terraces with benches, and walkways lined with masses of flowering plants. Today, the Celebration Garden celebrates this horticultural tradition and creates a peaceful place for memorials.
Groesbeck Lodge
This stone lodge was built around 1918 by Grace and Glendening Groesbeck, friends of the Krippendorfs. The graduated sizes of the slate pieces on the roof make the building both beautiful and unique. The Groesbecks asked Gertrude Jekyll, famous British landscape designer, to prepare a garden plan for the site. Although the specific plan was not implemented, design had elements of the original plan. Remaining features include pillars of the Rose Garden and a greenhouse and garden shed.
Herb Wall
The Herb Wall was said to have contained the greatest variety of plants in the Midwest during the Krippendorf period. Three-tiered beds below the wall were built to display tulips, roses, and others. Cold frames below the Herb Wall were built in 1938—canvas covers ran on metal tracks to protect these plants from cold temperatures.
Krippendorf Lodge
Krippendorf Lodge was built between 1898 and 1900 as the home of Carl and Mary Krippendorf. Today it is used for special events and private rentals. Daffodils were Carl Krippendorf's favorite flower, and he planted millions on the property during his lifetime.
The Nature PlayScape
Our Nature PlayScape is intentionally designed to provide children with opportunities for unstructured play in a resilient version of local natural habitats. Native plants, fallen logs, boulders, rocks, water and soil create forest and field habitats for children to explore. The PlayScape contains very few man-made structures (swings, slides, etc.) and strives to re-create the kind of childhood experience many parents and grandparents had in nature when they were young.
Oak Allée
Oaks planted in the early 1920s lined the drive from Tealtown Road to the Krippendorf home, built between 1898 and 1900, for newlyweds Carl and Mary Krippendorf.
The Oak Allée is still maintained today and can be seen on the left as you are entering Rowe Woods
Powel Crosley Lake
Crosley Lake, named for donor Powel Crosley, was excavated in 1967 following an Audubon recommendation to create more surface water on the property to attract wildlife.
The island in the lake is named Wallace Island in memory of Wallace Espy, nephew of Grace Groesbeck.
Witt Pollinator Garden
Wander through a spiral-shaped garden of native plants that attract birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. The pollinator garden is always changing; see what’s in bloom at different times of the year and get ideas for your own yard.