For those intrigued by the natural beauty of the Adirondacks and its vast array of wildlife, The Wild Center in Tupper Lake is an absolute gem. On its 81-acre campus in the heart of the Adirondacks, The Wild Center has transformed the traditional museum experience and has made the natural world its focus, both inside the walls of the main building and out.
In keeping with its mission to encourage discovery and exploration of the Adirondacks, the Wild Center will be opening a new attraction on July 4 to help visitors see things from a whole new perspective.
Rendering Provided By The Wild Center
The family-friendly attraction has been in the planning and development stages for more than eight years, and is called the Wild Walk. It is so unique that it is already receiving national attention weeks before it opens from such prestigious publications as The New York Times.
The Wild Walk is an elevated path that includes a winding trail of bridges, platforms, and other features like a four-story twig tree house, swinging bridges, a spider’s web for people, and a full-sized bald eagle’s nest. It also includes educational information to help visitors understand what they’re experiencing.
Photo Provided By The Wild Center
The entire path is about a quarter-mile long, and the main structure of the Walk is “accessible to people of all generations and abilities,” so anyone from anywhere can enjoy it. In a statement, Wild Center Executive Director Stephanie Ratcliffe said, “This has been our dream for years, to have a chance to knock down the walls and see what happens when the roof is the sky and the floor takes you up off the ground, and then fill the whole experience with stories about what is happening that exact moment in the living world.”
Although you may have gotten a birds’ eye view of the Adirondacks from the top of a mountain, the Wild Walk’s designers are adamant that this experience is like nothing you’ve ever had before. Its website compares it to New York City’s High Line – a former elevated train line-turned public walkway – in that it raises you off the ground, but not fully above everything around you.
Photo Provided By The Wild Center
The height of the Wild Walk places you among the trees, giving you perfect visual access to the dozens of species of birds, bats, butterflies, and other wildlife that live there. Wild Walk graphics team leader Derek Prior was quoted as saying “It’s surprising when you get up there to suddenly see things in a way you’ve never seen before.”
While you anxiously await the opening of the Wild Walk on July 4, check out the preview on the Wild Center’s website. After its grand opening, the Wild Walk can be visited seven days a week from 10AM – 6PM through September 7, and from 10AM – 5PM from then until Columbus Day. The Wild Center will also be offering special events throughout the summer to mark the opening of this unique attraction.
Sources:
- The Wild Center
- The Wild Center: Wild Walk – An Elevating Journey Into The Live Natural World
- The New York Times: New Nature Trail and Interactive Museum in the Adirondacks
- The Watertown Daily Times: Take a walk on the wild side in Adirondacks
I had Ben there in August of 2015 , I had been a nature director for a o
Boy Scout camp for years and I can not tell you how much I enjoyed the center . We, my family of 23 people ages 77 to 9 and I in a wheel chair could not say enough of the center there. from the iceberg , otters display an the hands on display inside then out in the trees walk. There was very little I in my wheelchair could not be part of and there was not one board person in the group. The family truley enjoyed the eagles nest,,the spider web the hollow tree ,the bird display . I could go on but won’t, we truly love our visit and share it with all to try one we meet . Thanks for the buitaful center that truly includes as said for all ages and capabilities. N L Grisewood and family.