The Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden

The Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden celebrates Ohio’s native animals and plants. This 2.2-acre outdoor gallery adjoins the Museum.
 
Here, visitors can see Bald Eagles, owls, deer, foxes, bobcats, hawks and other creatures in enclosures designed to resemble their natural habitats.

Beneath a canopy of tulip, oak, beech and maple trees grow plants that belong to several of Ohio's native natural communities – swamp forest, shrub forest, fossil and sand ridge, rich mixed forest, emergent marsh and buckeye opening.

Perkins combines the best characteristics of zoos, nature centers and museums. Each of the creatures it features is there because it has a story to tell. Some are tales of near extinction and survival by human intervention, others of adaption to life near humans and success to the point of overabundance. Still others are stories of habitat destruction and slow decline due to competition from invasive species. Together, they deliver powerful lessons in conservation, ecology and biology.

Online visitors can soon walk its virtual path and enjoy the opportunity to be among the animals and plants.

Museum visitors can access Perkins through a glass-enclosed exhibit space off of Kirtland Hall. Heated, paved pathways enhance accessibility for those using wheelchairs and strollers.