Jester Park Sensory Trail
Jester Park is a favorite park to explore for our family outside of Granger, Iowa. This park has endless areas to explore. Their newest installation is the Jester Park Sensory Trail. This accessible trail located outside of the Nature Center offers a way for all to experience nature using their different senses–smelling the flowers, listening for the sounds, and touching the water and plants. We love that visiting through the different seasons, you get to experience the sensory trail in unique ways.
You are encouraged to see nature by peering through kaleidoscopes accessible to different heights. Next you can feel nature. There is a tower covered with all different types of nature, from rocks to snake skins. Along the ground,d there are different surfaces to explore, from turf to different rock textures.
My kid’s favorite activity was listening to the nature area. They loved playing the pebble harp, placing pebbles in at different speeds! Two listening tubes can be moved around to hear.
The water area encourages all to explore nature by using their touch. A stream flows from the top of the sensory trails down to a wading area. This area has a zero-entry access point to the wading area. Seasonally, a brass frog perched on the side of the wading area shoots water from its mouth as you use the nearby pump.
Address
Jester Park Nature Center is located at 12130 NW St in Granger, Iowa.
Nature Center
The free Jester Park Nature Center offers various hands-on exhibits, including Wetlands Island, Prairie Island, Woodland Island, and more. My kids love playing with the puppets and the animal magnet wall. The center also offers regular educational programming. Take a look at their event calendar for additional information.
Modern restrooms and water fountains are located within the nature center. Non-modern restrooms are located throughout Jester Park; the closest to the Sensory Trail are at the discovery pond. The nature center is open Monday – Friday 9 am-4 pm, Saturday 10 am-4 p,m and Sundays 12 pm-4 pm (closed Sundays December- February.)
