Mount Rainier Nature Center
4701 31st Place
Mount Rainier, MD
Tel: (301) 927-2163
Email: mtrainiernaturecenter@pgparks.com
Hours:
· Sun - Mon : Closed
· Tues - Sat : 10AM - 5PM
About/Features
Visit the Prince George’s County’s ONLY Urban Nature Center!
- hands-on exhibits
- live animals
- educational displays
- a game room
- an outdoor amphitheater
- a campfire pit
- playground
- A variety of natural history interpretive programs for community and school groups are available!
- The center has a fully-equipped recreation room available to rent for meetings and special occasions. Please see the Rentals tab and call for more information.
Accessibility
More information coming soon.
Stay in Touch
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To see what programs we are offering this season, head to our PARKS DIRECT page.
How To Register
Program Registration
To guarantee your spot within a program, advance registration is required for all programs with a PARKS DIRECT number. Drop-in admission (no registration) for programs are accepted only as space permits. Space availability is never guaranteed for drop-ins. Programs may be canceled 24-48 hours prior to the start of the program due to insufficient registrations via Parks Direct.
If you already have a PARKS DIRECT account, please register for programs via Parks Direct. Most of our programs allow for “spots booked” where only one person in the family needs to have an account to register for the total number of desired spots. However, for programs that do not allow for spots booked, each person desiring to attend the program must have their own Parks Direct account and be registered individually.
Don’t have an account yet? Check out the Parks Direct page for information on how to set up an account for yourself and your family.
For programs or boat tours that do not have a Parks Direct course number, please call for information.
Program Requirements
Check the age requirements for each program before registering. All participants must meet the age requirement to attend a program. For some programs, children must be accompanied by a registered adult, who must participate in the program with the child. Unless a program says otherwise you may not drop your child off and leave.
Fees for programs are based on your residency.
Program Fees
Make sure that your email and other contact information is up-to-date on your Parks Direct account prior to registration. Staff may need to contact you if they have questions or in the event that a program must be canceled due to inclement weather or other reasons.
- Residents (R): individuals who live within Prince George’s or Montgomery Counties
- Non-Residents (NR): individuals who live in all other jurisdictions.
Mount Rainier Nature & Recreation Center offers specific curriculum-based programs for school groups at their school, on-site, or at a nearby park.
How to Schedule
Mount Rainier Nature & Recreation Center offers specific curriculum-based programs for school groups at their school, on-site, or at a nearby park. Most programs generally last about 45 minutes. All programs are by reservation only and need to be booked in advance. A limited number of adult chaperones and teachers will be admitted free, additional adults will be charged the same rate as students. Some of the programs may include a craft, game, hike, or story.
Fill out this form to make a reservation for your class.
For information on program fees, please email serenella.linares@pgparks.com.
Program Descriptions
Live Animal Show: Recommended for Pre-K & Up
Using a variety of live animals: insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Students will enjoy a hands-on learning experience. As they discover the characteristics and habitats of animals as well as what they eat, how they move and how they adapt to survive.
Animal Homes: Recommended for Grades Pre-K – 2nd
Learn about the habitats of animals. Through interactive activities, visuals, and nature items will help the students learn about their natural world.
Sense of Nature: Recommended for Grades Pre-K & K
Students will use their five senses to learn about their natural environment. Students will: 1). Identify the five senses and the related body parts. 2). Classify objects based on sensory information to include color, texture, size, sound, taste, or shape.
Dinosaurs & Fossils: Recommended for Grades K & 5th
Travel back in time to discover the secrets of prehistoric life. Investigate prehistoric plants and animals using visual aids, fossils, games and hands-on activities.
Creepy Crawlers: Recommended for Grades 2-8
Explore the world of insects and how they benefit the environment with a special focus on life cycles and metamorphosis of butterflies and moths. Make scientific observations using visual aids, and specimens. Outdoor insect discovery included.
Rocks & Minerals: Recommended for Grades 2-8
Classify rocks by their properties: size, weight, color, texture, and shape. How igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock are formed. This hands-on presentation examines nature’s building blocks and explores how these natural resources are used.
Vertebrates: Recommended for Grades 2-8
Using visual aids, and live animals, explore the characteristics and habitats of vertebrates: mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and amphibians. Focus will be on the adaptations for survival: locomotion, diet, body coverings, communications, reproduction, migration, and hibernation.
Wetlands & the Chesapeake Bay: Recommended for Grades 2-8
Focus on various types of wetlands, their functions and importance to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Hike along the creek or lake and discuss the water cycle, watersheds, pollution, erosion, and other factors affecting wetlands. Use charts, nets, and trays to study live aquatic animals and plants. Students should wear old clothes and shoes that can get wet. This program can be conducted for indoors as well as outdoors.
Plants & Photosynthesis: Recommended for Grades 2-8
This is a grade appropriate exploration program with an emphasis on plant structure, functions, characteristics, and reproduction. Learn the importance of green plants and energy flow, the process of photosynthesis, and the respiration cycle.
Native Americans of Southern Maryland: Recommended for Grades 3-8
Compare and contrast the Native Piscataway’s use of natural resources in their daily lives with our use of natural resources today. This program incorporates the use of slides, Native American artifacts, and replicas.
Mount Rainier Nature & Recreation Center has a multipurpose room available for your meetings or special occasions. The kitchenette is equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, and sink. The room holds around 125 people. Rectangular tables (6×2), circular tables, and chairs are available with your rental.
The renter will have to set up PARKS DIRECT account. Rental hours run Sunday-Saturday from 9 am-11 pm. All rental times include set-up and breakdown time.
Call for (301) 927-2163 for additional information and availability.
At Bladensburg Waterfront Park, we offer rental facilities for birthday parties, family reunions, weddings, meeting and more! We also get your equipped with recreational rental gear like kayaks, canoes, and bicycles! For more information, call (301) 779-0371.
Event Space Rentals
Ropewalk Pavilion
The Ropewalk Pavilion is available for daily rentals and has approximately 24 picnic tables with a maximum seated capacity of 150 people. For information or to book the Ropewalk Pavilion, please call 301-779-0371 or come to the park office. Remember to bring a form of ID and payment.
Things to remember:
- All renters must have a Parks Direct to complete a rental contract
- Large groups or specialized functions (festivals and community events) must have permission, contract, or a reservation to use the pavilion or park
- Alcoholic beverages and smoking are not permitted in the park
- Grilling may be permitted with a contract and manager approval only
- Live bands, performances, and DJs are not permitted without manager and Park Police approval.
- Parking next to the pavilion or on the paved promenade area is not permitted
- Security deposit and full payment are due at the time of reservation.
- All pavilion contracts are for 10 am- 7 pm.
- All M-NCPPC park rules apply. Please call for more information.
Fees:
- Tier 1: Up to 150 people (pavilion only)
- Resident: $300*
- Non-resident: $390
- Security Deposit: $100
- Tier 2: 150-250 people (pavilion and paved grounds)
- Resident: $500*
- Non-resident: $650
- Security Deposit: $150
- Tier 3: 250-500 people (pavilion, paved grounds, grass/vendor areas)
- Resident: $1,000*
- Non-resident: $1,300
- Security Deposit: $200
- *Residents are those who reside in Prince George’s County or Montgomery County. Proof of residency is required.
Waterfront Studio
The Waterfront Studio is available to rent by the hour for meetings, gatherings, parties, programs, lectures/exhibits, and other elegant functions.
Things to Remember:
- Tables and chairs are provided for studio rental
- The renter is responsible for set up and clean up of their event
- Your paid rental times must include setup and breakdown/clean up
- Mini-refrigerator and microwave available
- Maintenance supplies are provided
- Decorations are permitted; adhesives must not damage the surfaces of walls
- Renters are permitted to use chafing dishes with canned gel fuel (sterno) to keep food warm
- Includes exclusive use of riverfront patio
Hourly Fee Rates:
Minimum 4-hour rental on Saturdays and Sundays
- Resident: $75/hour*
- Non-resident: $98/hour
- With Ropewalk Pavilion Contract:
- Resident: $50/hour
- Non-resident: $65/hour
- Security deposit: $100 (additional fees may apply.) Security deposit is due at time of reservation. Remaining balance due 60 days prior to rental. If rented under 60 days before your event, the full balance will be due at the time of reservation.
- *Residents are those who reside in Prince George’s County or Montgomery County. Proof of residency is required.
Kayak, Canoe, Boat Rentals
- April through October, 7 days a week (weather dependent), with launch times from 9 am to 2 PM (online)/ 3 PM (walk-up), with equipment return by 4 pm.
- Online reservations recommended. Reservations close at 12 noon the day before the rental. Walk-up rentals based on boat availability.
Rental Requirements & Details:
- You must be at least 18 years of age to reserve a canoe or kayak.
- Single kayakers must be 12 or older.
- Persons 17 and under must have an adult (18 or older) with them at all times. Children under 3 not permitted in canoes or kayaks at any time.
- Must have a Parks Direct account.
- Must have a driver’s license or government-issued identification (with birth date verification).
- A Personal Flotation Device (life jacket) is provided to all boaters and must be worn at all times while on the water
- Please arrive several minutes prior to your launch time to park, gather your belongings, and prepare for your launch time. Parking is limited.
- While staff will be on the dock for needed assistance, we encourage all renters to be able to get in and out of rental boats by themselves or with help from their group.
- Additional fees will apply to the following: late returns, lost and/or damaged equipment, or rental agreement violations.
Things to remember:
- All renters must have a Parks Direct to complete a rental contract
- Large groups or specialized functions (festivals and community events) must have permission, contract, or a reservation to use the pavilion or park
- Alcoholic beverages and smoking are not permitted in the park
- Grilling may be permitted with a contract and manager approval only
- Live bands, performances, and DJs are not permitted without manager and Park Police approval.
- Parking next to the pavilion or on the paved promenade area is not permitted
- Security deposit and full payment are due at the time of reservation.
- All pavilion contracts are for 10 am- 7 pm.
- All M-NCPPC park rules apply. Please call for more information.
Canoe & Kayak Rates:
- Residents:
- $25/Kayak
- $30/Tandem Kayak or Canoe
- Non-residents:
- $33/Kayak
- $39/Tandem Kayak or Canoe
