Bear Branch Nature Center
Bear Branch Nature Center is a nature center in Carroll County, Maryland, near Westminster. It explains local plants and animals through interactive exhibits, an outdoor water feature and play area, and a Discovery Room for children. Visitors can see live animals such as an eagle, hawks, owls, snakes, salamanders, turtles, frogs, and toads, plus a planetarium and an observatory. The center is operated by Carroll County Recreation & Parks.
It sits next to Hashawha Environmental Center, which is also run by Carroll County Recreation & Parks. Hashawha hosts the Carroll County Public Schools Outdoor School, a residential program for sixth-grade students. The two facilities share about 320 acres with more than five miles of trails, a restored 19th-century cabin, a lake, a pond, and access to Bear Branch and Big Pipe Creek. The land for Bear Branch and Hashawha was purchased in 1972. Hashawha means “old fields” in a Native American language. The Hashawha Tower is a 10-meter-tall windmill donated to the Hashawha Environmental Center.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:02 (CET).