Looking for a fun, educational destination? Head over to the Hurstville Interpretive Center in Jackson County, Iowa for an incredibly well-done learning experience year-round. With attractions for young and old, the whole family will walk away from this center with a greater understanding of how our great state was settled and developed, and a new appreciation for our incredible wildlife and ecosystems.
You’ll start learning before you’ve even left the parking lot!
hoogo / TripAdvisor
One of the first things you’ll see is the chimney swift tower. Inspired by a structure built in 1915 by Althea Sherman, a noted female Iowa ornithologist, this tower provides both shelter and a nesting place for chimney swifts. Their natural habitat, inside hollow trees, has been decimated as woods have given way to towns and agriculture.
Laura S / Used With Permission
Next, you’ll encounter the frog pond in front of the center.
Hurstville Interpretive Center / Facebook
The center provides all the tools you’ll need to explore the pond: a variety of nets, buckets, tubs and even some rubber boots!
Laura S / Used With Permission They welcome explorers to wade in and catch insects, or maybe even frogs and tadpoles!
Compare what you find to the sign on one side of the chimney swift tower to evaluate the health of the pond.
Kristine N / TripAdvisor
Build structures with the construction materials at the building station, walk through the prairie trails, admire the statues, and notice the wealth of bees and butterflies on the flowers in the pollinator garden.
Hurstville Interpretive Center / Facebook
Speaking of pollinators, there is a very special display inside the Interpretive Center: an active beehive! Look for the queen, watch the workers building the colony and going in and out of the hive through a special pipe to the outdoors.
Laura S / Used With Permission
A unique aspect of the area’s local history involves nearby Hurstville Lime Kilns which in the early 1900s produced the world’s highest quality powdered lime. Enjoy several videos and displays detailing this history. Follow it up with a quick stop a few miles north on Highway 61 after you’re done at the Interpretive Center.
empressoftheuniverse / TripAdvisor
Want to learn more about local birds? The interpretive center has you covered. Curious about native Iowa animals? Check out the pond and prairie displays. Ever wondered what creature makes the sounds you hear as you walk near a pond or through the woods? Take a listen to the Iowa animal sounds display.
mtl_scorp / TripAdvisor
Enjoy model trains? There’s even a model of early 1900s Iowa with a train that staff can start up for you upon request.
Hurstville Interpretive Center / Facebook
hoogo / TripAdvisor
Laura S / Used With Permission
Hurstville Interpretive Center / Facebook
They welcome explorers to wade in and catch insects, or maybe even frogs and tadpoles!
Kristine N / TripAdvisor
empressoftheuniverse / TripAdvisor
mtl_scorp / TripAdvisor
While the outdoors area is a wonderful experience, there is still much to learn during the winter when an indoor destination makes a welcome outing. Located within easy driving distance from Maquoketa Caves and Dubuque, add this stop to your itinerary! Learn more at the Hurtsville Interpretive Center’s Facebook page.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: Hurstville Interpretive Center, 18670 63rd St, Maquoketa, IA 52060, USA
