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Things to Do

  • Things to Do

The Sunriver Nature Center is the home of a nice collection of kid-friendly stuff. Crawl through our Creature Cave, enjoy hands-on activities, meet our Animal Ambassadors, and more! We are also home to the only Botanical Garden in Central Oregon, blooming soon!

It's quite a collection.

Our star is a churning maelstrom of hot gases with far more features than you might think. Look for sunspots as big as Earth in our white light filtered telescope. See surface details and loops of gas called prominences in our hydrogen-alpha filtered telescopes. Staff will gladly explain what you are looking at, and for.

Close-up views of Earth's own star.

Our staff of enthusiastic naturalists bring it all to life. Learn about the behavior of big barn owls or get a taste of tiny little frog ponds. Our staff lead, mentor and inform in a friendly way that keeps kids of all ages engaged. If you're out for a bike ride around Sunriver or just looking for something fun to do, stop in for a look around.

Local experts make it entertaining for the entire family.

The Oregon Observatory. Billions and billions of sights to see. When our roofs disappear we have the largest collection of telescopes for public viewing in the United States.

Seek the Stars

Explore nature, seek the stars!

No visit to Sunriver is complete without stopping by the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory! Nestled next to Lake Aspen and surrounded by eight acres of diverse habitats, SNCO offers activities for everyone—day or night.

During the day, bike over to the Nature Center with your family. Visit the Creature Cave, where you can discover snakes, lizards, frogs, and salamanders. Explore the botanical garden, visit live owls and hawks, and enjoy wildlife watching at Lake Aspen. Don’t miss the observatory, where you can view the sun through a telescope.

At night, the observatory—one of the largest in the country—offers breathtaking stargazing opportunities. With minimal light pollution and over a dozen telescopes, you can see everything from our moon to distant galaxies. Join an astronomer for a presentation and a laser-guided constellation tour.
Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory offers year-round programs for all ages, including bird walks, lectures, and hands-on activities. Families can enjoy planetarium shows, rocket launches, and nature hikes, making it the perfect destination for learning and exploration!

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Daytime General Admission to SNCO is always free for members. Discover more benefits here:
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