Brooklyn Bridge Park Environmental Education Center

Run by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, this year-round center at 99 Plymouth Street in DUMBO offers free Public Open Hours four afternoons a week. During Open Hours, families can explore live animal displays featuring creatures native to New York, a 250-gallon aquarium stocked with East River critters, a 10-foot scale model of Brooklyn Bridge Park, crafts, a reading corner, and science-based games — all tied to rotating monthly themes like pollination, geology, and sustainability.

Expert educators are on hand to guide self-led exploration. Every Saturday at 3 PM, kids can watch the animals get fed at 'Feed the Fauna.' For younger children, the Early Nature Experiences program runs semester-long Wednesday sessions mixing indoor and outdoor time, complete with song circles, animal interactions, and sensory play. A monthly Nature Storytime takes place on the third Thursday of every month at 3 PM.

The center also offers borrowable Park Explorer Pack backpacks during Open Hours for families who want to explore and experience science outside in the park. Open Hours run Thursdays and Fridays 3–5 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays 1–5 PM. All Public Open Hours are free and drop-in with no registration required.