From snowmobile simulators to wildlife investigations, Detroit’s adventure center brings the outdoors inside

DETROIT, MI — Michiganders are bracing themselves for several more weeks of below freezing temperatures.

Does your child need to burn off some energy after multiple snow days in a row?

Let them climb a tree, fly an airplane or drive a snowmobile − all while staying inside.

As this brutal stretch of winter continues, you don’t have to sacrifice your love for the outdoors. In Detroit, you can bring your favorite outdoor recreation inside.

Detroit’s Outdoor Adventure Center opened in 2015 with the mission to bring an “up north” feel to downtown through hands-on activities, exhibits and simulators.

The 40,000 square-foot center gives kids plenty of room to run.

Guests can walk behind and touch a waterfall, step into a boat and reel in a big fish or hit the trail on an ORV or mountain bike simulation.

The OAC is open Wednesday- Sunday, located within the historic Globe Building on Detroit’s riverfront at 1801 Atwater Street.

Admission is $5 for kids 12 years old and younger and $7 for adults. See the pricing chart and daily operation hours here.

The OAC is run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Conservation officers and educators offer free classes every month including fishing pole set up, indoor archery and yoga with a creature.

Here’s what’s coming up this winter:

• Indoor archery lessons: Set your sights on the target and release your inner archer. There are multiple opportunities to learn archery including a one-hour after school lesson, open range for all levels in January. In February, archery 101 for beginners is running every Tuesday.
• Owl Prowl at the Belle Isle Nature Center: Look for Michigan’s nocturnal neighbors from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29. Gather at Belle Isle to go for a short hike including some owl calls to try and hear or see owls. Come back inside to dissect owl pellets and learn more about their eating habits.
• Investigate a Wildlife Crime Scene at the OAC: The two-hour investigation puts students in a DNR officer’s shoes 10:30 a.m. – 1 :30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31. Students will receive information on a recreational trespass complaint and arrive at the “scene of the crime.”
• Yoga with a Creature Feature: The OAC’s summer yoga moves inside to the center’s indoor waterfall area on Thursday, Feb. 19. The OAC wildlife ambassadors make an appearance with a short presentation and Q&A. February’s creature is the sea lamprey.