Nature Themed Birthday Parties
Exploration, adventure and curiosity abound! An exciting birthday celebration awaits your child at Cool Spring Preserve. PVAS offers a variety of fun, hands on and educational birthday party packages. “Go Wild” and make your child’s birthday party memorable and unique by booking a birthday party at Cool Spring Preserve!
Party Themes
Amazing Animals Birthday (Ages 4+)
Meet our education animals up close! Hold a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, American Millepede and our composting worms. Touch one of our turtles and help us with turtle feeding.
Buggy Birthday (May-September/ Ages 4+)
Sunshine, wildflower meadows and buzzing bugs provide a special landscape for insect exploration! Get up close and discover the fascinating characteristics of bugs! A bug themed craft will be available for inclement weather.
Campfire Birthday (Ages 7+)
Huddle around the campfire, listen to stories and sing songs to celebrate your birthday! Party-goers will assist with fire building, and of course, put their s’more making skills to the test!
Nature Fairies (Ages 4+)
Discover a magical land full of mystery and wonder! Listen to a nature fairy tale and build fairy houses along the nature trail.
Nature PlaySpace Birthday (Ages 4+)
Play on our nature play space (includes a climbing spider web, slide, rock scrambling area, a giant bird nest, stumps and logs to climb on, lose parts area, a canoe etc.) with special additional hands-on nature play items. We’ll bring out a water table (in warm weather), a kiddy pool with bird seed for exploration and play, animal themed dress-up items and more!
Scavenger Hunt Birthday (Ages 7+)
Go on an adventure as we head out on the trails for a nature scavenger hunt. The mysteries of the meadow and marsh await you.
General Information
Party Length: 2 hours
- 1 hour naturalist led
- 1 hour reservation of (indoor and/or outdoor) party room
Price: $200 for PVAS members, $250 for non-members
Age: Birthday parties are offered for children ages four years and up.
Scheduling: Parties must be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance. We advise you to give us as much prior notice as possible. Space is limited and reservations are made on a first come first serve basis.
Times: Saturdays and Sundays: Anytime between 10 am and 5 pm; Weekdays: 6 pm – 8 pm.
Group Size: Maximum group size is 20 children, including siblings. Due to facility limitations, the on-site party attendance maximum capacity is 40, including adults. We encourage car-pooling to the preserve, as parking is limited.
Payment: Payment in full is expected at time of reservation. Credit cards are accepted.
Cancellation & Refund Information: If you must reschedule your party, we will do our best to find an alternative date. However, if rescheduling is not possible, the cancellation policy will apply (below)
| Cancellation Timeline | Refund Amount |
| More than 1 week notice | 100% refund |
| 3-6 days notice | 50% refund |
| Less than 2 days notice | NO REFUND |
Party Preparations
- Party hosts can arrive 1 hour prior to party start time to set up.
- Birthday party decorations are not provided by Potomac Valley Audubon Society. It is the expectation that those who reserve the site will decorate and bring supplies
- Balloons: We do not allow helium balloons at birthday parties because of their potential damage to the environment.
- Bring own food and tablecloths for the party.
- We have a kitchen facility available for use during the party.
- Trash and Recycling: Please dispose of any trash or recyclables in the bins provided. We have single stream recycling, which means all of your plastic, glass, aluminum or paper goods can go into our recycle bin – no need to sort them. Recyclables that have food on/in them cannot be recycled unless rinsed/washed first.
- In order to reduce waste, we ask that you use our reusable birthday party plates, cups, and utensils that will be provided for you.
- We ask that the hosting parents stay at the center during the birthday party.
- Please ask adults to accompany and supervise all children visiting other parts of the nature center.
- We ask that you leave the room as you found it upon arrival and put plates, cups and utensils in dishwasher
Schedule a Party!
E-mail Amy Thomas, amy@potomacaudubon.org to schedule your party!