This family-friendly event offers a variety of activities for all ages, including live music, food vendors, and local artisans. Visitors can hike and explore the trails in search of Lady’s Slippers, and learn about the unique characteristics of this stunning wildflower. For those who prefer a more leisurely experience, relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere. This event is perfect for anyone interested in nature, conservation, or just looking for a fun day out with the family.

Since 2001, the Huron County Nature Center’s annual ‘Lady’s Slipper Festival’ has been held during Memorial Day weekend. This one-day event is the center’s official spring opener, the start of our slate of summer programs and, most importantly, timed to coincide with the bloom of the Pink Lady’s Slipper orchid in the park. While not threatened in Michigan, this orchid and mascot of the festival is protected and treasured in the nature center, where it finds the right soils and fungi that it needs to grow. Though there are many signs of spring in Michigan, this particular flower’s reemergence each year is welcomed and celebrated at the nature center.

The Visitor’s Center, located at 3336 Loosemore Road, east of Oak Beach Road, in the tip of
Michigan’s Thumb, will be open the day of the festival. See our interactive vernal pool display, learn about native birds and the migratory habits of tadpoles, take a look at the wildlife area with bird feeders and our new waterfall feature. Finally, don’t forget to walk the trails and look for the flower that adorns the Nature Center’s logo, the Pink Lady’s Slipper orchid.
The Huron County Nature Center is an all-volunteer run 501c3 nonprofit, with a mission to
protect our 280 acres of lovely Michigan forest while making it available for the enjoyment of the public. The land, protected now for over 80 years, is a rare forested dune and wet swale complex, hosting abundant vernal pools, migratory birds, and a wide array of wildlife and plants. Two trail systems with a combined length of almost six miles allow visitors to experience the wilderness all year long, in every season.