Best Nature & Outdoors in the USA
17 nature & outdoors • Updated August 2026
The best nature & outdoors in the USA for a family day out. We have rounded up 17 nature & outdoors, from Garden of the Gods Recreation Area to family favorites across Florida, ranked by what actually matters with kids: age suitability, ticket value and how easy they are to get to. Compare the top five below, then browse every nature & outdoor by state. Need a different angle? Try our other things to do in the USA.
Editorial oversight by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards
Nature & Outdoors in the USA: what to expect
the USA has 17 nature & outdoors we would happily take our own kids to. Alley Pond Park Adventure Course (seasonal) is the one most families start with. A seasonal outdoor adventure course tucked into one of Queens' largest green spaces, built for active families. Blackberry Farm is the other name that comes up again and again. Step back to the 1800s at this Aurora park-district farm, where themed events run from Laura Ingalls Wilder days to fairytale weddings. Blowing Rocks Preserve rounds out the pick of the bunch. Watch waves blast saltwater plumes 50 feet skyward over Florida's largest Atlantic limestone shoreline. Also worth your time: Cocoa Village, Palm Bay, Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park and Ocala National Forest.
Published prices run from $20 at Ginnie Springs up to $30.75 at Natural Bridge Caverns. 5 of the 17 listed here quote a starting price. The others vary by season or by what you add on, so check before you travel. Age guidance is worth reading first at Inner Space Cavern (ages 4-12).
The nature & outdoors on this page are spread across Florida (8), Texas (4), Illinois (3) and New York (2), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.
All nature & outdoors
17 nature & outdoors across the USA
Nature Outdoor
Alley Pond Park Adventure Course (seasonal)
Queens, New York
A seasonal outdoor adventure course tucked into one of Queens' largest green spaces, built for active families.
Nature Outdoor
Cocoa Village
Cocoa, Florida
A walkable riverside historic district packed with quirky shops, varied eateries, and a year-round calendar of festivals and live music.
Nature Outdoor
Palm Bay
Palm Bay, Florida
The City of Palm Bay's official hub for parks, programs, and civic services in Brevard County.
Nature Outdoor
Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park
San Marcos, Texas
Descend into the only earthquake-formed show cave open to the public in the US.
Nature Outdoor
Ocala National Forest
Ocala, Florida
Home to the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub forest, dotted with springs and lakes.
Nature Outdoor
Lake County Springs
Lake County, Florida
Explore Central Florida's clear-water springs and the parks and trails around them.
Nature Outdoor
Natural Bridge Caverns
San Antonio, Texas
Tour dramatic underground chambers, then take on zip rails and a maze above ground.
Nature Outdoor
Richardson Adventure Farm
Spring Grove, Illinois
A 28-acre corn maze, a million tulips, sunflowers, and cut-your-own Christmas trees, season by season.
Nature Outdoor
Devil's Den Prehistoric Spring
Williston, Florida
A 72-degree underground spring inside a 120-foot cave, prized for snorkeling and scuba diving among Pleistocene-era fossils.
Nature Outdoor
Inner Space Cavern
Georgetown, Texas
Discovered by accident during highway drilling, this 10,000-year-old Texas cavern offers everything from a paved guided stroll to a crawl-and-climb wild cave trek.
Nature Outdoor
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Manhattan, New York
Glide past the Statue of Liberty and 150 NYC landmarks with live narration from a real New Yorker.
Nature Outdoor
Blackberry Farm
Aurora, Illinois
Step back to the 1800s at this Aurora park-district farm, where themed events run from Laura Ingalls Wilder days to fairytale weddings.
Nature Outdoor
Blowing Rocks Preserve
Hobe Sound, Florida
Watch waves blast saltwater plumes 50 feet skyward over Florida's largest Atlantic limestone shoreline.
Nature Outdoor
Okeechobee
Okeechobee, Florida
The official information hub for Okeechobee County, Florida, rather than a visitor attraction.
Nature Outdoor
Garden of the Gods Recreation Area
Herod, Illinois
Hike past towering sandstone formations to the Observation Trail's sweeping Shawnee Forest views.
Nature Outdoor
Ginnie Springs
High Springs, Florida
Float, dive, and paddle seven crystal-clear springs that stay 72 degrees all year.
Nature Outdoor
San Antonio River Walk
San Antonio, Texas
Stroll a riverside maze of walkways, restaurants, and bridges a level below the Texas streets.