** Saturdays 9/26 Preserve @ Play family event HAS BEEN RESHEDULED TO Saturday, October 10 from 10 am - 2 pm. **
Hey kids, are you ready for a fun-filled day out to play? Well, make sure your moms, dads, grandparents and playmates have Oct. 10 saved for the fifth annual Preserve @ Play at Bowman’s Hill Wildlife Preserve. This year's theme is “Nutty for Seeds, Nuts and Berries!” which celebrates the wonders of nature’s tiny natural food sources.
“Preserve @ Play is a day for families, for children, grandparents, parents, classmates and friends to come explore nature at the Preserve,” explained Ariel Wapnick, the Preserve’s marketing and membership coordinator. “We’re going to be exploring and demonstrating the power of that tiny seed, a nut or a berry for our native ecosystems and how the food web creates and sustains plants, insects, birds and wildlife.”
Preserve @ Play takes place rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes activities, crafts, music and demonstrations throughout the day, designed primarily for children 12 and under. For the first time, Preserve @ Play will offer two food trucks on site offering savory and sweet options for purchase, Wapnick added.
In its fifth year, the event was inspired by our youngest changemakers to create a program for more children and families to come to the Preserve and to encourage more discovery opportunities to enjoy, Wapnick said. This is the first time the event is scheduled for September. It was previously held in June.
“It started out as just a small family day and it's really grown into this full day of fun and activities that families can now look forward to,” she said.
Once again, the ever-popular Lolly Hopwood, a Bucks County-based performer of live children’s music and interactive fun, will entertain the kids and their families at approximately 10:30 am on the Stonebridge stage.
“Lolly Hopwood has been performing at Preserve @ Play with us for many years. She’s great! She does bubbles and a dance party with the kids. She brings out a big parachute with them as well,” Wapnick said.
Before Lolly goes on, we have our Woodland Dance Party hosted by Preserve volunteer and visitor services coordinator Brianne Scott, Wapnick added.
“It's a fun little party in the woods with all the little ones!”
By early afternoon, the kids and their families get to watch a wildlife demonstration by Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, of Chalfont. Aark Wildlife is a nonprofit that rehabilitates and releases orphaned and injured native wildlife to promote harmony between humans and their wild neighbors through quality environmental education.
“We do a wildlife demonstration with Aark Wildlife at about 1 p.m.,” Wapnick said. “We are so happy to welcome Aark Wildlife back to Preserve @ Play. Children and families get the opportunity to see birds, reptiles and mammals up close. It’s a fun and educational way to end the day with our native wildlife.”
Throughout the day, there are ongoing ‘Nature Play’ activities and crafts at different parts of the Preserve along the walking trails and exhibits. Some of the favorites include the New Pond, Sycamore Hollows and Storybook Trail.
“Guests can look forward to face painting, microscope stations and crafts throughout our trails. No matter where you decide to walk with your family, there is something to discover and enjoy,” she said.
If kids (or parents) need a little break or quiet time they can relax in the Preserve’s visitor center. “Our visitor center is going to be a quiet area for activities or just a chance to cool off. It’s a nice chill area,” Wapnick noted. The Twinleaf Book & Gift Shop will also be open for family-friendly books, T-shirts and nature-inspired goodies to browse or purchase, she said.
“It's really a day where you can make it your own. And no matter how much time you have, if you can only be there for an hour, you can still make the most of it, because there's so many activities throughout the Preserve. You can build your day with whatever works for you and your family.”
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, which has more than 900 members, recently earned recognition in the “USA TODAY 10BEST” Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the 10 best nurseries in the United States in 2026. The 134-acre Preserve, located at 1635 River Rd. in New Hope, is the nation’s only accredited museum dedicated exclusively to native plants of the Delaware Valley region.
Preserve @ Play is just one of many activities and events offered to children and families at the Preserve throughout the year.
“It's really grown over the years, averaging about 500 attendees and staffed by Bowman’s Hill Wildlife Preserve staff and dedicated volunteers. We really do love offering this activity and this program for our community and we look forward to continuing to grow,” Wapnick said.
Preserve@ Play has generous sponsors, including Capital Health, that makes this family-friendly nature experience possible, she added.
Registration is $20 for a non-member ticket, which allows admission for up to six guests. It is not necessary to purchase a ticket for each person. Tickets are free for Preserve members and ACCESS Card holders. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Limited tickets will be available on the day of the event at the entry gate. Purchase tickets at bhwp.org.
“We're also offering discounted membership sales right now. It's our summer savings event happening right now. People can expect 20 percent off a family membership. Members receive free admission to the Preserve for a full year. It also gets you free tickets to Preserve @ Play,” Wapnick added.
For membership information or to learn more about Preserve @ Play, visit bhwp.org or call 215-862-2924.
Sponsored content produced in partnership with Bowman’s Preserve.
