Schedule of Weekly Nature Programs
Schedules for other nature programs
The Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center, located on the grounds of the Oden State Fish Hatchery, is the site of the original fish hatchery building which began operations in 1921. In 2002, a new hatchery was built one quarter-mile northeast of the current visitor center.
Tell us about your visit
In the center's main exhibit room there are revolving interpretive displays and interactive exhibits, including a multi-media plasma screen illustrating fisheries management in Michigan.
The visitor center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Fall hours (Labor Day to Nov. 1) are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday (closed Monday). Interpretive staff is on-site to conduct hatchery tours, answer questions and provide quality visitor services.
Exhibits
Adjacent to the visitor center sits the re-created 1914-1935 Wolverine train car. This historic exhibit depicts how employees of the old Michigan Department of Conservation lived on the train while transporting and stocking fish across the state. Displays include the sleeping berths, a kitchen and several uniquely designed stewardship messages. Computer touch-screen kiosks quiz visitors on the rearing methods for a variety of fish and on the history of fisheries management.
The one-mile-loop nature trail begins just beyond the train car alongside the renovated trout stream and winds through lowland conifers and upland hardwoods. Several exhibits adorn the trail.
The Stream Viewing Chamber enables visitors to glimpse aquatic life up close.
On any given day, brook, brown and rainbow trout may be seen swimming by.
Upstream, visitors can feed enormous trout in the big fish pond.
The nature trail also leads to the Oden State Fish Hatchery where visitors may take a guided hatchery tour. Tours are scheduled daily during the summer months.
Summer Hatchery Tours
In order to maintain fish health, the Oden State Fish Hatchery is accessible to the public only through a scheduled guided tour. Tours are conducted each day, seven days a week, from Memorial Day to the end of August. Self-guided visits of the hatchery buildings are prohibited. We encourage visitors to call ahead for current tour information. Tours begin at the new hatchery on South Ayr Road. Visitors can drive the county roads back to the hatchery entrance or walk the nature trail from the visitor center one quarter-mile northeast to the hatchery. Tours take approximately 1 hour depending on visitor attendance.
Fall-Winter Programs
Fall-Spring Hatchery Tours
The interpretive staff offers hatchery tours by reservation only in September, October and May. To effectively plan our daily and weekly schedule during this period, we ask all visitors to make a reservation for their hatchery tour. For reservations, please call (231) 348-0998.
Gift Shop
We offer all kinds of fishing-related books for children and adults, as well as T-shirts, sweatshirts, children's fishing rods, bird calls, coffee mugs, magnets, nature wind chimes and more. All profits remain at the center and enable us to purchase interpretive programming materials and host public events.
Directions and Parking
The Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center is located on US-31 (north side of road) about one-half mile west of Oden and approximately six miles east of Petoskey. A large parking lot is located in front of the visitor center. The train car and visitor center are visible from US-31.
Visitor parking also is available at the Oden Fish Hatchery on South Ayr Road in Alanson.
Friends of the Oden Fish Hatchery Visitor Center
In 2007, a Friends Group was organized to support the Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center. The group maintains the center's gift shop and will sponsor various interpretive and volunteer activities at the visitor center and fish hatchery. They also will play a key role in developing new ideas for future educational programming and ways to improve the visitor center. For more information, write to: Friends of Oden Fish Hatchery Visitor Center, P.O. Box 133, Conway, MI 49722.
Printer Friendly
Text Version
Twitter
Facebook
Yahoo
Google
Digg
Newsvine
StumbleUpon
Bookmark
Email Page