Mondays April 6- Oct. 26 8:30am-10:30am & Thursdays April 9 - Oct. 29 8:30am-10:30am Ages 18+. Do you enjoy gardening, but don’t have the space or a deer-proof fence? Join like-minded green thumbs (and beginner brown thumbs) to grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers and tend to our shared garden plots. We’ll provide the
Wed., April 15 to May 20 10:30am-11:30am Ages 2 to 5, with an Adult. Discovering nature is a lifelong journey. In this class, you and your little one will explore the natural world through hands-on activities, nature play, stories and crafts. Non-mobile siblings only, parent/guardian must be an active participant. This program will be held
Wednesdays, March 18 to May 20 - 9:30 am - 10:30 am Ages 55+. Walking in nature provides benefits to both the mind and body. Enjoy a relaxing stroll with one of our Naturalist along some of Cromwell Valley’s less strenuous trails. FREE! Dates: 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sun, April 12 1pm-2:30pm Ages 5+. Grab your work gloves and join us as we pull this invasive weed. Then follow us back to the kitchen to learn how to turn this pest into a delicious garlic mustard pesto! $6/person. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sat, April 11 10-11am Ages 2 to 6, with an Adult. Meet one of our critters at the Cromwell Valley Park and make a critter craft to take home with you. $3/child. REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR CHILD ONLY
All Ages. Pick up a self-guided activity booklet at the nature center and then hop outside to find your clues which will lead you on a short hike. When you get to the end, come back to retrieve an egg-cellent prize! FREE! REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Ages 8+. Join a Naturalist for a frog-filled spring night hike. Wear shoes and/or boots that can get wet. $6/person. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Ages 18+. The Indigenous people of Maryland made fish weirs, spears, fishing line and hooks. Learn how to twist hand line and make gorge hooks from Hawthorne thorns. $6/person. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sat, March 28 1 pm - 3 pm Ages 6+. Many plants have evolved toxic chemicals or other defenses to protect themselves from predation. Learn the safe way to harvest one of these plants – stinging nettle – and then bring it back to the nature center to try on top of pizza. (Don’t worry
Ages 13+, with an Adult. Join us for a morning in the garden. We provide direction, gloves, tools, and water. You bring a hat, sunscreen and a little energy. Drop-in program. FREE!
Sun, March 22 - 1 pm - 2:30 pm Ages 16+. Some early blooms have been used for medicines, some for tonics, and even some for brewing ale. Join a Ranger to seek out the microclimates and adaptations which allow these plants to flower so early. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. $6/person.
Sat, March 21 - 11 am - 12 pm All Ages. Greet our resident egg layers and meet our new baby chicks! Learn what it’s like to grow up in an egg and how long it takes to hatch. Then help throw some lunch to our feathered bunch. FREE! REGISTRATION REQUIRED. For questions or assistance
Wednesdays, March 18 to May 20 - 9:30 am - 10:30 am Ages 55+. Walking in nature provides benefits to both the mind and body. Enjoy a relaxing stroll with one of our Naturalist along some of Cromwell Valley’s less strenuous trails. FREE! Dates: 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sun, March 15 - 11 am - 12:00 pm All Ages. Learn about nature’s good luck charms from cultures all around the world! Go on a hunt for shamrocks and paint a lucky horseshoe to take home. $3/person. REGISTRATION REQUIRED For questions or assistance in registering for an event, select the help button on the
Sat, March 14, 10 am - 12 pm Ages 18+. Want to become a citizen scientist? Interested in helping out our Eastern Bluebird population at the park? Learn how to identify common species of cavity nesting birds, how to safely observe and monitor adults and their young, and how to accurately report your observations. This
Sun, March 8, 1 pm - 2:30 pm - Ages 4+. How do bears sleep, chipmunks rest, and woodchucks snooze their way through 3 months without eating and still survive? Join a Ranger as we seek out wildlife, and their dens and burrows, on a short hike. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. $3/person.
March 7th - 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Ages 10+. For thousands of years, nature has provided resins and fibers that are flammable. Hike with a Naturalist to find these materials and learn how to use them. $3/person. REGISTRATION REQUIRED For questions or assistance in registering for an event, select the help button on the
March 6th, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm. Ages 8+. Indigenous people took note of when worm castings appeared each year as the ground thawed. Join a Naturalist to look for these interesting piles of worm poop and discover other early signs of spring. $6/person. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sunday, March 1st - 1:00 - 2:30 pm All Ages Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers have some amazing adaptations to allow them to survive Maryland’s late winter and early spring. Help unscramble the mystery behind their different egg masses in the park ponds and learn about these cool amphibians while seeing who is thawing out.
October 11, 2025 Nature Walks, Live Music, Crafts, Art and More! See Event Link: https://cromwellvalleypark.org/fallharvestfestival/
Looking to volunteer in the community? Join us for a two-hour shift in helping rid the park of invasive species and vines, and general cleanup of the park. For a full description, visit us as https://cromwellvalleypark.org/volunteer/weedwarriors/. SPRING & SUMMER DATES: May 10, 24 2-4 pm June 7, 21 Note change to 10am to noon
Looking to volunteer in the community? Join us for a two-hour shift in helping rid the park of invasive species and vines, and general cleanup of the park. For a full description, visit us as https://cromwellvalleypark.org/volunteer/weedwarriors/. SPRING & SUMMER DATES: May 10, 24 2-4 pm June 7, 21 Note change to 10am to noon
Looking to volunteer in the community? Join us for a two-hour shift in helping rid the park of invasive species and vines, and general cleanup of the park. For a full description, visit us as https://cromwellvalleypark.org/volunteer/weedwarriors/. SPRING DATES: May 10, 24 2-4 pm June 7, 21 Note change to 10am to noon July 5,
Cromwell Valley Park Office
(Sherwood House)
2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd
Parkville, MD 21234
GPS: 39.415, -76.552
Phone: 410-887-2503
TDD: 410-887-5319
Willow Grove Nature Education Center
2175 Cromwell Bridge Rd
Parkville, MD 21234
GPS: 39.417, -76.548
Please remember that the Park itself is open only during daylight hours, sunrise to sunset.
In case of inclement weather, the Nature Center and activities follow Baltimore County Pubic Schools. Check the BCPS Website for the latest information on closing. If closing early, all evening activities at the Park are cancelled.
On Saturdays and Sundays when the office is closed, you may call the Nature Education Center.
Note: The addresses (2002 and 2175) are really for Post Office use. If used on a GPS, they may take you to a strange place in the park, or leave you on the main road. Use the GPS coordinates instead.
The Cromwell Valley Park Council (CVPC) is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the stewardship of Cromwell Valley Park as a public space for passive recreation and School Programs. The CVPC works in cooperation with the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks and other entities to maintain, preserve and protect the natural environment and historic structures in the Park.
The Cromwell Valley Park Council is not an official site for Baltimore County Government.