Audubon Naturalist Society

Very nice wedding venue. They set up croquet outside on the grass, and hosted not only a normal ceremony, but also an Indian one as well. As for the inside, the bathroom situation can get tricky as many people had to wait in line. The dance floor is a bit tight, but works. They set up the outside tent beautifully, although it’s shaped like a «T» rather than a full rectangle because the back of the building sticks out.
Great venue for a wedding with a positive experience.

We loved Woodend Sanctuary so much that we chose it as the venue for our wedding reception! The beautiful historic mansion and lush grounds provided the setting (and we couldn’t have asked for better fall weather). If you’re thinking of hosting an event at Woodend, leave it to Rebecca and Kathy to help you get everything set up the way you want it!

this quaint little hut sat on the slope of a hill at the edge of rock creek park near the borders of the burbs is easily passed by, but worth stopping into…
with just a small sign to advertise it’s presence off of jones mill road, not even many of the commuters crawling home on wheels to their pesticide-​manicured lawns, and their manicured faces, and their manicured dinners, and their manicured manners, and their malldressed kids will stop in her for a respite… which is, really, all the better for the likes of me… if you do make that small turn off the road, a long, curving driveway-​like spur will take you past breaches of longgrass meadows, pockets of junipers and hollies, benches behind treeshadows, and up to gravel parking lots and an old manored home… along the way you’ll likely see a grouping of deer looking up from grazing, birds taking off with seed from a feeder, or a fox sprinting towards the whispering creek…
the house itself is fairly large and borrows well from several stately trees around it, but the only part accessible generally is the side-​shop. inside the shop you’ll find a bevy of naturalist items for woodswanderers, with a focus on birds: binoculars, lenses, some camera parts, birdguides, bird posters, birdfeeders, birdhouses, bird postcards, bird pictures, birdseed, or pretty much anything else bird-​like, or animal-​like also, you might need recreationally… seeing as i put together birdwalks and outings in the area sometimes, this can be a helpful place to stop into… if you happen to bring kids along, there’s a happy supply of games, bookmarks, educational materials, a few puppety things and windchimes, and some other brightly colored materials to entertain… the staff are also always particularly helpful (i think they may even be volunteers), and will point you in the right direction, or make recommendations… for example: the last time i went in the rest of the building (usually off-​limits) had been used for a photography exhibition, and even though the hours were past, they unlocked the doors and let me wander around… inside are larger rooms with wooden floors, occasionally used for receptions or as galleries for the like-​themed arts, and spacious windows for reflecting across the green grounds… on the way out, pick up a free brochure or ask at the counter about events: though not often held here, they do local outings into natural areas, many of the options free of charge… before you leave, though, take a stroll through the multitude of large old pines and deciduous trees and open spaces… you’ll find placard names for identification, bird feeders hung around and often populated, some wildflowers in season popping out of the gone lawns, shadows falling across evening golden light for a good shot, or a few little fountains or benches to occupy alone, as there is almost never anyone else there but you… all in all, a relaxed, peaceful, humble old track just far away enough from the traffic and ever-​imposing neighborhoods to make it worth a little trek…