Groups of young children and adults in suits stood together Thursday at the Three Lakes Park pavilion, craning their necks to point out features on the newly renovated park building and updated shoreline just behind a shiny red ribbon.
Board of Supervisors Vice Chair and Fairfield District Supervisor Roscoe D. Cooper, county leadership and representatives from its Division of Recreation and Parks invited the community to celebrate the long-awaited reopening of the Three Lakes Park Nature Center.
Following the ceremony, a community event with a bounce house, music and food continued into the afternoon. Attendees were able to speak with environmental group partners, including the Box Turtle Sanctuary of Central Virginia, Keep Henrico Beautiful, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Pelikan Print Co., Henrico’s Environmental Action Resource Team, Virginia Herpetological Society and Fresh Water Turtles of Virginia.
The facility updates were designed with accessibility, education and environmentalism as the highest priorities. This $4.6 million project is Three Lakes Park’s first major upgrade since the 1990s, funded through general obligation bonds. The center closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and has used those five years to intentionally plan for the future use of visitors and the needs of its critter residents.
Visitors will be able to use ADA-compliant parking lots, improved walkways, and added benches and outdoor lighting. As guests approach the center, they’ll find an outdoor education space with a large deck overlooking the lake and an interactive playground showing the life cycle of a frog.
Inside the center, every exhibit has signs in both English and Spanish, and free sensory bags are available upon request.
“I want to thank the Henrico voters who approved the 2016 bond referendum to update and expand some of the educational opportunities here,” said Cooper. “It’s safe to say that was achieved with this beautiful outdoor classroom, along with the main atrium, which features a dozen Virginia native wildlife exhibits.”
While the center does not have furry or exotic animals under its care, the staff is eager to share the important roles that Virginia-native reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects play in ecosystems throughout the county. Jim Weinpress, the manager of zoology for Meadow Farm and Three Lakes parks, hopes the center will teach people how to respect their creeping or slithering neighbors.
“You don’t have to travel to see cool ecosystems, you have them in your own backyard!” said Weinpress. “We want to encourage people to learn about the animals right here and how to be good environmental stewards.”
Twenty-five species are currently on display at the nature center, including Eastern box turtles, black widow spiders, translucent grass shrimp, green tree frogs and millipedes. The superstar of the center is Ursula, an American eel in the main indoor aquarium.
All terrariums and enclosures have been designed to be fully live exhibits; the “bioactive” spaces contain real plants, small insects, invertebrates and good bacteria for the animals. Division of Recreation and Parks Director John Zannino applauded the extensive experience the animal care staff brings to the center.
“While the center has been closed, they’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that the animals here have been taken care of and even thrive with enrichment activities,” said Zannino.
By spring 2026, an outdoor aquarium with an underwater view from inside the center will be completed. This habitat is built with natural cycling to be safe for fish and any other nearby wildlife who might decide to visit the water.
A juvenile rat snake, a common snapping turtle and 14 more species are also set to call Three Lakes Park their home within the next year.
The nature center aims to equally highlight the past, present and future of regional ecology. Current exhibits feature prehistoric fossils of extinct animals from the region alongside live exhibits of native species. The center is already looking forward to Phase II, with plans to focus on the future portion of its mission: conservation.
Three Lakes Park plans to develop an ambassador program with animals that are very comfortable being handled by care staff to help teach people about the ecosystem. An observation beehive is also planned to be installed, where a fully functioning hive will be constructed behind a window so that visitors can safely see its inner workings.
“A Window into Animal Care” is another project under Phase II that will install portholes into the staff areas of the building to show visitors how the animals are cared for behind the scenes, as well as the larger tanks that animals live in when they’re not in a lobby display.
After a lot of excitement, the Three Lakes Park staff is thrilled to highlight the county’s ecosystem.
“We’re not asking people to fall in love with these animals or encourage people to cuddle them, but we do hope that we can show the important role they play and to give them distance. They’re more afraid of you!” said Weinpress.
In addition to today’s ribbon cutting and community celebration, Three Lakes Park will host a concert with 5starr at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 and a movie night featuring a presentation of prehistoric fossils before a screening of “Ice Age” on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
