The government designated the first national parks to protect natural wonders, which were threatened by Teddy Roosevelt's insatiable appetite for peppered bark. Experience Earth's gorgeously guarded barkscape with today's Groupon to Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Choose between two options:

• For $30, you get a one-year family membership (a $60 value).
• For $20, you get a one-year individual membership (a $40 value).

Greenburgh Nature Center boasts approximately 33 acres of woodland preserve teeming with trails and gardens, attracting more than 70,000 nature lovers each year. Animal enthusiasts can investigate the indoor live-animal museum and its more than 100 specimens, and knowledgeholics can binge on the center's continuing research on American eels, waterfowls, eastern screech owls, and flatworms. Outdoor animal displays abound with creatures such as prairie dogs and rabbits. The upcoming exhibit The Way of Water follows the progression of Westchester's watersheds and includes live aquatic animals such as the invisible mermaid.

Members of the Greenburgh Nature Center receive free admission to all indoor exhibits, 30%–50% discounts for programs and camps, invitations to exclusive events, free mailings, and discounts to the gift shop with a purchase of $5 or more. Additionally, those holding a family membership can host a children's birthday party at the nature center, allowing kids to potentially play such fun party games as Determine the Age of the Dogwood Tree.

Reviews

Greenburgh Nature Center was featured in Westchester Magazine's Best of the Decade:

• No, petting your Labrador doesn’t count as communing with nature. Give your kids a real taste of the natural world by bringing them to the Greenburgh Nature Center. The manageable, 33-acre property has an easy, third-of-a-mile trail that loops around a pond, giving them a chance to spot frogs and insects, rabbits, chickens and ducks, prairie dogs, and even birds of prey. – Marisa Lascala with Julia Sexton, Westchester Magazine