"We're bursting at the seams," Nature Discovery Center Executive Director Meredith Wheeler told the Houston Chronicle in September. "We've hit capacity for many of our programs. We have waiting lists, but we don't have any space to build that program into a larger capacity. This classroom in Enchanted Woods is going to be that for us."
The $2.5 million Enchanted Woods project at Russ Pitman Park is a capacity project first. Coverage has mostly been about the new nature play space at the northwest corner of Evergreen Street and Newcastle Drive. It does replace a playground that, according to Community Impact, hasn't been upgraded in more than a decade. But the whole design is built around an air-conditioned Cottage Classroom. That room is where the Nature Discovery Center plans to fit the programs it currently has to turn people away from. Those programs keep running on the fall calendar while the work gets underway.
What comes out, and what goes in
Enchanted Woods replaces the existing nature play area in Russ Pitman Park rather than adding a new one somewhere else in the park. The Nature Discovery Center worked with TBG Partners and StudioRed Architects on the design, and Forney Construction is the builder.
The finished space has three play zones, as described in the Chronicle's report and the center's own Enchanted Woods page:
- Imagination Meadow, for pretend play, with an elf hut and dig bins
- Discovery Creek, for water play, with a water pump and a canoe
- Nature Workshop, designed around building with natural materials
The Chronicle also reported that the space trades slides and swings for tree trunk steppers and a fort-building kit. The three zones surround the Cottage Classroom and an elevated Observation Deck that leads straight into the classroom entrance.
The classroom is the part that changes capacity
According to the center's project page, the Cottage Classroom has seating for 24 at tables, 18 feet of counter space, a sink, a wall-mounted TV for presentations and its own restroom. The page lists its uses as nature programs, camps, school groups and community learning.
In the Chronicle interview, Wheeler called the classroom a "keystone feature" that should expand capacity for field trips and summer camps. She also said several parts of the project are meant for adults, not children. The two towers connected to the classroom are planned as a place where adult birders can go. The classroom will be ADA accessible, and the center is in talks about field trips for senior citizens.
So a project that gets described as a playground also adds the center's first dedicated space for adult birding and senior programs. The groups who use the park on weekday mornings while preschoolers are still at home stand to gain as much as the families who come for the dig bins.
Mayor Gus Pappas made the larger civic case at the Oct. 7 groundbreaking. As Community Impact reported, he called the Nature Discovery Center one of Bellaire's most significant draws for newcomers.
The fall calendar the classroom is built to grow
If the classroom exists to take pressure off full programs, the current schedule shows what that pressure looks like. As of the week this post goes up, here is what's still ahead on the Nature Discovery Center's Fall 2026 program guide and events calendar:
| Program | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Birding After Breakfast | Wednesdays, 8:30 to 10 a.m., through Dec. 2 | Free |
| Nature Story Time | Wednesdays at 4 p.m., including Oct. 28 | Free |
| Park After Dark Night Hike | Friday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m. | See NDC calendar |
| Tree Identification Walks | First Saturdays at 10 a.m.: Nov. 7 and Dec. 5 | Free |
| Meet the Animals | Saturday, Nov. 14 | $5 members, $10 nonmembers |
| Pollywogs, ages 0 to 2 with an adult | 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 16 and Nov. 19 | $8 members, $12 nonmembers per class |
Birding After Breakfast fits the adult side of the project most directly. The guide calls it a weekly stroll to see the park's resident and migrant birds this fall. Walkers can bring a picnic breakfast to eat at the pavilions first, meet on the front porch or out in the park, and expect the walk to last 1 to 1.5 hours. Those are the people the classroom's birding towers are designed for.
The Tree Identification Walks are led by Master Naturalist Jim McKee. The guide says he covers how to identify the many tree species in Russ Pitman Park, along with historical facts about the park's trees.
Indoors, the center's Discovery Room is open Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, though donations are appreciated. Groups of six or more children should call ahead for an appointment. Russ Pitman Park is a City of Bellaire park, and city ordinance prohibits dogs, alcohol and smoking there.
The evening event on the calendar is the 31st Annual Twilight Gala on Friday, Nov. 20, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Junior League of Houston. This year's theme is "Where Wonder Takes Wing." The guide says guests will get an update on the Enchanted Woods project.
What is still open-ended about the build
The construction start date is still open. After the ceremony, development director Darenda Dorsey told Community Impact that no exact construction start date had been set. The plan is to bring the building equipment on site Monday, Oct. 26, with completion expected sometime in 2027.
That leaves daily access as the practical question for families. The Fall 2026 guide still lists park and nature play hours as daily, 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. With equipment arriving and the play area itself being the work site, check the Nature Discovery Center's site before planning a morning around the old play space.
Funding is close to complete. Campaign committee chair Meghan Lutschg said at the groundbreaking that the capital campaign had reached 88% of its $2.5 million goal as of Oct. 7. The project page lists giving levels named after trees, from Bald Cypress at $1,000 to Red Oak at $100,000 and up. The page also lists naming opportunities for play zones, features, medallions, planks and pavers.
A few blocks away, Evelyn's Park has the other half of the week
While the play space in Russ Pitman Park is under construction, Evelyn's Park is Bellaire's other nature-style playground for kids. The Evelyn's Park Conservancy describes it as a natural playground built with reclaimed tree stumps and a ten-foot slide, set within the park's five acres.
The Evelyn's Park events calendar also lines up with the dates above. On Thursday, Oct. 22, Art in the Park runs alongside live music at Betsy's, with Dave Wheeler playing from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The next evening, the Park After Dark Night Hike starts at 8 p.m. at Russ Pitman Park. The following Saturday, Oct. 31, the Bellaire Open Air Halloween Market takes over Evelyn's Park from noon to 4 p.m.
That puts events at both parks on the calendar between Oct. 22 and Oct. 31, and the Wednesday 8:30 a.m. bird walk in Russ Pitman Park keeps meeting every week until Dec. 2.
Enchanted Woods is expected to open sometime in 2027, and the Twilight Gala on Nov. 20 is the next scheduled update on the project. If you'd like to talk through how Russ Pitman Park and the parks around it fit into daily life on a particular Bellaire street, Travis Harris is glad to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.
