A library where you can check out a pair of binoculars, scramble over indoor boulders and then head outside to a mud pit? That's the idea behind the Anythink Nature Library, which opened this month in Thornton, Colorado, about 20 miles north of Denver, and is being billed as the nation's first public nature library.
The 15-acre site sits next to the Aylor Open Lands and is part of the Adams County public library system, but it doesn't look much like a typical branch. Inside, there's a living plant wall, boulders meant for climbing, and sensory rooms — including a darkened space designed to feel like a night of stargazing, with twinkling lights overhead and a faint woodsmoke scent in the air. Books are, of course, still on the shelves.
Outside, the grounds come with a hiking loop, gardens, a water-flow station and that mud pit for kids. The whole setup is designed around one idea: helping visitors feel part of nature rather than separate from it.
The most useful feature for outdoorsy types is the "TryIts" collection — hundreds of experiential kits and bits of equipment you can take home free for up to 21 days with a library card. The lending stock includes bird-watching kits, wildlife cameras, hiking gear, microscopes, weather exploration tools, gardening equipment, nature art kits and conservation resources.
One catch for travellers: borrowing requires a library card, and only Colorado residents can get one at this location. Out-of-state visitors can't check out gear, but they're welcome to browse, read and hang out. And everything else is free for everyone — the walking path, the indoor spaces, the mud pit and the onsite programming.
If you're road-tripping through the Denver metro area with kids in tow, it's a genuinely fun free stop, especially paired with a walk through the adjacent open space. And if you're a Colorado local, it's arguably the best free gear library in the state — a way to try birding or trail hiking before spending money on equipment. Details are at AnythinkLibraries.org.
