Discover Tenafly

Tenafly combines nature watching with local history and cultural themes. The Tenafly Nature Center focuses on nesting birds and self-guided explorations; Lost Brook Preserve, the historic Railroad Station, and the African Art Museum of the SMA Fathers add further points of interest. The themes range from a clearly defined landscape and wildlife to diverse cultural connections: natural history, historic architecture, and African art.

Nature and Landscape

The Tenafly Nature Center is a 52-acre facility bordering the 330-acre Lost Brook Preserve. The comparison in size highlights their different scales: the preserve is considerably larger than the Nature Center. The Center is home to more than 50 species of nesting birds. Lost Brook Preserve was acquired in 1975 as part of the Green Acres program. This brings together two points of interest within the nature theme: the birdlife of the Nature Center and the preserve’s acquisition history.

Exploring Trails as a Family

For exploring the trails, the Tenafly Nature Center offers Nature Explorer Backpacks. They enable families to enjoy self-guided explorations year-round and include an easy-to-follow guide and hands-on activities for children of all ages. For your trip planning, the year-round availability is useful to know if you want to explore nature at any time of year.

The StoryWalk® Trail winds through the forest and makes reading an interactive nature experience. A nature story unfolds page by page; the trail is designed especially for young readers and families. Here, reading and experiencing nature go hand in hand.

Local History and Culture

The John A. Redfield Building houses natural history exhibits. The Tenafly Railroad Station was completed in 1874; Daniel Topping Atwood designed its stone structure. Its construction date, designer, and material offer specific starting points for exploring local architectural history. The station’s chronology and authorship go hand in hand: 1874 is its year of completion, and Atwood is its designer.

The African Art Museum of the SMA Fathers in Tenafly is one of five museums worldwide founded and maintained by the Society of African Missions. This number clearly places the museum within an institution that extends beyond the town, while African art is its focus. This offers culture-minded travelers a distinct point of interest alongside the natural history exhibits and local railroad architecture.

Choose Your Focus in Tenafly

For your trip planning, you can group Tenafly’s features by interest: birdlife and nature experiences, architectural history, or African art. The nature activities for children also offer different experiences. The Nature Explorer Backpacks combine self-guided exploration with a guide and hands-on activities; the StoryWalk centers on a nature story told page by page. If you’re looking for hotels in Tenafly, you can decide which focus you’d like to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Garfield, East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Mahwah, Little Ferry, Ramsey, Paramus, Palisades Park

For the broader travel overview: Bergen.