With 160 acres of protected hills, meadows and wildlands criss-crossed with nature trails, Ijams Nature Center is a great place to experience the flora and fauna of Tennessee. The park also features the reclaimed Mead's Quarry site where you can see the remains of marble quarrying. Not only is Ijams Nature Center a wildlife sanctuary and environmental education center, the extensive grounds include a boardwalk on the Tennessee River. In the Exhibit Hall, kids can get up close and personal to a collection of native mammals, rodents and other animals native to East Tennessee and well-organized interpretational exhibits that explore the environment of eastern Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains in a way all ages can understand.