Chattahoochee Nature Center, Inc.

What Chattahoochee Nature Center, Inc. does

Chattahoochee Nature Center, Inc. (CNC) is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit nature center and environmental education organization founded in 1976 in Roswell, Georgia. Operating on a 127-acre campus along the Chattahoochee River, CNC functions as a walk-in destination combining outdoor recreation, environmental education, wildlife rehabilitation, and event hosting. The organization serves an annual audience of more than 144,000 visitors and reaches 44,000 to 52,000 students through school programs, with roughly 35% of school participants drawn from Title I communities. Core programs include general admission access to trails and the Discovery Center, Camp Kingfisher summer programming, seasonal exhibits such as the Butterfly Encounter, canoeing, school field trips, scout programs, adult wellness offerings (Forest Bathing, Nature Club), and a state-and-federally licensed wildlife clinic treating approximately 800 patients per year. The organization holds no proprietary technology platforms and operates primarily through physical visitation and a basic e-commerce storefront.

CNC's business model blends earned and contributed revenue. Earned streams include general admission ($14-$20 per visitor), a six-tier membership program priced from $65 (Individual) to $1,500+ (Giving Society), summer camp registrations, birthday party packages, adult program fees, venue rentals for weddings and corporate events, and retail sales through the on-site Nature Store. Contributed revenue includes donations (annual fund, capital, memorial, planned giving, stock gifts), corporate sponsorships (three Platinum and five Gold sponsors led by Kaiser Permanente, Northside Hospital, and Fulton County), family foundation grants, and an active $9.8M capital campaign ('Growing Tomorrow's Nature Enthusiasts') supporting facility expansion including a River Welcome Center, Meadow Learning Center, and the recently completed Parker House operations center. Distribution is regional — anchored in metro Atlanta and the Southeast — supplemented by ANCA reciprocal membership access to nature centers nationwide.

The organization completed a brand refresh in 2026 (new tagline 'Discovery flows here') timed to its 50th anniversary, signaling a strategic emphasis on the Chattahoochee River as a central brand pillar. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees and a President/CEO (Natasha Rice, formerly of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta). CNC is not publicly traded, has no parent company, and discloses no audited revenue figure in the available data, though operating scale is consistent with a mid-sized regional nonprofit in the $5M-$10M annual budget range.

Name

Chattahoochee Nature Center, Inc.

Legal name

Chattahoochee Nature Center, Inc.

Website

https://chattnaturecenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chattahoochee Nature Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nature center on a 127-acre campus along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, Georgia, serving 144,000+ annual visitors and 44,000 students through environmental education, wildlife rehabilitation, summer camps, and community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature Center & Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Nature center programs
• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Summer camp education
• Venue rental events

Headquarters

HQ city

Roswell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Walk-in visitors pay admission fees to access 127-acre campus including trails, wildlife habitats, Discovery Center, and exhibits. Revenue from daily ticket sales.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions providing free admission, guest passes, festival tickets, and member discounts on programs. Multiple tiers from Individual ($65) to Naturalist ($325) to Giving Society ($1,500+).
3. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting annual fund, capital campaign, wildlife rehabilitation, and endowment. Includes memorial/tribute gifts, planned giving, and stock gifts.
4. Programs and Camps: Revenue from Camp Kingfisher summer camp registrations, birthday party packages, adult programs (Forest Bathing, Nature Club), and family programs (canoeing, night hikes).
5. Venue Rentals and Events: Rental income from hosting weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings at facilities including Pavilion, Plaza Conference Room, and outdoor spaces.
6. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships and partnerships with businesses supporting exhibits, festivals, and programs. Benefits include marketing exposure to 144,000+ annual visitors.
7. Retail Sales: Nature Store merchandise sales including nature-themed gifts, butterfly garden plants, bird seed, and educational materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chattahoochee Nature Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) environmental education organization that operates a 127-acre campus along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, Georgia, providing daily visitor admission, hands-on environmental education programs for school groups and families, Camp Kingfisher summer and day camps, seasonal exhibits such as the Butterfly Encounter, wildlife rehabilitation services, canoeing, guided hikes, venue rentals, special events, and a Nature Store. The organization is funded through paid admissions, tiered memberships, program fees, retail, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual donations.

Product overview

Chattahoochee Nature Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) nature center and environmental education organization occupying 127 acres along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, Georgia. The organization offers a unified portfolio of visitor experiences and programs centered on connecting people with nature: General Admission provides access to trails, wildlife habitats, Discovery Center exhibits, River Boardwalk, and gardens; Camp Kingfisher offers residential and day camps for children; seasonal exhibits like the Butterfly Encounter feature live wildlife; educational programs serve schools from preschool through high school; recreational activities include canoeing and guided nature hikes; and special events such as Sunset Sips, festivals, and corporate team-building events provide community engagement opportunities. The organization also operates a membership program with tiered benefits, manages venue rentals for private events, and operates a retail Nature Store. Philanthropic offerings include Annual Fund donations, Capital Campaign contributions, memorial/tribute gifts, wildlife rehabilitation support, and Giving Society recognition levels. The center serves approximately 144,000 annual visitors and educates 44,000-52,000 students per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camp Kingfisher: Summer camp program and other camp offerings at the Chattahoochee Nature Center for children and youth.
• Discovery Center
• Nature Club
• Butterfly Encounter

Products and services

• General Admission Daily access to CNC's 127-acre campus along the Chattahoochee River, including trails, wildlife habitats, Discovery Center exhibits, River Boardwalk, and gardens. Priced from $14 (Children 3-12) to $20 (Adults), with group rates for parties of 15+.
• Camp Kingfisher Overnight and day camp programs for children held at CNC's 127-acre campus, including summer camp and high school leadership training. Launched in 1993.
• Wildlife Experiences Encounters with CNC's native animal ambassadors including birds of prey, reptiles, and amphibians, plus access to the Wildlife Walk; state and federal licensed wildlife rehabilitation services for injured native wildlife.
• Butterfly Encounter Seasonal outdoor tented exhibit featuring hundreds of live butterflies, typically running June through August. Launched in 2012.
• Canoeing Programs Guided and self-guided canoe experiences on the Chattahoochee River for visitors.
• School Education Programs Curriculum-aligned environmental education programs for preschool through high school, including field trips, classroom visits, and homeschool programs, reaching 44,000-52,000 students annually with 35% from Title I schools.
• Discovery Center Exhibits Indoor exhibit spaces within the Discovery Center, including River Resources Gallery, Watershed Galleries, and rotating exhibits.
• Nature Exchange Trade program where visitors exchange natural items (shells, feathers, rocks, etc.) for points and other natural treasures at the Discovery Center.
• Nature Store On-site retail store offering nature-themed gifts, educational materials, bird seed, and souvenirs.
• Membership Programs Tiered annual membership program offering free admission, guest passes, festival tickets, and member discounts. Tiers from Individual ($65) to Giving Society ($1,500+), with ANCA reciprocal access to hundreds of U.S. nature centers.
• Birthday Party Packages Hosted birthday party programs including naturalist-led activities, animal encounters, and facility use. 1.5-hour programs for up to 20 participants.
• Venue Rentals Rental of CNC facilities including the Ben Brady Lakeside Pavilion, Plaza Conference Room, and covered picnic areas for weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings.
• Sunset Sips Evening music series held on the Great Lawn featuring live performances with sunset views, offered seasonally. Launched in 2018.
• The Nature Club Monthly adult education program featuring potluck dinners and expert speakers on natural world topics, held 4th Thursday January through October. Priced $10 general public / $5 CNC Members.
• Family Night Hikes Evening guided hikes with animal encounters and campfire activities, offered on select Friday and Saturday evenings. Priced $15 general public / $12 CNC Members per person.
• Guided Forest Bathing Sensory immersion experience inspired by Japanese shinrin-yoku, led by certified guides for stress reduction and nature connection. Priced $35 general public / $25 CNC Members.
• Corporate Eco Challenge Scavenger hunt/American Race-style corporate team-building event focused on environmental learning about the Chattahoochee River watershed.
• Storytime & Craft Weekly story program for children ages 6 and under featuring nature-themed books, movement activities, and crafts.
• Bird Walks Guided birding walks conducted with Birds Georgia on select Sundays for all skill levels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 144,000 visitors annually connect with nature
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Cobb Community FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Cobb Community Foundation to launch CNC's Endowment Fund in 2023. A generous donor offered to match all endowment donations up to $10,000.
• North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010CNC donates nearly 10,000 pounds of fresh produce annually from Unity Garden to NFCC Food Pantry, serving nearly 200 food-insecure families each day.
• Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReciprocal membership program allowing CNC members free or discounted admission at hundreds of nature centers across the United States.
• Birds GeorgiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for bird walks and birding programs at CNC. Joint programming bringing birding enthusiasts to the nature center.
• Roswell Fine Arts AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization presenting quarterly art galleries at CNC featuring nature-themed artwork available for purchase.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Environmental Nature Center: California-based nonprofit nature center offering trails, wildlife education, summer camps, school programs, and memberships on a multi-acre campus. Closely mirrors CNC's operating model as a community-rooted nature center with education at the core.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Atlanta-based nonprofit botanical garden and visitor attraction operating public gardens, seasonal exhibits, educational programming, memberships, and event rentals. Closest geographic and operational analog to CNC as a nonprofit nature attraction in metro Atlanta with similar revenue mix of admissions, memberships, programs, and private events.
• Zoo Atlanta: 501(c)(3) zoological park in Atlanta with wildlife conservation, education programming for schools, memberships, and special events. Directly comparable as a regional nonprofit wildlife-focused attraction with membership tiers, school programs, and corporate sponsorship programs serving a similar metro Atlanta audience.
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History: Atlanta natural history museum with outdoor trails, exhibits, IMAX, school programs, memberships, and event rentals. Operates as a nonprofit cultural/natural history institution in the same metro Atlanta market with a comparable mix of admissions, school programming, and facility rentals.
• Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary: Texas nonprofit operating a 289-acre nature sanctuary with trails, native wildlife, school field trips, summer camps, and special events. Highly comparable as a regional nonprofit combining nature preserves, environmental education, and visitor programming.

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Aquarium: Major nonprofit aquarium and nature attraction in Chattanooga with animal encounters, outdoor experiences, school programs, and memberships. Larger and more tourism-oriented than CNC but operates a similar mission-driven, experience-and-education-led nonprofit model.
• Georgia Aquarium: Largest nonprofit aquarium in the U.S., based in Atlanta, with animal exhibits, educational programming, memberships, and corporate events. A larger incumbent in the same metro Atlanta nature-attraction market competing for similar visitor, member, and corporate-sponsor dollars.
• North Carolina Arboretum: Public nonprofit arboretum with gardens, trails, exhibits, educational programming, and event venues operated on a much larger acreage. Comparable as a nature-based visitor attraction with education, horticulture, and event-rental revenue streams.

Others

• Chattahoochee Riverkeeper: Atlanta-based nonprofit focused on protection and restoration of the Chattahoochee River watershed. Not a visitor attraction but a peer in the regional environmental/conservation ecosystem that shares CNC's watershed mission and potential donor/foundation overlap.
• Birds Georgia: Georgia-based nonprofit focused on bird conservation that partners with CNC on joint bird walks and programming. Comparable as a regional conservation nonprofit with overlapping audience and donor base, though operating without a public campus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChattahoocheeNatureCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chattahoochee-nature-center-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chattahoochee Nature Center, Inc.