Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center

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Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center Howell Woods, operated by JCC, is a large conservation area focusing on education and recreation. Open to hikers daily, sun-up to sun-down.

Make the 10 mile trip from exit 90 off of I-95 to find the beautiful oasis that is Howell Woods. We are 5 miles from Bentonville Battlegrounds; just a short 15 minutes from Johnston Community College, and 20 minutes from downtown Smithfield. Upon arrival, venture up to our learning center to observe the songbirds and frogs found just outside the porch. As you step inside the building, you'll find our classroom, where we hold a variety of programs, and the reptile room, where we house native species of snakes (venomous and non-venomous), turtles, frogs and lizards. Exit through the back door to find our birds of prey exhibits featuring vultures, hawks and owls. Lastly, check out our wildflower garden before getting back in touch with nature on our Diversity Trail System. Take advantage of our diverse scene: jog down one of our nature trails, kayak the Neuse River, cast a line into one of our ponds or take part in our hunting activities. There's so much to do here, be sure to rent a cabin for the weekend so you can squeeze it all in! The learning center is open Monday - Thursday 8am-4pm. Friday and Saturday hours vary throughout the year, based on programming and staff. Please contact us with any questions on our hours, programs, reservations, or activities.

Our Howell-O-Ween event has truly become a one-of-a-kind event. We are amazed at the number of folks that look forward t...
10/23/2026

Our Howell-O-Ween event has truly become a one-of-a-kind event. We are amazed at the number of folks that look forward to coming out each year to support us. It's humbling to see the impact that events like these can have on the local community, and we are honored to be a part of that impact.
A special thank you to our vendors (A-maize-ing Kettle Corn, Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, and Holly (cotton candy)), for generously sponsoring us again, and to everyone that came out. We saw some great costumes, enjoyed some good food, had a lot of fun, and got a few real screams on our spooky trail!

If you missed out this year, go ahead and prepare yourself for next year. In the meantime, mark your calendars for our next event on December 15th!

Pictures by: Heather Storholt

It’s happening tomorrow! Wear your costume, trick-or-treat for candy, and ride our spooky trail. There’s classic fun and...
10/19/2026

It’s happening tomorrow! Wear your costume, trick-or-treat for candy, and ride our spooky trail. There’s classic fun and new things to see. So don’t miss it! This event is free to attend and fun for the whole family.

We hope everyone will join us for the Howell-o-ween event next Tuesday, October 20th from 6pm-9pm. We've added several S...
10/16/2026

We hope everyone will join us for the Howell-o-ween event next Tuesday, October 20th from 6pm-9pm. We've added several Spooktacular elements in preparation for a family fun event.

It was a great day collaborating with the NC Forest Service. Several students attended a live prescribed burn demonstrat...
10/14/2026

It was a great day collaborating with the NC Forest Service. Several students attended a live prescribed burn demonstration and are one step closer to becoming Certified Burners.

We have decided to proceed with manual registrations for now. So if you are interested in booking a safari for this seas...
09/22/2026

We have decided to proceed with manual registrations for now. So if you are interested in booking a safari for this season, email us and let us know which date and how many spots you'd like to reserve. Spots are filling fast. Reserve yours today (first-come, first-serve)!

Email: [email protected]

09/16/2026

We love our community partners, and Visit JoCo, NC is one of the best! We enjoyed hosting you all and hope to do so again in the future. If any other groups are interested in renting our facilities for your meetings or events, let us know!

Hard to believe, but it's that time again where we start planning for the fall and holiday season. So while you're sched...
09/07/2026

Hard to believe, but it's that time again where we start planning for the fall and holiday season. So while you're scheduling your extracurricular activities, go ahead and pencil us in for October 20th! The event is free to attend. Some activities, such as food vendors, may have a separate fee.

If you're ready, you can also go ahead and register here: https://events.johnstoncc.edu/event/johnstoncc.events.1912394

Update on our first safari!The registrations for our first safari will be done manually. The hope is to have the online ...
09/03/2026

Update on our first safari!
The registrations for our first safari will be done manually. The hope is to have the online system available for the remainder of the safaris, and we will post when it is ready. In the meantime, if you are interested in attending our first safari on 9/14, please email ([email protected]) or call (919-938-0115) to reserve your spot(s). Payments will be taken at the event (cash or card).

Our Owl Safari season is about to kick off! Our first safari date will be September 14th at 6pm. We are trying out a new...
08/28/2026

Our Owl Safari season is about to kick off! Our first safari date will be September 14th at 6pm. We are trying out a new registration system this year and it is not quite ready. So stay tuned for the official registration link, but go ahead and mark your calendars!

In the meatime, you can email us at [email protected] with any questions.

While we aren't having any events this year, Howell Woods is still a great place to come and view the Perseid Meteor sho...
08/12/2026

While we aren't having any events this year, Howell Woods is still a great place to come and view the Perseid Meteor shower. So bring your telescopes, binoculars, or just your excitement and view the height of the meteor shower tonight or tomorrow at Howell Woods! Guests are welcome to park in the main lot and walk to the fields or campsites as needed.

Address

6601 Devils Racetrack Road
Four Oaks, NC
27524

Telephone

+19199380115

Website

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