America's First Nature Library Just Opened Near Denver Featuring Gorgeous Gardens And Family-Friendly Trails

Everyone's familiar with a library stocked with reading material, but what about one where you can check out a butterfly-catching kit or camping gear along with books? People in Colorado now have that option at the Anythink Nature Library in Thornton, outside of Denver. The 33,000-square-foot branch opened in August 2026 on a 15-acre campus next to Aylor Open Space. Along with nature-focused books and gear, it offers immersive, interactive outdoor-inspired areas for you to explore. There's no other library like it anywhere else in the country.

It's been a long journey to get the library built, with the project about a decade in the making. It's all about showing visitors how the natural world works, how we impact our environment, and how we can make it better. The Environmental Kinship Model, which is a "holistic approach to teaching and learning about, in, with and for the whole of the natural world," was used as a guide, and local Indigenous groups were consulted for input on the focus and design.

The library was created to keep people of all ages engaged with and connected to their surroundings, with features such as the curved roofs designed to echo the bends of grasses on the prairie. Sustainability was also a major concern. The building itself is LEED Gold certified and features solar panels and geothermal heating.

The Anythink Nature Library has a mud pit outside where kids can play (there's also a place to clean up). Inside, there's a sunroom designed for activities such as sunrise yoga experiences and reading sessions for younger kids, while the calming, dark room is ideal for sound baths and planetarium-style presentations. Plus, there are lab areas for art and science.

Beyond the on-site features, one of the most unique aspects of the library is the TryIts collection. You can check out items like a planetarium projector, a thermal camera, a hammock, a bear bag, and a solar camping lantern. So if you don't own the gear you need for a quick and easy camping retreat, you can still try it out without investing in expensive equipment. There are even glasses for those with color blindness to experience nature in a fuller spectrum of color. The library still has both fiction and non-fiction books to check out, including a section dedicated to Indigenous Voices.

You'll find nine different themed gardens here, including the Sensory Garden with sweet-smelling lavender and soft lamb's ear. In the Pollinator Garden, you'll find plants like the Black Knight butterfly bush that bees and butterflies love. The Colorado Native Garden features plants that have evolved in and thrive in the region, like big bluestem and wild mock orange. With the range of plants and different garden types, the library will be a particularly pretty place to visit from spring through early fall as the flowers bloom.

There's a 1-mile-long loop trail around the Anythink Nature Library grounds, and it's expected to eventually link to the larger trail system in the surrounding Aylor Open Space. This 140-acre expanse of shortgrass prairie offers views of the mountains and Denver. "To have that much access to outdoor space to be able to program and use that area to open curious minds is great. How amazing that you can sign up for a bird walk or a star walk and have that resource to explore at a deeper level," Nature Library Branch Supervisor Justina Wooten explained on the Anythink website.

You can stop for a coffee or a snack at the library cafe. Guided walks and other outdoor education programming are also being offered to take advantage of the gardens and natural surroundings. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that while anyone can come to the library and explore, you'll only be able to check out items if you have a library card. Any Colorado resident can get one.

If you're looking for more to check out while you're in this part of Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is an intriguing ecological site. It's less than 30 minutes from the nature library. Barr Lake State Park is an under-the-radar lake escape with peaceful paddling spots and birding, and it's just under a 20-minute drive east from Thornton.