Visit the Leopold Center

2010 Public Hours: April 26 - October 30:
Monday - Saturday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm*

PhotologoStart your visit at the Leopold Center, an educational and interpretive facility near the Leopold Shack, located on the very land where Aldo Leopold died in 1948 fighting a brush fire. Exhibits and guided tours interpret noted conservationist Aldo Leopold’s life and legacy. The Leopold Center itself presents another topic for tours and exhibits. It is among the greenest buildings in the world, featuring renewable energy systems and the use of local and recycled materials. You can learn about Leopold's legacy and our green building on either a self guided visit, or a guided tour Guided tours are only offered on Saturdays.

*We are closed on the following holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Between November and early April, hours and staff are limited. Group visits may be scheduled by appointment. Contact our education staff for more information.

What Can I See on my Visit?

ShackThe Leopold Shack and Farm

A National Historic Landmark, The Shack is a re-built chicken coop along the Wisconsin River where Aldo Leopold and his family stayed during weekend retreats. It is also the site that inspired many of the essays in A Sand County Almanac. Leopold called the Shack his “refuge from too much modernity,” and this humble and rustic place still inspires many to re-discover their connections to the natural world. Each year, thousands of visitors are inspired through reflection in the same landscape that deeply moved Leopold.

 

Leopold CenterThe Leopold Center Green Building

The Leopold Center serves as both a headquarters facility for the Aldo Leopold Foundation and a Leopold-focused visitor center and meeting facility. The building was constructed to meet the highest standards in green building, to represent Aldo Leopold's concept of a land ethic. Learn about how features like solar power, geothermal, and sustainable building materials make this one of the “greenest” buildings in the world. It has not only received the US Green Building Council’s LEED® platinum certification, the highest possible level, but it was more highly rated than any other building yet rated in the United States. It is also the first building ever to be certified “carbon neutral.”

 

General Directions:

The Leopold Center is about 15 minutes northeast of Baraboo, Wisconsin. We are approximately 20 minutes away from Devil's Lake and Mirror Lake State Parks, and 10 minutes from the International Crane Foundation.

Click here for detailed directions to the Leopold Center.


Leopold Center Resources

Learn more about the "green" and innovative features of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. Download brochure.

Construction journals- tracking the Leopold Center as it was built

(PDF format - download Adobe Reader)

The Aldo Leopold Foundation carefully documented the progress of the building construction. Please follow the links below for a virtual tour of the building as it was completed, and to learn more about the green building methods used in its construction.

Building a Foundation
Earth Tubes
Putting up Walls
Round Log Roof Trusses
Radiant Floor Temperature Control
Winter 2006 Newsletter Centerfold on Legacy Center

Other Legacy Center updates:

Leopold Center floor plan (PDF)
Timber harvest photos
Bark peeling photos