A child explores Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter’s Wetland Supermarket, an imaginative play exhibit that invites visitors to shop for the resources wetland animals need to survive. The popular exhibit will remain open through the summer. Photo courtesy of Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter. Photo: Jodi Buren

The Wetland Supermarket will remain open through summer as Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter expands its free, hands-on programming for families.

PARK CITY, Utah — Inside Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter, a child wearing butterfly wings pushes a miniature shopping cart through the aisles of a tiny grocery store. Another finds their place behind the checkout counter. The shelves are stocked with resources wetland animals need to survive.

The Wetland Supermarket, an imaginative play exhibit created by Swaner’s visitor experience team, invites children to become animals of the Swaner Preserve and gather food, water, shelter, and other essentials from the surrounding wetlands.

“Wetlands are like the supermarket of the natural world, their abundant plant life, habitat, water, and food provide resources for wildlife and sustain surrounding ecosystems because so many animals rely on wetlands for resources,” said Hunter Klingensmith, Director of Visitor Experience and Exhibits. “The exhibit brings this concept to life, encouraging learning through play in a familiar setting.”

A child fills a cart with supplies inside Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter’s Wetland Supermarket, an interactive exhibit designed to help young visitors learn how animals rely on wetlands for food, shelter and other resources. Photo:

The idea began when Swaner staff read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass in 2019. There’s a chapter in the book where she uses the term Wal-Marsh, comparing a wetland to a Walmart, a one stop shop for wildlife. This concept took Hunter back to her favorite children’s museum exhibit from childhood – the pretend grocery store – and the idea for a wetland supermarket play space was born.

The perfect opportunity to test this concept came when Hunter participated in the Museum Lab for Museum Professionals, an 8 month co-hort centered around exhibit design and prototyping. In April of 2025, Swaner tested a smaller prototype of the exhibit to see how visitors engaged and refine the concept.

The completed exhibit opened in November of 2025. Visitors can select a costume, choose an animal from the shopping list, load their cart, and check out their items at a miniature register.

A young visitor rings up a wetland critter at Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter’s Wetland Supermarket, where children can explore the resources animals need through imaginative play. Photo: Jodi Buren

The play begins almost immediately, Emma Lowe, Office Manager, said.

“They just immediately know what to do,” she said. “Their imaginations just take over.”

Although the exhibit was initially envisioned for younger children, Lowe said older kids — and sometimes adults — also get involved. Visitors take turns shopping, running the checkout counter, and directing one another through the experience.

It can be difficult to persuade them to leave.

“It’s so enjoyable for the kids that parents have a hard time taking them out of the exhibit,” Lowe said. “We do have free little stickers to help kiddos get out the doors when it’s time to go.”

A child shops for wetland resources at Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter’s Wetland Supermarket, an interactive exhibit that uses animal shopping lists and imaginative play to teach visitors how wildlife depends on healthy wetlands. Photo: Jodi Buren

The Wetland Supermarket is part of a broader effort at Swaner to offer families opportunities to slow down, explore, and connect with the natural world at their own pace.

Located at the entryway to Park City, Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter includes a 1,200-acre nature preserve and an educational center with hands-on exhibits, a climbing wall, a 400-foot pier extending into the preserve, and a four-story wildlife-viewing tower.

Families can spend time indoors, head outside with binoculars, or simply follow their curiosity.

“There are a lot of great things in Park City for families to do, but a lot of Park City is so focused on outdoor recreation,” Lowe said. “Sometimes they just need an indoor activity, or even if it’s outside, somewhere for free play.”

A child and caregiver choose an animal shopping list at Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter’s Wetland Supermarket, where visitors learn what wetland wildlife needs to survive before gathering supplies throughout the exhibit. Photo: Jodi Buren

Swaner offers a free family program each month, with activities designed to make environmental education approachable and fun.

The next event, Squish, Squash, Splat: Mud Day, will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 14. Families are invited to wear clothes that can get dirty and explore muddy sensory activities while learning how wildlife uses mud. No advance registration is required.

On Sunday, July 12, Swaner will host Be Nice to Bugs Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will include a bug-themed craft, opportunities to observe insects, and activities exploring why bugs play an important role in healthy ecosystems.

Both events are free.

“That’s something important to us, to just make things free when we are able, because it makes it more accessible to all,” Lowe said. “Our goal is to remove barriers to participation. You can show up and take part in whatever you’re interested in for any amount of time.”

Swaner also offers ongoing family activities, including Saturday Morning Nature Walks, Sunday Crafts, geocaching, and a wetland-themed climbing wall.

General admission to the EcoCenter is free, with a suggested donation of $5 per person. The EcoCenter is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m with special early open hours from 8-10 a.m. on the 3rd Saturday of the month through September at 1258 Center Drive.

To learn more about Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter, the Wetland Supermarket, and upcoming family programs, visit swanerecocenter.org.