Our Mission

The Touliatos Nature Center was founded by Plato and Sarah Touliatos in 2003 with the intent of providing opportunities for people to interact with, enjoy, and learn from nature. It is the mission of the Nature Center to provide and promote hands-on educational experiences that foster an appreciation and connection between the community and the natural world. The Nature Center is committed to providing a living classroom that creates and benefits ecological stewards of all ages.
 

Our Goals

• To provide hands-on educational experiences for schools, organizations, and the community.
• To promote the preservation of the natural environment.
• To foster respect and appreciation of the natural world.

Our Beginning

Plato Touliatos, the founder of Trees by Touliatos and the Touliatos Nature Center, has always been an innovative thinker. Since the inception of his 20 acre nursery in 1962, Plato has been providing the Mid-South with "Ideas and products to improve your environment." After traveling to the Tucson, Arizona, Botanical Garden in 2002, he was struck with a new bolt of inspiration. Although Trees by Touliatos had always provided seminars, field trips, and a wealth of information to the public, he wanted to go further.

He wanted to harness the living classroom found at the 20-acre nursery and invite the public to witness the wealth of natural beauty that could thrive even in the midst of the hard industrial area that surrounds the nursery. Beginning with the dedication of Trees by Touliatos as the third arboretum in the Mid-South on June 22, 2003, and steadily progressing forward with the announcement of the opening of the Touliatos Nature Center, Plato's dream was becoming a reality.

On August 16, 2003, the Touliatos Nature Center had its official grand opening in the form of a butterfly party. We are happy to report that the response was great. We appreciate all of your encouragement and involvement, and we hope that you will continue to join us for more exciting programs!