If you’re itching to get outdoors this weekend, a great solution is to head to Linesville to check out two important outdoor facilities.

The Linesville State Fish Hatchery open house is scheduled for April 2 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hatchery and Visitor Center, 13300 Hartstown Road.

The free event includes demonstrations of the walleye spawning process; filleting and cooking fish; electrofishing; determining fish age; fly tying; live reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, plus casting and rod-rigging instruction. Also, get a look at a two-story, 10,000-gallon viewing tank stocked with trophy fish.

The Pymatuning Wildlife Learning Center, 12590 Hartstown Road, also will open for the season April 2.

Operating hours are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding April 24) through the third week in September.

In addition to wildlife displays and the hunting heritage room, the center has a number of learning stations regarding wildlife and environmental education. The Wildlife Learning Center also has a wheelchair-accessible nature trail.

The center is one of the great places in northwestern Pennsylvania to view American Bald Eagles and other raptors. Thousands of ducks and cormorants also hang there. And there always are the ever-hungry carp a minute away at the Linesville Spillway.