The Austin Nature and Science center is a winner for FREE family fun both indoors and out. We ventured to the center on a Sunday when it was close to 100 degrees outside at our house in South Austin. We figured that if it were too warm at the center we could always pack up and head home. Luckily there was lots if shade at the center. Upon arrival we parked in a dirt parking lot under the freeway. There is ample parking and the bridge overhead provides shade for your car. If you just washed your car and dust bugs you, this isn't the place for you. There is paid parking on concrete just a short walk away. The center is located on the opposite side of Stafford lane just south of the parking lot. You'll wind your way through a wooded area following signs that lead to the main building of the science and nature center. Upon entering the center, the nature themed area is on the right with the science themed room on the left. Just about everything is hands on for with almost no guidance from docents. I personally never saw a docent of any type, just the occasional staffer doing paperwork or cleaning up animal exhibits. Kids are definitely front and center for the experiences to be had at the center. In the nature room, animal pelts and bones are our and readily available for kids to touch and experience. Such is also true on the science side of the building with small expirements for kids of all ages to try. The exhibits are in well used condition and are showing their age from foggy plastic to broken focus knibs in microscopes. There is no admission charge so the maintenance is a bit lagging. From the main building you can exit to the rear which takes you by several animal exhibits. They are all very nicely kept and the animals appeared well cared for. There is an area in the back of the property where partcipants can dig for dinosaur bones. Again, this experience caters to children is much like a large sand box. We stopped to look at it, but didn't participate because it was in the direct sun and way way too hot. I recommend the center for an afternoon of fun with the family. There are also several access points to Zilker park from the center, so if you are into a bit of hiking to accommodate your experience, you will not be dissapointed.

if you are thinking about eating out here dont. me and 27 member family went out for my great great great grandad for his 27th birthday. the waiter we had was increadably rude. she said that there is no way my great great great grandad was 27 and said that she wouldt searve us until we say his real age. we had to call another server over. after that i orderd the iorn steak i had asked for well done because im allergic to blood. they had givin me a RAW steak. i had also ordered quesadilla for my two kids aliza and danliy and they gave it to us with the chesse cold and there was a THIC curly red hair in it. have you ever had to pull hair out your kids mouth? cuz i have. over all this was a bad expirince and i will not be coming back.i also got mugged by my great great great grandad for such a bad 27th birthday.

Local serene nature gem south of downtown! Great for toddlers and preschoolers. Many local elementary schools tour during the week. Points of interest are the visitor center with a small cave, carbon atoms, and other natural artifacts one can experience hands-on, small wonders building has native Texan animals such as a Texas rat snake or tarantulas, birds of prey area has various owls, hawks, and vultures. Walk around the pond to the Dino pit where children can uncover Dino bone replicas. Last but not least, there are about 10-15 caged animals which have been injured and can an not return to the wild and include a gray fox, prairie dog, Bob cat, Cara cara, Raven, mallard ducks, raccoon, and porcupine. Can easily stay for a 2 hour stint.

A wonderful place to visit to see the natural side of Austin, perfect for kids and adults who love nature! There are multiple exhibits along the pond; insects, reptiles, birds, and local animals. You can also learn about all the native trees and flowers with beautiful gardens around every turn. There is free parking across the street and free to visit with donations coving the operating costs. In the main building, you can find restrooms and a discovery area with rocks, fossils, and multiple animal information stations.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Beautiful nature & science center!!-- AND there's an awesome trail (or two!) to hike behind the birds of prey area!! It's a win win win. I don't know if we were supposed to pay!? I didn't see anything. They do take donations. Bathrooms are clean. Things for small kids to interact with. (Vending machine but no food or drink for sale) Peaceful park. Dino dig area for smaller kids to dig for "fossils". Beautiful park. And do that riverbed hike (moderate to difficult) behind the birds of prey area. Bring water. Have fun!!! Hope to go back when kiddo is even bigger one day.

My son loves it!! Great for families and children. Would definitely recommend it. Free to the public. They have a Dino dig pit, where the children can dig for Dino “bones”. They have a animal exhibits, a lot of educational interactive activities. They have a pond were you can catch fish and release of course. Over all a great experience would definitely recommend and come back.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

What a wonderful hidden gem. So much fun and interactive exhibits to get my daughter interested in science and nature. The live bee hive especially was so cool to see. I also loved the tesselation puzzles and ferrofluids. This place has so much to offer for an afternoon of entertainment for parents and children. I can't wait to come back.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

This is such a fabulous and free nature and science center in Austin! There were tons of hands-on activities for kids as well as exhibits suited for all ages. You’ll spend about an hour here (or more if you explore the trails). I could definitely recommend to anyone thinking about visiting. They also offer free parking under the bridge.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Excellent place to visit, easy parking outside and trails are well maintained. A little noisy outside with the close proximity of mopac but doesn't distract too much from the visit. Good place to take children to explore a little bit of wildlife. Feel a little sad for some of the caged animals but releasing them back into the wild is not an option and explained on every enclosure. If you are in the area it's a good place to take a gentle stoll.

Nice calm and relaxing place for visit, not as we expected as a scienze museum but I outside is exciting to see birds and some other animals as well. For sure in the summer it schools even more beautiful to see all the blooming trees! Recommend who loves science, nature and quite places.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Hidden gem near downtown Austin. It's a nice venue to bring the kids or anyone interested in nature. There's a nice short trail to their various displays. At the Center, we saw a bobcat, porcupine, raven and many more birds in their Birds of Prey section.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Nestled within Zilker Park, the Austin Nature & Science Center is more than just a museum; it's a sanctuary for injured and abandoned animals, a haven for imprinted ex-pets, and a wonderland for curious young minds. My recent visit left me awestruck by the center's dedication to animal welfare and its ability to ignite a love for nature in children of all ages.

Nice place to bring children for some more unique animal sanctuary exhibits. The center is beautiful and is right next to some easy to medium trails to make this a few hour experience. Even though the Zilker Park and Austin Nature Preserve are separate entities, it would have been helpful if the center had Zilker Metropolitan Park maps.

My son never gets sick of this place! The track is awesome and just the right size for scooters, bikes with training wheels or the like. The mini town with the little stores is super awesome and I've never seen anything like it. The track area is enclosed for extra security. And the playground is terrific too! It's a must- visit!

The area is very clean and it has many birds and animals in it. Not only that, it includes a small playground for kids while also having many cool things in the buildings. I would most definitely recommend this at some point.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

I loved seeing the animals that were there and the beautiful plants. I would love to go there again. Its also a great place to bring your kids to learn a bit about wildlife. I recommend going, I'm sure others will love it as well. There are also some fun activities that you and your kids can do there as well.

If it’s FREE, It’s my whole family! What a delightful experience for members of the whole family. The dinosaur dig pit is a bone in a haystack! The exhibits are modest but informative.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Cool place to bring the little one to learn and enjoy. They have some birds of prey, owls, and even a bobcat in enclosures along with some other animals (alive and here because they were injured in some way and wouldn't survive in the wild). Though the stuffed black bear was probably the favorite...

This is a gem in Austin. A free park with interactive exhibits and a great array of mamals and birds. The ponds are beautiful. Certainly a great place to bring children but also a good place for anyone who appreciates nature and animals. I was most captivated by the bobcat and the raven.

Wonderful experience here. Staff was friendly. They have tons of animals that they have rescued and lots of educational material. And it's all free! Fun for all ages.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Lovely place to learn about nature in a hands on way. I especially appreciated the fact that there were a lot of stepstools so that kids could be high enough to see things without having to be picked up over and over again. My son and I had a great time, we will definitely be back!

A lot of free fun to be had, great place to take your kids. Multiple animal exhibits, plenty of scenery for family photos, and the Dino Pit will tire out the most energetic member of your crew. If you have a family, I highly recommend setting aside a few hours for a visit.

Fun place to see wildlife and the science behind it! They had birds of prey, honeybees, a dino sand pit, animal skeletons, and a nice walk around a pond!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

We loved it. The exhibit instilled learning in my daughter. I also liked the way they are taking care of injured birds of prey. Well maintained park. It is advisable to do reservations before you visit but at times of they have cancellations then they allow you to visit.

Kids had so much fun here, they didn't want to leave! They enjoyed the visitors center exhibits, dinosaur digging area, creek, and pond. Animal exhibits were closed during our visit.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Price for adult entry
Free

OMG this place is wonderful. My kids are teenagers and they loved it. It's a non profit organization so remember to give a donation but otherwise it's all free fun.
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Family friendly. Stroller/wheelchair access mostly. Great outdoor and some indoor exhibits. Free admission. Donations appreciated. Park under the overpass. Love they have clean bathrooms and water dispensers. Definite recommend for locals and visitors.

Great place to visit for both kids and adults. So much to see, and so much to learn. A hidden gem, located very close to Zilker Park.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Fifty years living in Austin and I visited the Nature and Science Center today for the first time. I felt like the little kid that went to the Smithsonian for the first time. Loved it and all the exhibits. Just another cool reason to love Austin!

Great place to take the family to kill some time without breaking the bank. Plenty of little activities and places to visit in this area that will keep kids entertained and adults enjoying the views. Definitely recommend it for anyone with kids.

What a great spot for kids and adults! Nice paths, lots of signage, cool birds, a bobcat, turtles, and lots of different trees and flowers. Even with school field trips, it was a relaxing area. The staff were super friendly and helpful, one

This place is incredible!! And it's FREE!! They have a donation box but do not charge admission. We had such a great time. We had a 2yo with us and he was exhausted just in time for nap! Every exhibit and interaction was amazing. Loved the

Really nice place with a small trekking for children. Kids can try to dig some fake fossil in the yard. Kids should come to workshop first to take a look on instruction how to find some “point” and exchange it to real things :)

I used to come here all the time when I was little, such an exciting place with loads to explore.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
Free

Nice place for chicken. The animals are well kept. The integration with the natural environment is great. The trail is also nice.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

My son absolutely loved the dino pit, he could have dug for dinosaurs all day. I highly recommend if you have young children. It had many other activities and exhibits that could keep them entertained for hours.

A great place to take kids. Has a combination of indoor and outdoor activities and animals to see. When we went the kids could trade nature items with a staff member. A really cool live bee hive behind glass.

This place is amazing FREE fun for the kiddos. Not only is it fun for them but they’re learning major bonus!! Definitely worth checking this place out. Donations are not required but excepted and appreciated.

Super friendly staff and knowledgeable. Animals look well cared for. Great little spot for a family to explore and learn!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

Beautiful place. Great to come and explore. Although entry is free please donate to help keep places like this thriving! Pro Tip: if your child likes getting messy exploring, bring a change of clothes!

This place would be a great place to bring your kids! I wish we had more time there and the next time Im in Austin I will make sure I show up earlier. The staff that I met were very nice as well!

Best place to bring kids for that school field trip to appreciate Austin nature and science discovery. This gem has an easy access to the running and walking trails of Townlake.

Great for kids AND adults! Nice quiet and serene place to walk around and learn. My kiddos LOVED the dinosaur pit where you can excavate replicas of large fossils. So fun!

We had a very nice visit and a great chat with Itzel on site. This center takes care of injured animals and provides great information about the fauna and flora of Texas.

For a free place to take kids it was quite nice. Some animals to see, nice nature areas to walk around, some free things for the kids to do.
Visited on
Weekend

Kids had a great time here for hours. Have everything from birds to see to dinosaur bone hunting. Great time for a couple of hours with young kids and it is free.

What an awesome place to learn about Austin's native wildlife.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Price for adult entry
Free

As a serious Science Center enthusiast I would say that this place is pretty great. Definitely more outside things than inside but it was nice.

It's fun for kids with plenty of interesting signs for adults. They rehab injured animals which you get to see up close. Best of all it's free

This is for kids and is not a museum. So it wasn’t what we expected. That being said we found an awesome hike out past birds of Prey!

Very nice place and really good for kids, kids will enjoy seeing the animals, birds, fish and waters. it has beautiful gardens.

Nice place and had amazing experience with my 3 year old. She kept on digging till she got hold of spinosaur fossil

I love there. I wish the science room was bigger and had more kid-friendly scientific equipment.
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Really great place for adults and kids both! I think it's wonderful the City of Austin supports this place.

The kids had so much fun and learned about so many different things!
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Really enjoyed it, would recommend for both families and couples.
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Free!!! An awesome place to explore trails and see rescued animals and plants.

Such a pretty place. Well kept and lots of learning opportunities for kids!

Awesome place to enjoy nature. All the animals are rescues.

My girlfriend's boys love this place. They learn so much!