See also: List of nature centers in the United States. This is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the state of Texas.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
| Name | Location | County | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acton Nature Center of Hood County | website, 74 acres with over 5 miles of trails | |||
| Texas Coastal Bend | 2,500-acre urban preserve, includes a boardwalk through forest and marshes, live animal displays, bison and prairie platforms and butterfly gardens | |||
| Texas Hill Country | website, operated by the City in 351-acre Zilker Park, includes hands-on educational exhibits, live native animals, an outdoor paleontology exhibit | |||
| Texas Coastal Bend | Operated by the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute, ecosystem of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve | |||
| Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | Operated by the City, 450-acre recreation area and wildlife sanctuary | ||
| Bear Springs Blossom Nature Center | website, 125 acres | |||
| Texas Coastal Bend | 764 acres, headquarters of the World Birding Center, exhibit hall, observation tower, bird blinds, guided walks | |||
| Bob Jones Nature Center | North Texas | website, 758 acres, operated by the City | ||
| Texas Gulf Coast | 4,897 acres, nature center operated by the state and Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer Organization[1] | |||
| Canyon of the Eagles Lodge and Nature Park | Central Texas | website, resort and nature park, located on 940 acres of Lower Colorado River Authority land, includes the Eagle Eye Observatory, nature programs | ||
| Texas Coastal Bend | 900 acres, located at Tyrrell Park, operated by the city. The area is a constructed wetland with diked cells of shallow water and mud flats. It is located along Hillebrandt Bayou[2] [3] [4] | |||
| Cedar Ridge Preserve | North Texas | website, formerly Dallas Nature Center, 600 acres, operated by Audubon Dallas, about 9 miles of trails, butterfly gardens, live mammals, birds, insects and reptiles | ||
| 507 acres features 20-acre botanical garden, greenhouse with about 200 species of Chihuahuan Desert cacti | ||||
| Cibolo Nature Center | Texas Hill Country | website, 100 acres | ||
| Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center | Dallas | North Texas | website, 205 acres | |
| East Texas Ecological Education Center | Northeast Texas | website, 82 acres, visitor's center, indoor and outdoor classrooms, wetlands, grasslands and ponds | ||
| Eaton Hill Nature Center | Texas Hill Country | website, 37 acres | ||
| Texas Coastal Bend | website, 40 acres, part of the World Birding Center, educational exhibits on fish and aquatic life, computer programs about birds and butterflies, telescopes and interpretive audio station | |||
| Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | Operated by Houston Audubon, 17 acres along Rummel Creek | |
| North Texas | website, 3,621 acres of forest, wetlands and prairie, operated by the City | |||
| Fredericksburg Nature Center | Texas Hill Country | website, 10 acres, located in Lady Bird Johnson Park | ||
| Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | Brazoria | Texas Coastal Bend | website, interpretive center and research center for public education and volunteer-based avian monitoring programs | |
| Hana & Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, located in 4-acre Russ Pitman Park | |
| North Texas | Exhibits on Texas' venomous snakes, geology, seashells and marine life, North Texas ecosystems, 289-acre wildlife sanctuary with over 6 miles of trails | |||
| Helotes Creek Nature Center | Central Texas | website | ||
| Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | 155 acres with over 5 miles of trails | |
| Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, operated by the County, 312 acres | ||
| Dallas County | North Texas | website, Private non-profit, 2,000 acres | ||
| Kleb Woods Nature Center | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, 134 acres | |
| Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center | Texas Coastal Bend | website, part of Laredo Community College, contains representations of the Rio Grande ecosystem and live specimens of plant and animal life | ||
| North Texas | website, operated by the University of North Texas, Texas A&M University, the City of Lewisville, and the Lewisville Independent School District, over 2000 acres with over 7 miles of trails | |||
| Matagorda County Birding Nature Center | Texas Coastal Bend | website, 34 acres | ||
| Rio Grande Valley | https://parks.mcallen.net/mcallen-nature-center, 33 acres, two miles of trails, operated by McAllen Parks & Recreation Department, This is an important site, both for wildlife, and for people, as less than 3% of the native habitat remains in the Rio Grande Valley. | |||
| Central Texas | website, 1,100 acres, operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority, includes the Mark Rose Natural Science Center | |||
| Texas Hill Country | Part of Texas State University, features glass-bottomed boat tours of the San Marcos Springs, a discovery hall and aquarium exhibit; formerly the Aquarena Center | |||
| Miller Springs Nature Center | Texas Hill Country | website, A 260-acre scenic natural area located between the Leon River and nearby 40 foot high bluffs with 10.7 miles of hike and bike trails through prairie, wetlands and forests. | ||
| Central Texas | website, 1,200 acres including the 600-acre Mitchell Lake | |||
| National Butterfly Center | Mission | Hidalgo | Rio Grande Valley | 100 acres, butterfly conservation, habitat conservation, native plant sanctuary, trails, butterfly center, and educational tours |
| North Texas Wildlife Center | Plano | Collin County | North Texas | North Texas Wildlife Center (NTXWC) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of local injured or orphaned wildlife. |
| South Texas | website | |||
| Rio Bravo Nature Center | West Texas | website, environment of the Rio Grande | ||
| North Texas | website, 18 acres | |||
| North Texas | website, adjacent 1,300-acre River Legacy Parks | |||
| Texas Hill Country | 9 acres, arboretum with wildlife and native plant sanctuary, located on the Guadalupe River | |||
| Texas Coastal Bend | Owned by the National Audubon Society and operated by the Gorgas Science Foundation, 557 acres, guided tours of the late 19th-century plantation house | |||
| San Angelo Nature Center | Edwards Plateau | website, operated by the City, collection of native animals | ||
| San Marcos Nature Center | Texas Hill Country | website, operated by the City in the 6-acre Crook Park, focus is the San Marcos River watershed ecosystem | ||
| Texas Coastal Bend | website, marine aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | |||
| Texas Coastal Bend | 252 acres, includes themed gardens, children's garden, wetlands demonstration garden, Victorian greenhouse, exhibit hall | |||
| West Texas | website, located in the 49-acre Hogan Park | |||
| Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center | Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, operated by Houston Audubon, 1.1 acres, includes a log cabin, barn, gazebo, boat dock and seasonal wetland trails, open by appointment |
| South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center | Cameron | Texas Coastal Bend | ||
| South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sea Life Nature Center | South Padre Island | Cameron | Texas Coastal Bend | website, focus in bottlenose dolphins and their marine environment |
| Texas Coastal Bend | 180 acres, includes a butterfly house and bromeliad conservatory | |||
| Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center | East Texas | website, adjacent to the 25-acre Peckinpaugh Preserve | ||
| Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center | East Texas | website, includes a production fish hatchery, aquaria and exhibits, Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, Richard M. Hart and Johnny Morris Conservation Center | ||
| Dallas | Dallas | North Texas | 120 acres with 5 miles of trails | |
| Twelve Hills Nature Center | Dallas | Dallas | North Texas | website, urban preserve and outdoor classroom |
| Texas Coastal Bend | 6 acres, focus on getting children outdoors, environment of the lower Rio Grande Valley | |||
| Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center | Travis | Texas Hill Country | website, 75 acres, exhibits on area geology, water, weather, and energy and their connection to the Preserve's plants and animals | |
| Wildcat Bluff Nature Center | website, over 600 acres, 5 miles of trails, 5 acre accessible trail with pond, spring, and paleontology exhibit. Education building, visitor center. Focus on prairie ecosystems, outdoor education, and natural and human history of the Texas Panhandle. | |||
| Travis | Texas Hill Country | 227 acres with an environmental education center, operated by St. Edward's University, open to the public for trail hiking and events | ||