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All 254 Austin Attractions »

Austin Nature & Science Center

301 Nature Center Drive, Austin, TX 78746
512 327 8181
Ranked #44 of 176 attractions in Austin
4.0 of 5 stars 13 Reviews
Type: Nature/ Wildlife Areas
Traveller Description: Austin Nature & Science Center  This is a great little zoo area with local animals. Information related to present attractions and planned... more »
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13 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    5
    5
    3
    0
    0
Date Rating
San Diego CA
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 April 2012

While the rescued mammals and birds are still in awful old-school cages, the center as a whole has cool hands-on items, a gorgeous woodsy surrounding, access to a preserve, and the sand pit where you can dig up dinosaur bones. (Coincidentally the fakes you dig up here are the ones on display for real at the Texas Memorial Museum so... More

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See 2 more reviews by ExPatAustinCinerina for Austin
Anacortes, Washington
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 April 2012

Kids have an amazing time here learning about so many different things. Great summer camp too.

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See 11 more reviews by DawnielleC for Austin
Whitehouse, Texas
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2012

Its an outdoor museum. It could use some updates. Didn't interest the kids much and didn't have a lot to see.

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See 2 more reviews by Fruitloopmomma for Austin
Austin, Texas
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 March 2012

My sister and I, while on an outing to Zilker park with the kids, just stumbled upon this place. We were so glad we did. It ended up being the entirety of our trip to Zilker Park that day. The kids loved it. They had everything from fossils, bones, and bugs to look at to a pond outside to explore... More

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See 18 more reviews by Brendilly for Austin
Texas
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 March 2012

It's free. No frills. A few natural activities and native wildlife in cages.

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See 10 more reviews by b_weather for Austin
Austin, Texas
Top Contributor
119 reviews 119 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 February 2012

Nice place for kids. On a small scale, but worth going to.

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See 57 more reviews by Robert C for Austin
Austin, Texas
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 December 2011

I went with my 7 year old daughter and my mother and had a great visit. There was a wide variety of activities, from fossils to live animals, to entertain the young one and surprisingly easy to get around for grandma. A lovely afternoon. We spent 2 hours but could have easily spent four if we packed a lunch, traded,... More

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Austin, TX
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 December 2011

This place is great for families with young children. There is an indoor place full of bones, furs, stones, insects and more that they can touch and explore. Outdoors there is what is basically a large sandbox with 5 or 6 pits that have hidden dinosaur fossils (non-removable). There are lots of shovels and brushes for the little explorers to... More

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See 6 more reviews by ronnizia for Austin
Mansfield, Texas
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 July 2011 via mobile

We really enjoyed our visit. Seeing all the animals was great, and the scenery was beautiful. Our grandson loved it. Very hands-on. Perfect for kids.

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Phoenix, Arizona
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 June 2011
2
people found this review helpful

I went with my two kids ages 10 and 8 and had a great time. The center has an amazing information room with microscopes, bones and all kinds of plants and shells. The kids had a great time exploring in the room. They also decided to participate in the nature hunt. When we were out on our walk the kids... More

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