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Location
Parking
Free parking available underneath the Mopac Bridge across from entrance
Visitor tip
Plan your visit around the Trade Counter hours (Wed-Fri 10am-1pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1pm-4pm) if you want to participate in collecting and trading natural objects—this is a unique interactive feature not available all day.
Visitor tip
The Dino Pit and sand pit areas are major attractions for kids—allow adequate time for hands-on fossil excavation and dinosaur bone discovery, which reviewers consistently highlight as memorable experiences.
About Austin Nature & Science Center
Interactive natural science museum. 80-acre nature center features educational exhibits including replicas of fossils & dinosaur tracks.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Nature Center
- Location
- Western edge of Zilker Park
- Admission
- Free
- Hours
- Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm
- Highlights
- Hands-on nature education, creek exploration, Trade Counter, camps and programs
What visitors say
Our 1st grade classes came here for a field trip visit on a Friday and they had a great time and learned a lot! Parking under the bridges was plenty, the staff was very knowledgeable and friendly, did different types of presentations on…
This was a pretty cool activity for kids in Austin. They have a little stream close by and a dinosaur exploration area. It was very nice for my daughter to have something to do.
I really enjoyed my visit and loved seeing the animals! They are all rescues and unfortunately cannot be released. The center cares for them, and features a nice walk around, and a pond. The visitor center itself if filled with nature…
From 362 Google reviews
Did You Know?
- The Dino Pit allows visitors to excavate replica dinosaur skeletons from sand pits, providing hands-on fossil discovery experiences
- The center operates 344 days per year, closing only 21 days annually
- The Trade Counter allows visitors to collect and trade natural objects found on the 80-acre property, operating Wednesday-Sunday with extended weekend hours
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