Trinity River Audubon Center
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Trinity River Audubon Center is a highly-rated, free-entry nature center just outside Dallas, offering extensive trails, educational opportunities, and wildlife viewing. It's lauded as an 'underrated gem' and 'jewel' for families and nature lovers, transformed from a former dump into a beautiful conservation area. Its unique value lies in providing accessible natural exploration, clean facilities, and occasional educational classes at no cost.
Key Highlights
- ✓Extensive network of multiple trails perfect for hiking and nature walks.
- ✓Opportunities for diverse wildlife spotting including Herons, Egrets, Monarch butterflies (especially in the pollinator garden), various flora, and mushrooms.
- ✓An 'amazing' visitor center offering educational experiences.
- ✓Friendly and welcoming staff enhance the visitor experience.
- ✓Restrooms are consistently clean.
- ✓Occasional art or science classes are held in a dedicated classroom area on weekends.
- ✓Features a beautiful pollinator garden, observed with many Monarchs during migration.
Standout Features
- ⭐Free entry for all visitors.
- ⭐Plentiful and easy parking available on-site.
- ⭐Clean and well-maintained restrooms.
- ⭐A small cafe and gift shop are available.
- ⭐Dedicated classroom space for weekend art or science classes.
- ⭐Shaded areas along parts of the trails provide relief from the sun.
- ⭐A unique history as a rehabilitated illegal dump site adds an interesting educational layer.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Bring insect repellent/mosquito spray due to numerous mosquitoes.
- →Wear a hat as there are areas with significant sun exposure.
- →Check weather forecasts before visiting, as trails can be muddy or flooded after rain.
- →Reserve free entry tickets online in advance due to limited entry capacity.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Significant presence of mosquitoes, making insect repellent essential for outdoor activities.
- ⚠Bird sightings are inconsistent; you 'don’t always see that many birds there', varying by visit.
- ⚠Trails can become flooded or very muddy after rain, potentially impacting ease of access.
- ⚠Dogs are not allowed on the premises.
Price & Value
Excellent value, as entry is free, providing access to extensive nature trails, an educational visitor center, wildlife viewing, and clean facilities at no cost. Additional costs would only apply to purchases from the gift shop or small cafe.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., wheelchair-friendly trails, sensory hours) are mentioned in the reviews. Trails can become muddy, which may affect mobility.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •A small cafe is available on-site for food and drinks. No explicit policy is mentioned regarding bringing outside food or beverages, but the presence of a cafe suggests on-site options.
🚗Parking Info
- •Plentiful free parking is available, making arrival convenient.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Entry is limited and requires advance online ticket reservations, indicating that it can attract enough visitors to warrant crowd management, particularly on popular days. No specific peak times are mentioned.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Reviews mention 'friendly, welcoming staff' but do not detail specific safety features like supervised play areas, first aid stations, or controlled entry/exit mechanisms. Visitors are advised to be prepared for natural elements like mosquitoes and sun.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Bringing dogs, as they are explicitly not allowed.
- • Visiting immediately after heavy rainfall, as trails are prone to flooding and excessive mud.
- • If your primary expectation is guaranteed abundant bird sightings, as this can vary.
- • If you are specifically looking for 'Kayaking for Kids' activities, as these reviews do not mention any kayaking options at this venue.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Bunting Membership
$100Supports nature education for students and conservation work. All members support hands-on nature education for thousands of North Texas students and on-the-ground conservation work restoring native prairie and protecting the Great Trinity Forest.
Includes:
- •Members-only Quarterly Electronic Newsletter
- •Trinity River Audubon Center Drawstring Backpack
- •Free Monthly Programs (Guided Hike, Bird Watching)
Sparrow Membership
$250Includes Bunting Membership benefits and additional perks.
Includes:
- •Bunting Membership benefits
- •Two Tickets to Scissor-tails & Cocktails Event
- •10% Discount at Nature Store
Lark Membership
$500Includes Sparrow Membership benefits and additional perks.
Includes:
- •Sparrow Membership benefits
- •Two Tickets to Members-only Offsite Bird Excursion each Migration (Fall and Spring)
Shrike Membership
$1,000Includes Lark Membership benefits and additional perks.
Includes:
- •Lark Membership benefits
- •Additional Two Tickets Scissor-tails & Cocktails Event (Four Total)
- •15% Discount at Nature Store
- •Private Sunset Hike for Group of 10
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Scissor-tails & Cocktails Event
Included with Sparrow, Lark, and Shrike Memberships (2 tickets for Sparrow/Lark, 4 total for Shrike)
Members-only Offsite Bird Excursion
Each Migration (Fall and Spring)
Included with Lark and Shrike Memberships (2 tickets)
Private Sunset Hike for Group of 10
Included with Shrike Membership
🍎Food Policy
- • Picnics are permitted in designated picnic areas only.
- • You must provide your own water bottle.
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied at all times by an adult.
- • Adult to Child supervisory ratio of 1 to 6 (for large groups).
- • Shoes are required at all times both indoors and outdoors.
- • Do not attempt to touch, befriend, feed, or help any wild animal you encounter while on the trails. Please notify the front desk of any injured animals.
- • Stay on designated trails and specifically avoid areas where vegetation could be impacted. Walk in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy. Avoid walking on vegetation as it widens the trail and contributes to erosion.
- • Poisonous plants, including poison ivy, are on the property. Know what poison ivy looks like and avoid it.
- • There are both venomous and non-venomous snakes on the premises. They are protected by state law. If you encounter any snake, give it wide berth and leave it alone.
- • The following are prohibited: Smoking or campfires, Hunting, camping, and fishing, Specimen collecting of any kind without a permit, Alcohol and other intoxicants, Motorized vehicles of any kind or size beyond the parking lot, Fireworks, firearms, or any other weapons (enforced by Dallas Police Department), Swimming, walking, or boating in ponds, Parking on the grass.
- • Guests who do not adhere to staff and center guidelines may be refused entry into and/or removed from the premises for the safety of our visitors and staff.
📅Booking Policy
- • Advance ticket purchase is required.
- • Please reserve a ticket online prior to your visit.
- • Please pre-register and check in at front desk upon arrival.
- • For large groups planning to visit (more than 15 people): Call (214-309-5801) or email (trac@audubon.org) to check calendar and get tips/info. Highly recommend scheduling a guided program.
- • Groups larger than 10 people: Please let us know ahead of time, as scheduled field trips may impact your experience.
- • Adult to Child ratio is 1:6 when making group reservations.
🚗Parking Information
- • Parking lot remains open and accessible for visitors until regular closing time (4 PM), even if the interior visitor center closes early.
- • Parking on the grass is prohibited.
What People Say
What's Great
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Steven Cheng
a month agoWe are here to attend a wedding which I think this is a great venue for it! Or if you are a natural lover, family with young children, this is the perfect place for you! They have education canters, trails and many other things and activities to do! Also great for wedding or special events up to maybe 120 people for indoor seating.
C Herron
2 weeks agoCame here for a standard quality water testing class and after the class we walked around. It was beautiful. There are multiple trails. We saw Herons and Egrets. Lots of mosquitoes though so bring spray. This is an underrated gem.
David McMahon
in the last weekA jewel just outside Dallas. Not enough people know about this beautiful place. It’s definitely worth the short trip south of downtown. I will say, however, that you don’t always see that many birds there. Sometimes more than others. But it’s always a pleasant and relaxing visit. Hiking, an amazing visitor center, and friendly, welcoming staff.
Sophie Crash
8 months agoBeautiful nature center with an interesting history. It used to be a dump, literally, until it was abandoned and eventually acquired by the city, which cleaned it up and turned it into a visitor center. You can see tons of different wildlife, walk the trails and spot great flora and mushrooms too. Lots of shade but bring a hat because there is lots of sun too. Parts of it get flooded or very muddy when it rains, and parking is plentiful. There is a gift shop and a small cafe. Restrooms are always clean. They have a classroom area where they have art or science classes on some weekends. Fun for the whole family, but no dogs allowed. Free entry but they recommend you reserve tickets online ahead of time due to limited entry.
Patricia Adkins
5 months agoHad a wonderful time in the visitors center and trails. As others have mentioned this site was on an illegal dump which was unfortunately a good example of environmental racism. After lots of litigation the land was handed over to the Audubon society and is no longer a blight to the area. I really like the pollinator garden area, I believe the monarchs are on their way south and there were lots of them.
Contact Information
6500 S Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas, TX 75217, USA
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