Baytown Nature Center, 6213 Bayway Dr.
Water Fun
The Baytown Nature Center (BNC), is a 500-acre peninsula surrounded by Burnet, Crystal, and Scott Bays. All that water means a variety of places to cast a line! Piers, rocky embankments, and dirt slopes make for great locations to throw some bait and wait for the fish to bite. The waters are an important nursery area for an assortment of aquatic species like shrimp, crab, and fish. If fishing ON the water is more your thing, then launch a kayak near the Butterfly Garden and travel into the deeper waters or more secluded inlets to snag your next brag worthy catch.
Hit the Trails
There's no yellow brick road at the BNC, but there are miles of walkways for stretching your legs and taking in the great outdoors. Wooded gravel pathways and paved waterside trails wind throughout the Nature Center. Once a month, visitors can go on Full Moon Hikes which coincide with the Saturday closest to the full moon. The hikes are 90 minutes long and guided by one of the BNC's naturalists on staff. You never know what nocturnal creatures you may see or hear on the trails at night!
Playground with a Twist
The Children's Discovery Area of the BNC is one of the most unique play areas you will see at a park. The park features animal climbing structures, a pirate ship, a music play area made out of recycled materials, a few traditional playground features, and colorful educational boards for children to learn about the local ecology. The main entrance into the children's park is as distinct as the playground itself--modeled after the Fred Hartman Bridge with long rope cables guiding you in.
Feathered Fun
People aren't the only ones fishing at the BNC. This unique site is listed on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, providing habitat for 317 species of resident and neo-tropical migrant birds. The American Bird Conservancy designated the Baytown Nature Center as a nationally important bird area. Birding blinds are spread throughout the BNC as well as benches great for sitting and spotting your favorite feathered friends.
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