The Austin Nature & Science Center offers nature and science-based educational programs for a variety of school groups, including public, private, preschool, and homeschool.
Quick links
2025-2026 School Year
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Registration link can be found in the Registration Directions drop-down below.
- Program Overview
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- Created for Pre-Kindergarten to 5th grade students
- Located at the Austin Nature & Science Center (ANSC) or At Your School
- Program Length
- PreK thru 1st grade: 1 hour program
- 2nd grade thru 5th grade: 1.5 hour program
- *Please note the Habitat Hike program is 60 minutes for PreK-2 grade and is 90 minutes for 3-5 grade
- Reservation Times
- 10:00-11:30 am
- 10:00 am-12:00 pm
- 11:30 am-1:30 pm
- 12:00-1:30 pm
- All programs have three indoor and/or outdoor stations
- Correlate to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Standards
- 2025-2026 program descriptions, TEKS, and vocabulary
- Programs are offered October 7, 2025-April 24, 2026
- October 7, 2025-January 23, 2026
- Animal Communities
- Astronomy
- Bats
- January 26, 2026-April 25, 2026
- Animal Communities
- Habitat Hike (only offered at ANSC)
- *Please note this program is 60 minutes for PreK-2 grade and is 90 minutes for 3-5 grade
- Insects
- Pond Study
- October 7, 2025-January 23, 2026
- Registration: Overview
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- Program Length
- PreK thru 1st grade: 1 hour program
- 2nd grade thru 5th grade: 1.5 hour program
- *Please note the Habitat Hike program is 60 minutes for PreK-2 grade and is 90 minutes for 3-5 grade
- Reservation Times
- 10:00-11:30 am
- 10:00 am-12:00 pm
- 11:30 am-1:30 pm
- 12:00-1:30 pm
- Administration staff will contact you within 72 hours of your request. After you have received a confirmation email from anscprograms@austintexas.gov and an invoice, the School Programs Coordinator will email you with the specific program theme and group rotation times. Due to the volume of requests we receive, it may take several weeks to receive specific details for the day of your program. Thank you in advance for your patience.
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Refer to the decision tree below to determine your reservation time for the number of students attending.
- Program Length
- Registration: Directions
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If registered school groups cancel, updates will be made in RecTrac link below. Complete the Registration Form only if there are available dates in RecTrac.
- Check the availability of your preferred dates and times in RecTrac.
- Fill out the Instructor-Led Programs Registration Form. It may help to have the following information handy:
- Two preferred dates and times that show as available on RecTrac
- The first and second choice program theme you're requesting
- Grade level of students
- Number of students, classes, and teachers attending
- Number of chaperones (maximum of 5 chaperones per group of 25 students are allowed inside our classrooms)
- Your plans for eating lunch or snacks on site, if applicable. We are a pack-in/pack-out facility on a nature preserve. If you have plans to eat at ANSC, you must take your trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal.
- Administrative staff will contact you within 72 hours of your request to complete your reservation.
- After you receive a confirmation email from anscprograms@austintexas.gov and an invoice, the School Programs Coordinator will email you with the specific program theme and group rotation times. Due to the volume of requests we receive, it may take several weeks to receive specific details for the day of your program. Thank you in advance for your patience.
- Details for Your Visit
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- After you've received a confirmation email from anscprograms@austintexas.gov and an invoice, the School Programs Coordinator will email you with the specific program theme and group rotation times. Due to the volume of requests we receive, it may take several weeks to receive specific details for the day of your program. Thank you in advance for your patience.
- Each group of 25 students (typically 1 class) will join an ANSC instructor for 3 rotating stations the correlate to the program theme. Each station has supplies for 25 students.
- If you have large classes, please divide your classes into groups of 25 students before the field trip.
- Smaller classes may be combined so the groups will fit into the program rotations.
- To fit safely and comfortably into our classrooms, school groups must be divided into smaller groups of up to 25 students each. Therefore, fees for instructor-led programs are based on groups of 25 students. Up to 5 chaperones are allowed for each group of up to 25 students in a classroom. Any additional chaperones will be asked to wait outside of the classrooms and will not be able to observe the program.
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The chart below shows several scenarios the School Programs Coordinator may assign you for your field trip. Your requested reservation time and the information from your request will be factored in when the Program Coordinator emails your field trip schedule. Please include specific needs on your request form, including a later start time due to bus schedules.
- Payment, Fees, and Cancellations
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Payment:
You will receive a confirmation email from anscprograms@austintexas.gov and an invoice that you or your school or district can pay by:
- Credit card by phone before your trip, call (512)974-3888 to make payment
- Credit card when you check in at the front desk
- Check when you check in at the front desk, or by mail. Checks must be issued for the exact amount of the invoice. Checks can be made out to Austin Nature & Science Center and sent to our mailing address: 301 Nature Center Drive Austin, Texas 78746. For At Your School programs, we cannot accept checks at your school; please have checks mailed for the exact invoiced amount,
To fit safely and comfortably into our classrooms, school groups must be divided into smaller groups of up to 25 students each. Therefore, fees for instructor-led programs are based on groups of 25 students. Up to 5 chaperones are allowed for each group of up to 25 students in a classroom. Any additional chaperones will be asked to wait outside of the classroom and will not be able to observe the program.
Fees:
At Your School: Reservations are $5.00 per student (non-Title 1 schools) or $2.50 per students (Title 1 schools).
At Your School reservations require a minimum fee of $125.00, regardless of total number of students.
At ANSC: Instructor-Led Program Fees
Non-Title 1 Schools
Up to 25 students 26-50 students 51-75 students 76-100 students 101-125 students 126-150 students PreK, K, 1st Grade $75 $125 $200 $275 $350 $425 2nd thru 5th Grades $100 $175 $250 Not Available Teachers and Staff Free Chaperones (limit is 5 per group of 25 students/classroom) Free, limit 5 Free, limit 10 Free, limit 15 Free, limit 20 Free, limit 25 Free, limit 30 Title 1 Schools
Up to 25 students 26-50 students 51-75 students 76-100 students 101-125 students 126-150 students PreK, K, 1st Grade $35 $60 $100 $125 $175 $200 2nd thru 5th Grade $50 $75 $125 Not Available Teachers and Staff Free Chaperones (limit is 5 per group of 25 students/classroom) Free, limit 5 Free, limit 10 Free, limit 15 Free, limit 20 Free, limit 25 Free, limit 30 Cancellations and Refund Policy:
- Reservations close 3 weeks in advance of available dates.
- Inclement weather cancellation/rescheduling: Our site is open rain or shine. Please plan to bring appropriate outdoor weather clothing and gear. Please reconsider eating lunch on site if precipitation is predicted. There is NO indoor or covered space to eat. In the case of severe or dangerous weather conditions predicted by NOAA or local emergency management agencies, administration staff will work with you to cancel or transfer to any other available dates.
- Refunds: If a written cancellation request is received to anscprograms@austintexas.gov 14 or more calendar dates in advance of your reservation, we will gladly refund your balance, minus a $35 processing fee (or your field trip fee, whichever is less). If a written cancellation request is made with less than 14 calendar days notice, there will be no refunds or credits issued, and you will owe any balance due.
Glossary:
- Reservation: A reservation for an instructor-led program is a 1.5 or 2 hour block of time that includes your instructor-led program plus time to explore ANSC at your own pace.
- Instructor-Led Program: We use instructor-led program to refer to either At ANSC of At Your School programs led by our instructional staff.
- At Your School: These are instructor-led programs that take place in your school instead of at ANSC.
- Field Trip: A field trip refers to a number of experiences we offer for school groups. You can visit ANSC at your own pace in groups of 15-200 via a group reservation, participate in one our our instructor-led programs At ANSC or At Your School, or you can participate in our Homeschool programs. All of these experiences require reservations in advance.
- Group Reservation: A field trip experience to ANSC at your own pace, without instructor-led activities.
- Registration: The process of filling out our online form and working with our administrative staff to get your reservation for an instructor-led program into RecTrac, our registration system.
- Group Size: The number of students attending the instructor-led program. Your groups will be divided into smaller groups of up to 25 students to safely fit inside classrooms.
- Chaperone: A non-school staff who accompanies students on the field trip experience. Only 5 chaperones are allowed per group of 25 students. Any additional chaperones must wait outside of classrooms and will not be able to observe the programs.
Homeschool programs are STEAM-focused and instill an appreciation of the natural world while allowing collaboration and socializing with peers. We offer monthly meet-ups, a science club, and an adventure club.
Monthly Meet-Up and Science Club registration for the 2024-2025 school year is closed. Registration for our next season will open on Monday, September 15, 2025.
- Monthly Meetup
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Monthly Meet-Up registration for the 2024-2025 school year is closed. Registration for our next season will open on Monday, September 15, 2025
- Science Club
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Science Club registration for the 2024-2025 school year is closed. Registration for our next season will open September 15, 2025. Details coming soon!
- Adventure Series
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Adventure Series registration for the 2024-2025 school year is closed. Registration for our next season will open September 15, 2025. Details coming soon!
- Cancellations and Refund Policy
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Details for the 2024-2025 school year coming soon!
Registration for the 2025-2026 school year beginning September 2nd at 10am.
- Program Overview and Registration
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Details coming soon!
These documents will help you prepare for your visit!
- Maps
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- Driving Directions to ANSC
- Bus Driver Bus Lane arrival- We have a bus lane along Stratford Dr that is oriented toward ANSC for participant drop-off. The most accessible way to position correctly is to drive through the Rollingwood neighborhood. Once students have unloaded, buses must then move to a different parking spot. We do not have designated bus parking spaces.
- Nature Center Site
- Zilker Nature Preserve
- Scavenger Hunts
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- PreKindergarten - 1st Grade
- 2nd - 5th Grade
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Reservations, Cancellations, and Rescheduling
What if it rains or there is severe weather on the day of our field trip?
- Our site is open rain or shine. In case of predicted precipitation, please plan to bring appropriate outdoor weather clothing and gear. Please reconsider eating lunch on site if bad weather is predicted, there is NO indoor or covered space to eat. In the case of severe or dangerous weather conditions predicted by NOAA or local emergency management agencies, or if ANSC must cancel your program, we will work with you to cancel or transfer to another available date free of charge.
What if we need to cancel or reschedule?
- If a written cancellation request is received at anscprograms@austintexas.gov 30 or more calendar days in advance of your reservation, we will gladly refund your balance minus a $35 processing fee (or your field trip fee, whichever is less). If a written cancellation request is made less than 30 calendar days before your scheduled field trip, there will be no refunds or credits issued, and you will owe any balance due.
Arrival
What happens if I arrive late?
- Instructor-led programs rely on your on-time arrival to facilitate the program as designed. Please call the front desk staff at 512-974-3888 if you are running late. Instructors will do their best to accommodate late arrivals; however, program length may need to be adjusted.
Where do we go when we arrive?
- Upon arrival, please unload and meet at the large limestone blocks across from the entry meadow (photo). If your group is divided and some students will be going on a self-guided tour first and other students will be in the instructor-led program first, please send the groups that will be in the instructor-led program up first. We highly recommend having a plan for dividing up your school group before your arrival.
Where do I pay?
- Please send one representative from your school to our front desk, just inside the main entrance of our Visitor Pavilion.
Buses and Parking
Where can we park?
- Free parking is available on Stratford Dr. under the MoPac bridge across from the ANSC entrance.
Where should the bus go? Do you have bus parking or bus lanes?
- We have a bus lane along Stratford Dr that is oriented toward ANSC for participant drop-off. The most accessible way to position correctly is to drive through the Rollingwood neighborhood. (map) Once students have unloaded, buses must then move to a different parking spot. We do not have designated bus parking spaces.
Lunch
Where can we eat lunch?
- You may eat at the Overlook or the Entry Meadow. (photo) We are a pack-it-in pack-it-out facility on a nature preserve, so any plans that involve eating on-site must include taking trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal. In order to limit pests and ants, please do not eat around the animal enclosures or the dino pit.
Is there a place to store our lunches/backpacks/water bottles?
- Coolers or lunches can be placed in the lunch areas. ANSC is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Items cannot be stored indoors due to space limitations and fire code regulations.
Where do we put our trash and recycling from lunch?
- We are a pack-it-in pack-it-out facility on a nature preserve, so any plans that involve eating on-site must include taking trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal. We do not have trash or recycling receptacles for large groups.
Is there a place to buy food or drinks?
- We have a vending machine located by the bathrooms in the Headquarters Building, which only accepts cash. ANSC does not have change and cannot repair/refund/refill the machine.
Is there a gift shop?
- ANSC does not have a gift shop.
Program Specifics
Will my class be split up the entire time?
- We try to keep classes together and can accommodate up to 25 students per group for instructor-led programs. If your class is larger than 25, we may need to move some students into a different group for the instructor-led program, but your class will be together for the remainder of your field trip.
What does my class do while they're not in an instructor-led program?
- Students who are not in a program with an instructor are welcome to explore our site with chaperones or teachers. You may also opt to eat lunch while the other half of your students are in their program.
Chaperones
How many chaperones can we have? Where do they meet us?
- Only five chaperones are allowed per group of 25 students. Any additional chaperones must wait outside of classrooms and will not be able to observe the programs.
- Chaperones can meet the school group by the bus loading zone along Stratford Dr or by the limestone blocks across from the entry Meadow where ANSC instructors meet your school.
What are the chaperones' responsibilities? Do they have to pay? Where do chaperones park?
- Chaperones are expected to stay with students as they explore our site to make sure they are safe and accounted for. We also occasionally ask chaperons to assist with activities during programs. Up to five chaperones may accompany groups into classrooms and participate in our instructor-led programs.
- There is no charge for chaperones to attend a field trip with a school group.
- There is parking available along Stratford Dr. under the MoPac Bridge.