The Austin Nature & Science Center offers a variety of educational science and art exhibits all year-round. Exhibits are open to the public during regular visitor hours with no entry fee, but donations are accepted. For more information, please call Visitor Services staff at 512-974-3888.

Banner that read "Wildlife", with a picture of an owl's face.

Learn about a wide variety of native wildlife in our outdoor and indoor exhibits.  Meet the animals that call ANSC home and earn how you can help our animal ambassadors. Learn more about our Wildlife Exhibits here.

Banner that reads "Dino Pit" with a picture of sand and shovels and a fossil.

The Dino Pit is an outdoor exhibit about paleontology and local research. Dig for fossils from ancient Texas! Learn more about the Dino Pit here.

Take a virtual tour of the Dino Pit 
Banner that reads "Naturalist Workshop" with a picture of a natural history museum exhibit.

Get in touch with items straight from nature!  Come touch and explore furs, rocks, bones, plants, insects, magnifying glasses, and more.  Home of the Trade Counter Program (Wednesday - Friday 10am - 1pm; Saturday 10am - 4pm; Sunday 1pm - 4pm). Learn more about The Naturalist Workshop and Trade Counter here.

Banner that reads "Forest Trail" with a picture of signage describing native trees.

The Forest Trail is a self-guided exhibit of forty-five trees planted and maintained site-wide to encourage the selection of native trees appropriate for landscapes in Central Texas. Artwork by Robert Obrien. Learn more about the trail here.

Banner that reads "Honey Bee Hive" and a picture of honey bees in a clump.

Fascinated by the European honey bee? Check out our indoor exhibit in the Visitors Pavilion to view the inner workings of a living hive.  You might even locate the queen bee herself!  Bees and care provided by Austin Bees.

Summer 2024 Update: Our last colony of Bees swarmed and left the hive. Our volunteer Beekeepers are maintaining their home in their absence and are looking for a new colony that would like to live in this hive. "Bee" on the lookout for the return of the honeybees sometime soon.

Take a virtual tour of the Honey Bee Observation Hive
Banner that reads "Human Sundial" with a picture of a child standing as the gnomon to a large sundial in a garden.

Our human sundial was created through a partnership with MathHappens, UTeach, and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.  Let your body tell the time as it plays the role of the gnomon, or the piece that casts the shadow on the blocks.  

Take a virtual tour of the Human Sundial
Banner that reads "Pond Walk" with a picture of people walking along a trail surrounding a pond with lots of plants.

Take a walk around our site to learn more about our pond system. Look for basking turtles at the Upper Pond. Watch the water flow below from the bridge at the Creek. Meet curious fish at the dock of our Lower Pond.

Take a virtual tour of the Pond
Banner that reads "Seed Library" with a picture of a library card catalog.

Are you an enthusiastic seed saver? Interested in learning about our native plants? The Seed Library is a place for the community to share and exchange seeds to grow at home. Bring in seeds you've collected to share and check out different seeds brought in by other members of the community. Learn more about how to save seeds and find other seed saving and exchanging resources HERE. 

Take a virtual tour to learn about our native plants
Banner that reads "Pollinator Gardens" with a picture of monarch butterflies visiting native flowers.

Across ANSC, native and adapted plants are placed for wildlife. Our Pollinator Gardens are home to a variety of plants that bloom throughout the year, creating ideal habitats for native pollinators.

Take a virtual tour of our Pollinator Gardens
Banner that reads "Art in Public Places" with a picture of a nature inspired artwork.

The Art in Public Places program (AIPP) requests proposals from visual artists to design, fabricate, and install artworks at city-owned locations around the city, including ANSC. More information about temporary exhibition of public art across Austin can be found on the AIPP website.

Permanent Installations

Arboreal Passage

Colin McIntyre, 2011.  Forged Steel, stainless steel, copper, bronze, limestone, and oak.  Courtesy of Art in Public Places.

Big Snake

Kathleen Ash and Elena Eidelberg, 1997.  Ceramic, glass, and wood.  Courtesy of Art in Public Places.  

Land Before Us

Steffany Bankenbusch, 2019.  Acrylic on wood panels.  Courtesy of the TEMPO 2D 2019 program. 

Past Installations

Wild Imaginations

Jesse Melanson, 2018.  Watercolor and digital on vinyl.  Courtesy of the TEMPO 2D 2018 program.

Mirror Cloud

Elizabeth Farrell & Clare van Montfrans, 2018.  Steel tubing and sheet metal.  Courtesy of the TEMPO 3D 2018 program.  

Tubascopes

Steve Parker, 2017.  Brass instruments, steel and tubing.  Courtesy of the TEMPO 3D 2017 program.