Activity Overview
The Austin Nature & Science Center (ANSC) brings dinosaurs, butterflies, and robots to the natural adventure that is Zilker Park. At the ANSC, your children and your family will have the opportunity to touch, interact, and explore the various natural exhibits throughout the outdoor museum.
Summer camps are offered at ANSC, as well as school field trips, where students will be able to investigate the Naturalist Workshop with its microscopes and other laboratory equipment.
Things to Do
- You will get to meet much of the local Texas wildlife up close, including fish, frogs, and birds, as well as animals from outside of Texas. ANSC acts as an animal preserve, taking in orphaned or injured creatures and housing them for the rest of their natural lives.
- - Beverly S. Sheffield Education Center: also known as SPLASH! This center is a simulated limestone cave that demonstrates the natural habitat of Barton Springs and the endangered salamander that calls it home.
- - Naturalist Workshop: Perfect for large groups and field trips, this workshop gives students and children the opportunity to bring in their favorite natural objects and take a closer look at them through the microscopes, magnifying glasses, and weight scales. There are also many other natural objects children can touch and study.
- - Dino Pit: An outdoor paleontology exhibit where children can dig up bones and learn all about the dinosaurs that roamed through Texas millions of years ago
- - The Robot Zoo: Just opened in September 2014, this exhibit explains how animals move through robotic kinetics. There are 8 huge robots and numerous hands-on experiences to help children learn all about the animal kingdom.
Nature & Science Insider Tips
- A visit to ANSC won't take longer than an hour, so you'll have plenty of time to explore the rest of Zilker Park, including Barton Springs, the Botanical Garden, and the Nature Preserve.
- Some things aren't clearly marked, so if you have any questions about the flora and fauna you are visiting, be sure to ask an employee.
