South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center — Attraction in Corpus Christi

From what I saw, this place doesn’t take good care of the plants or animals. The plants in the greenhouse are very overgrown. Roots are spilling out of the pots and hanging over the walkway. I’m a leopard gecko owner myself so I’m going to be a little more critical when it comes to the condition I saw these little guys in. Frankly, they weren’t little at all. Both leopard geckos they had were severely obese. The tanks were below the bare minimum. Only 2 hides each and one of them was an open hide facing the outside of the tank, completely defeating the purpose. I give a few brownie points for not housing them together but overall they need better care. No offense to any of the workers I talked to, I’m sure it’s not all on them, but I was told both geckos have been there for at least 3 years. That’s plenty of time to get their diets in check. I was told at least one of them was on a diet however due to the fact that it was still severely obese despite being there for over 3 years, I think it’s safe to say they could have prevented such a problem. I would understand if they were rescues and came in like that but 3 years is a long time, long enough to help get these geckos back in shape. I’ve seen amazing transformations of geckos in states like this in only a few months. I would also like to add that the bird enclosures seemed a bit small as well and one of the iguanas had dropped its tail. While they could’ve gotten him in that condition, based on the condition of the other animals it’s not unlikely that it dropped its tail while in the care of those place. To the workers if you’re reading this, please do some proper research not only on diets but for appropriate enclosures and care routines. This goes for anyone getting ready to adopt an animal. Keeping care of these little guys may seem fairly simple and a lot of people consider leopard geckos starter pets. They’re not. Please DO...

The South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center is always on our top three places to visit every single time we make the trip down south. We consistently have 5-star visits, and spend hours wondering around the garden grounds. Right from the very beginning we are greeted by friendly faces, and throughout our visit we can interact with the volunteers that work tirelessly to maintain the garden. They are always watering, cleaning, and tending the garden. Additionally, my son loves asking questions and interacting with their birds, and the volunteers are always eager to help us learn more. As a bird owner myself, I am always very impressed with the cleanliness of their cages and the health of their birds. On top of constantly looking for ways to expand and improve the gardens and visitor experience, they never fail to provide the necessary care for their birds and animals. Their treatment of and compassion for their animals and nature is truly inspiring. Likewise, the grounds are always clean, well-maintained, and peaceful – it’s easy to forget that you are only a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of Corpus Christi. We also love spending time at their playground, where my son can run, jump, and climb. The playground itself is incredibly cute, with a whimsical playhouse and lots of room to explore. I feel confident my son can play safely here – giving me a chance to relax and enjoy the fresh air while he works out his boundless energy. We are so thankful for the gardens and all they do. We look forward to...

We visited this place early-mid March and what a disappointment has been:

it is nothing like the great botanical gardens around the planet we have visited - it felt almost like somebody's garden deprived of everything you pay 9 USD and get a map I could have printed on my A4 paper the reception staff is very nice, although they sell only what we call 'trinkets' in their shop the young staff on the 'parrot room' was on the verge of rude: a tall girl showing the tricks she could do with her 2 parrots as if we were at a circus!!!!??? Returning from the toilet I saw another girl took her place, with her one parrot asking 'do you want to touch him'? then asking to disinfect (I travel with disinfectant everywhere) and put a glove touched by everybody in order the parrot to sit on my hand for a few seconds - what a bore!!!!!! from here we started following the map trail yet we came across a bored iguana, some flowers in pots, some orchids in the conservatory, no hummingbirds in their area, a few butterflies in their area, more arid areas around the wetland where there were lots of birds though

Some garden staff were working on some roses yet all in all we were left disappointed not because of the 9 USD we spent but because we could have visited a better place.

I think I have more plants and wildlife in my garden than there were when we visited this place.

What a...