Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary — Attraction in Rancho Santa Margarita

Went on a whim this morning and was pleasantly surprised how much information and beauty you can find here. The wildlife sanctuary was bustling with life and the information throughout is detailed and interesting. Every step of the way, the workers in the park were open and kind and told me about a lot of stuff going on there in the coming months. They have a great collection of native plants (one of my all-time favorite things in any place) and you can even buy potted versions for cheap!

The museum is a bit small but wow do they jam pack a lot of good stuff in there! They maximize space with these little drawers that you pull out and they tell you all kinds of things about different native wildlife. There's also this very detailed taxidermy enclosure that has life-size native animals. It looks great! They even have the (extinct, sadly) California Grizzly and it's huge. Standing up next to it really gives you a sense of what it must have been like to be around in the early days of settling down here.

Aside from the displays and fake animals, they do have live specimens of reptiles and amphibians. Cute to see and helpful; not only do they show pictures and names of each snake, they tell you which ones are poisonous and what to watch out for!

I also took a hike up the Harding Truck Trail as well - worth it, but be careful in the sun. There's no shade and it's an uphill climb.

Thanks for keeping this place great guys, I really enjoyed spending...

This place is so peaceful. It's no charge to wander around and look at the plants and animals but a donation can be given in the gift shop. We like to purchase native plants when we come here. You pick them out inside the sanctuary and then pay for them at the gift shop. There are many displays and more information inside the gift shop. Across from the wildlife sanctuary itself, and next to the gift shop, is another small area with a circular trail to wonder through a bit of native plants and just enjoy another peaceful walk. If you are more adventurous and need a full hike, this is the start of a trail hike up through the hills. It's just all around a very nice place to visit. Either quickly or make a whole day out of it. It offers something...

We accidentally discovered this place 3 years ago and we have been visiting the Center every time we go to SoCal. The gift shop is nice and the staff are friendly. CSU Fullerton runs the Sanctuary and this year marks the 90th anniversary.

Tucker is not far from urban developments and you can get there in a short drive. You will enjoy the beautiful surrounding and easily spot woodpeckers, jays and hummingbirds. Hummingbirds love to hang around the porch outside the gift shop and it is very cool watching them flying and feeding from the dispensers.

We visited the place 2 weeks ago and the nearby hills were green and full of flowers. There was also water running on the river bed. Thanks to the...