South Padre Island Birding And Nature Center — Attraction in South Padre Island

The stars are only for Phillip. He was a sweetheart and gave me lots of info about the tortoises. The area is beautiful and fun to do outside but my review isn’t about the actual place, this is about the staff inside. My son whom is young, and at the age where he touches just about anything, dangerous or not, he wants it. The glass turtles which were are at heights any young child could easily reach caught his attention the most. He ended up grabbing and breaking them and while I’m upset as it is, the staff and older age visitors make it worse. Making comments like “yep he broke it” “looks like she’s going to have to spend some money today.” And one older lady that works inside told the cashier “you’re gonna be making some sales today.” I paid $40 for two little turtles which is ridiculous but since we broke it of course I’ll pay for it. I told the cashier to throw them away because I’m not taking home broken glass. She then proceeds to laugh and so I ended up walking out crying. I understand a child just broke stuff in your store but he’s a toddler? Show some compassion and don’t make the mom feel worse than she’s already feeling. I recommend this place for the outdoors and reptile room but the...

My wife and I visited this well run facility in mid-January of 2019 and were surprised by the large variety of bird species. In mid-January it was windy but in the 60 sixties. Due to the wind, we saw no alligators. However, the bird species were evident everywhere. A particularly attractive feature of this long boardwalk is that if you set up in one spot for a period the wildlife comes to you. Another positive is that the center's wildlife experts walk the boardwalk regularly and you can gain significant information about various species just by listening or asking them a question or two. There is no-one to "rush" you through and you literally can stay from early morning to late afternoon. It is generally very quiet and photography is a snap to practice and is encouraged by the staff. The price of admission covers the whole day and is $5 for seniors and $6 for others. A great bargain. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. If you are a serious birder, this is worth the effort to find this facility, which is just across the street from the...

Gators, Snakes, and One Smart 4-Year-Old!

This was our second visit to the South Padre Birding and Nature Center, and once again, the alligators were the main draw for our younger kids. We arrived just in time for the gator presentation—last time it was outside (in the heat and humidity), but this time it was indoors, and I definitely preferred the cooler setting!

The presenter was super friendly and incredibly informative. You can tell he genuinely cares about the alligators and enjoys educating the next generation.

We got to watch Big Padre being fed, which was a highlight! Our 15-year-old and 6-year-old were brave enough to hold a snake and a baby gator. Our 4-year-old? Not a chance—his survival instincts kicked in, and he noped right out of that experience, haha. But he did love feeding the giant land turtles!

We skipped the boardwalk this time since it was a little rainy and the walk is pretty long, but all in all, still a great experience and...