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Local Links for Biodiversity—Houston, Texas
Museums and Nature Centers:
Armand Bayou Nature Center
8500 Bay Area Blvd.
Houston, TX 77258
Phone: 281-474-2551
www.ghg.net/abnc
One of the country's largest urban wildlife preserves, this 2,500-acre center features more than 370 species of wildlife. Along the five miles of trails, visitors will see three ecosystems: hardwood forest, estuarine bayou, and coastal tall grass prairie. Bison roam several acres of the prairie, and red-tailed hawks keep a watchful eye in the Texas Raptor exhibit.
Children's Museum of Houston
1500 Binz
Houston, TX 77004
Phone: 713-522-1138
www.cmhouston.org
Visitors to the Children's Museum of Houston will discover 14 engaging exhibits, ranging from the PG&E Ecostation, designed to encourage environmental awareness, to Yalalag, a reproduction of a mountainous Mexican town where children can make their own cocoa. Other highlights include the Think Tank, offering riddles and puzzles for children to decipher, and the Bubble Lab, where bubbles are created and explained.
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
4501 Woodway Dr.
Houston, TX 77024
Phone: 713-681-8433
www.neosoft.com/~arbor
Visitors to the arboretum and nature center can saunter down five miles of wooded trails, experience sights and smells at a sensory garden, and observe butterflies, hummingbirds and other animals in the Wildlife Garden. The nature center also offers educational and interpretive programs for children and adults.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
One Hermann Circle Dr.
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: 713-639-4629
www.hmns.org
Including 12 exhibit halls, a planetarium, a butterfly center, and an IMAX theatre, this is the fourth most-visited museum in the United States. Permanent exhibits focus on paleontology, energy, Texan wildlife, and malacology (the study of invertebrates). The museum's Discovery Place provides a hands-on learning experience on the science of motion.
Houston Zoo
1513 N. Mac Gregor
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: 713-533-6500
www.houstonzoo.org
Located only minutes from downtown Houston, the Houston Zoo attracts more visitors than any other southwestern zoo. Situated on 55 acres, the park houses 3,500 animals of 700 different species, several of which are endangered or threatened. The zoo recently opened its newly renovated Reptile House, which showcases Komodo dragons and an albino alligator. The zoo's permanent exhibits feature an okapi, elephants and koalas, as well as a Children's Zoo and Tropical Bird House.
Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
22306 Aldine Westfield Rd.
Humble, TX 77338-1071
Phone: 281-443-8731
Mercer's 250-acre Texan woodland has an eastern section, which features botanical gardens of daylilies, bamboo, ginger, and a variety of endangered species. The western section includes the arboretum, which has an outdoor classroom, picnic areas, and interpretive wayside signage.
Moody Gardens
One Hope Blvd.
Galveston, TX 77554
Phone: 800-582-4673
www.moodygardens.com
Visitors to Moody Gardens can walk through the Rain Forest Pyramid, explore marine diversity in the aquarium, and learn about life in space in the Discovery Museum. Moody Gardens is home to Toadally Frogs, the biggest frog exhibit in the country, and the Epiphyte Extravaganza, which features colorful orchids and bromeliads. Moody Gardens also has a full-sized IMAX theater.
Nature Discovery Center
7112 Newcastle
P.O. Box 777
Bellaire, TX 77402
Phone: 713-667-6550
www.naturediscoverycenter.org
The Nature Discovery Center offers everything from Discovery Rooms full of intriguing nature-themed exhibits to guided bird walks. The center organizes educational programs, including "Nature at your Doorstep," an interdisciplinary field study class for children.
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