Audubon Acres and Maclellan Island

Audubon Acres and Maclellan Island

Audubon Acres and Maclellan Island
4.5
Nature & Wildlife AreasHiking Trails
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles43 reviews
Excellent
26
Very good
8
Average
5
Poor
2
Terrible
2

The Abraham Family
2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Family
My children had a field trip to experience Pioneer Day. They had a very positive experience and much fun.

On my end while dropping off my children with their teacher, a staff member in a purple Pioneer Era dress who was assisting in direction traffic was quite abrasive towards me, another male staff member and a few other adults who were trying to drop off their children as well. I understand the drop off time is busy but there is a way to talk to others without saying, "well I don't know what you're going to do but you can't stay here". I did appreciate the male staff members who tried to resolve the situation with gentleness. He helped me and others find close parking without being in the way of the busses. A suggestion I have is to create a space for personal vehicle drop off that doesn't hinder school busses dropping out and picking up. Perhaps signs can be posted. Sometimes these things happen to make improvements.
Written November 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JeriandJerry C
Chattanooga, TN4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Family
The hiking trails and being outdoors is great, but stay away from the railroad tracks, my brother and 2 nieces was out there collecting rocks and having a great day, until they tried making it across the bridge because the walkway was torn up at the time and my nieces foot got stuck in some tar on the tracks as they heard the train coming and my brother lost his life at the age of 31 saving my 10 year old niece that he threw off that 15 foot bridge. So please take caution around this area. Thanks
Written December 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

psmith0408
Austin, TX1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Family
Audubon Acres is probably the best deal in Chattanooga. For only $4 for adults (my goddaughter is two and was free) we spent the entire day here and had a great time. This is a beautiful mostly wooded property with a wonderful variety of plants and wildlife. We rented nature guides in the visitor center ($1) and spent the morning hiking the roughly 5 miles of trails which are wide and easy to follow. This was a great break from overdeveloped nature parks that feel more like a city park than a walk in the woods. If you're not into dirt and tree roots on the trails, then what are you doing at a wildlife sanctuary? Trails are mostly level and cross over the creek via a swinging bridge that my goddaughter loved! Couldn't resist letting her throw a few rocks in.

If you're into birdwatching this place is great; we racked up over 30 species without really trying (Cerulean Warblers - life list!). Left to grab a picnic lunch (lots of tables around the property) and to make a quick trip to Walmart for inner tubes. Audubon Acres allows tubing on the creek provided you bring your own tubes. Spent the afternoon staying cool in the water. The tubing trail is about a mile and mostly shaded which was great. Saw Barred Owls near the swinging bridge then bought some cokes in the visitor center. Asked to see the historic cabin and the volunteer on duty gave us an impromptu tour.

Not sure about Mclellan Island, but we had a wonderful day at Audubon Acres for much less than other Chattanooga attractions cost. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a peaceful day in the woods.
Written September 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rebecca H
Chattanooga, TN251 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Friends
A local looking for a new place to try with family, I found this to be underwhelming. The check-in/nature center was somewhat interesting & staff was very friendly but the two miles of trails were mosquito infested & lacking scenery compared to the free trails of Enterprise South & White Oak trails. The swinging bridge was a first for my mom so that was neat however it was pretty stable.There might be better options when an event is taking place but on its own, I would not return.
Written May 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kristian C
Boston, MA5,649 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
I personally have not been to Maclellan Island. Audabon Acres is nice, though. They have a few miles of good hiking trails, and the chickamauga river runs through their property. They have this historical house, which is the same as it was about a hundred years ago, which is cool to go into. They also have a hurt golden eagle (they've had bald ones in the past) in a big exhibit. If you are in the area stop by.
Written June 14, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Terry C
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Friends
We made the trip from Atlanta, GA. According to the website & posted hours on the gate, the park was to be opened at 9:00 AM. A group of us showed up at 9:30 only to find the park was closed. No notice on the website or gate. I called the phone number only to get a voicemail box that was full & no recorded message that the park would be closed. Call first if you plan a trip here or don't waste your time.
Written July 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wiskyjax
Harrisburg, PA114 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
At Audobon Acres you will find trails easily hiked in sneakers. We walked nearly the entire park in 2 hours and enjoyed seeing a suspended bridge across the river. The admission is $4/adult and there are maps and restrooms in the office where you pay. A nice day out, but be aware that there are no awe-strucking sites to see such as a mountain or waterfall.
Written April 10, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rb_sumers
Grand Rapids, MI80 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2015 • Family
We stopped in hopes of hiking the trails and having a nice picnic lunch.
This place is in the heart of the city, but you wouldn't know it. As you drive, its located at a dead end road which leads to the entrance. We stopped into the visitors center. It was $4 per adult and kids were free. They have some nice exhibits and trail map available. We took our lunch and hiked to the river. There was a picnic table there with a wonderful view of the river. Each trail is labeled and pretty easy to navigate. It was perfect for our 2 year old. Each leg of the trail was only about .2 - ish miles so very do-able for anyone to wants a short break. There were a few different trails with a max of 5 miles if you walked everything. The trails were easy to walk, good for young and old, mostly flat. There is an interesting swinging bridge across the river too.
The service was great, very friendly guy at the counter. We had a really nice time there. We encountered no one there during our Friday afternoon.
This is a non-profit organization, which we love to support, and worth the few bucks. I'd definitely recommend to anyone passing through.
Written March 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ronna R
Bowling Green, OH61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2013 • Couples
Finally made it here, we are trying to see everything in Chattanooga! They have a nice little visitor center and got info and a map on the trails. The very nice lady said don't take this trail it climbs up and its steep so we thought we were on a flat trail but ended up on the steep trail. And I'm glad we went up it it was a very nice hike just wish i had my walking stick.
Written September 22, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bren416
Harrison, TN170 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2016 • Couples
Visited The Acres of Darkness on Oct 2016, it's a haunted trail in Audubon Acres.
The price was $15. The line for the trail was long, waited for over an hour. They had activities for children (face & pumpkin painting) and food (hot dogs & a few drink choices). The trail was about half a mile, but it didn't feel long (we were running lol). The actors were great, they did not break character and were indeed scary. I would not recommend allowing children go through the whole trail, there's an early exit they can take instead. Please, do not take kids in, they will cry and ruin the experience for other visitors. I can't stress this enough: it is not for kids, it is meant to be scary. The only negative part in the trail was the kids and the parents to that dragged them through the entire thing, they definitely need to set an age limit (12+). That being said, the rest was great, worth the price and the long wait.
One more time: NOT FOR KIDS.
Written October 30, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 43
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Audubon Acres and Maclellan Island - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

All Chattanooga HotelsChattanooga Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in ChattanoogaHotels near Audubon Acres and Maclellan Island
All things to do in Chattanooga
Zoos & Aquariums in Chattanooga
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars