South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary

South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary

South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The mission of the SPIBNCAS is to educate the public about the birds of South Padre Island and the Laguna Madre Coastal area, with an emphasis on conservation and environmental awareness. Our primary goal is to provide an excellent, one-of-a-kind birding opportunity coupled with interpretive tours on site and educational opportunities to learn about the flora and fauna of South Padre Island. The South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary is a non-profit organization and all money received from fundraising events, entry fees, donations and sales are used for the sole intention of furthering our mission of education and conservation. Come by and visit with the staff and volunteers working here. You’ll witness the wonderful splendor of nature, what it has to offer, and leave our facility feeling positive and amazed!
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • corinne
    Grand Rapids, Minnesota16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Seriously, what are you waiting for?
    It was interactive fun! Feeding the gators and tortoises as well as the little turtles inside was incredible. I got to pet the large tortoise's head and got some cool pics. I held a snake and small gator! I got some of my favorite souvenirs at the gift shop and made some of my favorite memories!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 5, 2023
  • OntarioCanuck1
    Georgetown, Canada4,138 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great visit
    Great boardwalk, we took the morning tour at additional cost which was great. I would recommend it, the volunteers are fabulous. Lots birds to be seen which u might miss without experts helping you. Worth a visit with or without tour.lots of birds and alligators.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 5, 2023
  • Chris A
    Parker, Colorado205 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    good place to slow down and enjoy
    This is a nice place to slow down your vacation. There are a lot of alligators, turtles, birds, etc to look at. I really liked the boardwalks that took you through trees, marshes, and out to the bay. They have pretty large sea turtles that you can feed. My favorite was the Pink Spoonbill, they reminded me of mini flamingos. The admission price is fair and the staff is friendly. There is also an upper level that you can go to for a great view of the property and the bay.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 16, 2023
  • Janis Hamilton
    Allen, Texas9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visit and make sure you see Jake and Gizmo
    This is a worthwhile visit. The boardwalk trail is an easy walk for the young and old. Lots of birds to observe and some Gators. We attended a talk about Alligators with Jake which I would recommend. It was very informative and interesting. Gizmo, a small Alligator, was a special guest at the talk.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written January 12, 2024
  • 206SallyF
    Caribbean34 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place for nature enthusiasts
    The best thing about this place was the staff person who gave a very interesting talk about alligators. He was funny and informative. There was also a feeding demonstration with their 2 largest alligators outdoors. The walkways were easy to follow, and there were all sorts of migratory birds to see. Very small gift shop area.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 7, 2024
  • Lys G
    Los Fresnos, Texas22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice trail.
    This place was really nice. I had been wanting to visit for a while so my husband & I went alone without our kids. It was really nice weather and there were lots of birds & Gators. I got to take lots of nice pix. The 2nd time however we decided to take the kids & it rained. We still very much enjoyed ourselves & our kids had fun & really liked it despite it raining. Definitely recommend for those who like bird watching, scenic photos, & walking. 😁
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 10, 2024
  • Malia R
    37 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing - must see
    We went about noon and we did not see many birds - but the alligators were awesome and we fed the alligators and turtles. We bought the ticket for our daughter to hold the snake and alligator for photos and that was fun. This place is very well done. The piers were so nice and walking trails. Go up in the lookout tower and while slightly gross the bird eye view of the city’s water processing plant was also a very up close look at waste water.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 29, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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 bubbles1,442 reviews
Excellent
1,053
Very good
298
Average
64
Poor
17
Terrible
10

Banjorn
Newton, KS28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Friends
We arrived in the late morning and stayed through mid to late afternoon. I expected birding could be a little slow but was surprised to find good numbers of water birds with great viewing options. There is a tower but not sure it affords views as good as the boardwalks that take you out into the wetland areas.
Written February 14, 2020
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.

deb0217
Dallas, TX137 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
This is a fun place to visit. It was hot when we went, but the boardwalk has a lot of great things to look at and informational boards along the way. We loved feeding the alligators and tortoises! The inside museum offers a lot of good information and live animals to look at. The view from the observation tower makes a great photo! They also had good enforcement of COVID-19 precautions... face masks required inside and on the boardwalk when physical distancing is not possible.
Written July 23, 2020
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.

Mienie
Harker Heights, TX44 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020 • Couples
I was very excited to visit the facility, since I am an avid birdwatcher and nature enthusiast. We fed the tortoises and then walked along the boardwalk towards “Big Padre’s” area. The workers were trying to motivate the alligator into showing himself to the bystanders. He did not come up to the surface, and the one worker started poking him with a pipe. At first he used a short pipe, but the alligator tried to hide in deeper waters and then he continued to harass him with a longer pipe. I asked them to stop, but they continued to poke the alligator and agitate him so that he could get out of the water and the spectators could take a picture of him (I assume). Then the other worker started splashing the water with a broom. This really annoyed the poor animal and he was outraged when he arose out of the water and made a deep sound and bit off the bottom of the broom. Of course this was applauded by the small audience, since conservation apparently equals sensationalism. I felt sick to my stomach and reported the incident to the person working at the cashier register and she was not overly friendly and referred me to the manager. He was professional and agreed that this type of treatment is unacceptable. I had to leave the facility, because the lack of respect towards nature under the artificial label of “conservation” broke my heart. Please, that animal has the right to peace. How many times should he be subjected to this type of harassment in a day?
I was trying to escape the rat race only to be reminded of the preposterous commercialization and insensitive treatment of animals and the gorgeous coast.

What a horrific experience.
Written November 26, 2020
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.

leighhushfield
Fate, TX5 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Couples
The birding center was very attractive and the boardwalk area well maintained. The cost is also very reasonable. We really enjoyed the alligator talk and watching them feed “big padre”. The only drawback was there were no birding guides because of COVID. The guides are really what you are paying for because you can park and walk the boardwalk for free. I still feel it was worth the investment.
Written July 11, 2020
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.

Erika H
32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021 • Solo
Terrific guided 2 hour birding tour starting at 8:30 am (book it online) and led by Javi, naturalist, just $5 in addition to admission and absolutely worth it. Short, level boardwalk (about 3/4 of a mile) covering several habitats (salt water mangrove to the bay to fresh water) with a variety of birds frequenting each area. Tranquil stroll with lots of stops to admire the many birds. Javi set up his own telescope for us, in order to highlight certain birds, their plumage and even a huge shell. He was extremely knowledgeable and delighted in pointing out the different birds to us.

There is also a small alligator habitat at the beginning of the bird walk.

Great experience!
Written February 26, 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.

Mark
Oklahoma City, OK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
What a great way to explore South Texas wildlife & Nature !!! A very nice indoor presentation of native wildlife...then take a long walk on the boardwalk to see nature at it’s best. Birds to alligators !!!
Written February 13, 2020
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.

Wayne K
71 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
The bird sanctuary was awesome. They give you alot of information about wild life in the area besides birds. I never knew that there are alligators in Texas. Besides the building there is a walk way that brings you to see the fish, birds, alligators, and the beach. I would recommend this for singles or families.
Written February 15, 2020
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.

Bacons on the Road
62 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
This is a nice nature preserve. Visited with two young children who really enjoyed climbing to the top of the bird watch tower and also exploring the boardwalks. We saw so many different types of birds and one wild alligator (in addition to the rescued gators). There is a small museum on the second level as well. We stayed for a gator talk, which was interesting. The only thing I wasn't really a fan of was after the gator talk they offer for you to take your photo with a baby gator for $5. I'm sure the money goes towards a good cause, but it just kind of seemed out of place when talking about conservation, etc.
Written February 24, 2020
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.

Scott W
15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
Firstly - Great job on enforcing masks and social distancing! We really appreciated that. There was only one worker who did not know how to wear a mask (kept his nostrils exposed) but we stayed clear of him.

We were the first ones there at 8:30. We stayed until 11:30. We are not coastal folks so we saw at least 20 species of birds we had never seen before. My favorite was the Roseate Spoonbill.

The kids loved the aligators and all the baby water fowl they saw. Holding the alligator and boa was a big bonus for them.

One of the naturalist was out on the boardwalk with us and pointed out a green king-fisher, which is very rare to see there. That was pretty cool.
Written July 21, 2020
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.

Lynn A
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021
The birding center is a must for Padre Island visitors. The boardwalks make it easy for anyone to enjoy an incredible day watching area and migratory birds. Binoculars are available from the center at little cost and enhance the visit. The entrance fee is very reasonable and allows visitors to come and go throughout the day. This time was my 3rd visit, and I'll go back every time on on South Padre Island.
Written February 27, 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.

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