Tree Hill Nature Center, Jacksonville: Hours, Address, Tree Hill Nature Center Reviews: 4/5
Tree Hill Nature Center
Tree Hill Nature Center
4
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Tree Hill Nature Center is a nonprofit wildlife preserve conveniently located in the midst of a Jacksonville, Florida suburb. Tree Hill is an urban wilderness of unspoiled, undeveloped land right in the heart of the city.
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The area
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Best nearby
Restaurants
156 within 3 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
49 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
20
Average
12
Poor
4
Terrible
0
Pam K
Avon Park, FL35 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
Visited while passing through Jax on vacation. It’s a nice place with some animal and habitat exhibits.
Live goats and chickens, boardwalk and nice walking paths. Nice young man in the visitor center
who was very friendly and informative. Inexpensive fee and plenty of fun for children. My only disappointment was waking to what looked to be a boardwalk overlook to the river to find out it was broken and inaccessible. Overall a fun time.
Live goats and chickens, boardwalk and nice walking paths. Nice young man in the visitor center
who was very friendly and informative. Inexpensive fee and plenty of fun for children. My only disappointment was waking to what looked to be a boardwalk overlook to the river to find out it was broken and inaccessible. Overall a fun time.
Written July 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
ErinRu
Texas75 contributions
Jul 2013
We spent a terrific few hours at Tree Hill Nature Center as guests of my sister-in-law, a local who visits Tree Hill often. "Wow, this place is old-fashioned," said my ten year old, as we walked in from the parking. "Wood buildings, wood benches, little trails..." We enjoyed the displays and animals in the air-conditioned nature center, then headed outside. My little girl loved the goats, my son liked the gopher turtles, and I was delighted to see the chickens roaming freely.
It was a hot and humid day, but we were completely shaded on the trails. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of mosquitos! There were lots of great tree stumps and tree roots along the trails, as well as fallen trees to rest on (and benches). We saw three enormous spiders with webs along the fence, which our group found both fascinating and horrifying.
As we returned from the trails, there was a nature presentation going on outside. We saw an opossum, a very large snake, and a small alligator, that wiggled a lot! The kids were thrilled to touch the animals, and, as a parent, I appreciated the hand sanitizer that was distributed after each animal.
In short, a great place for kids of all ages and inexpensive! One word of caution, it is not stroller friendly outside on the trails, so little ones will need to walk or be carried.
It was a hot and humid day, but we were completely shaded on the trails. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of mosquitos! There were lots of great tree stumps and tree roots along the trails, as well as fallen trees to rest on (and benches). We saw three enormous spiders with webs along the fence, which our group found both fascinating and horrifying.
As we returned from the trails, there was a nature presentation going on outside. We saw an opossum, a very large snake, and a small alligator, that wiggled a lot! The kids were thrilled to touch the animals, and, as a parent, I appreciated the hand sanitizer that was distributed after each animal.
In short, a great place for kids of all ages and inexpensive! One word of caution, it is not stroller friendly outside on the trails, so little ones will need to walk or be carried.
Written July 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jacana
orlando971 contributions
May 2016 • Family
We were looking for something with animals for our grandkids (ages 2 and 4) to do on a weekday recently. We didn't want a full day activity like the zoo and the zoo, although very nice, is expensive. So we tried the Tree Hill Nature Center which was a good 45 minute drive from Middleburg where they live. This was the perfect morning outing for them. It is $4 for seniors and free for under 3. I think the 4 year old was $3. They enjoyed petting the turtles and looking at the fish and snake tanks in the building. Outside they enjoyed feeding the goats and looking at the chickens......the alligator not so much. They also had a gopher turtle who was digging a hole which they found interesting. There were lots of butterflies which were beautiful. A volunteer group was building a new chicken coop while we were there. We took the paved trail around the loop and stopped for lunch at some picnic tables near the community garden. There was another butterfly garden there so we were able to watch the butterflies while we ate. There was also a small maze for them to walk through. The entire outing took about two hours which was just the right amount of time for us as we had 1.5 hours of total driving time. I think the center would be very hot in the summer but if you go the rest of the year, it should be beautiful. The kids enjoyed it which was the most important thing for us.
Written May 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
JosephLowrey
69 contributions
Dec 2014
Especially interesting for kids. Butterflies in season, barnyard animals to feed and pet, gopher tortoises, alligators, opossums, owls, turtles you can handle...we heard a fox barking, an owl hooting, saw plenty of animal signs along the nature trails, all in addition to the displays and historical exhibits indoors. Well- marked trails, paved and unpaved. One of our favorite places!
Written December 31, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
jtravel670
Jacksonville, FL21 contributions
Jul 2014
Very friendly staff. The exhibits were average. They have some fossils, bones, etc. My son really liked the turtle touch tank. The best part is outside. They have live animals, a butterfly house and tons of different trails which we got to see a lot of different things....from spiders to turtles. This place is only a few dollars and it goes towards the animals! Nice place to spend a morning!!
Written July 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mere2006
Williamsburg, VA28 contributions
We've been coming to Jax for 15 years and never knew about this. It's a beautiful spot - shady and a little cool even in hot humid July. The boys enjoyed the trails, the butterfly house, the chickens and goats, and an armadillo rooting around under the boardwalk. The office contains a touch pool ( turtles), fish in aquariums, snakes, frogs, and fossils. Also a great place for people interested in gardening. Very affordable.
Touch poo
Touch poo
Written July 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
GOP_GalFlorida
Jacksonville, FL32 contributions
They release butterflies and it is a lovely natural setting. Nice place to take children. They have a welcome center and people in there who are knowledgable about the local flora and fauna.
Written November 26, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Milsombreros
Cape Coral, FL6 contributions
Mar 2018
Nice place to walk but not for feeding animals like the website says. I think you they should only charge 2 or 3 dollars for parking.
Written March 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
floridagirltravels
Jacksonville, FL70 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
I took my 9 yr old nephew here & it was well worth the $4 each we spent. I had to go through a couple of bad neighborhoods to get there & thought maybe this was not what I thought. But after going, I was pleasantly surprised. My nephew got to touch turtles that were in tanks, see some goats, and we enjoyed walking the trails.
Written July 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
globeseeker007
globeseeker0073,294 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
This place encompasses about 50 acres. When we visited, there were classes of school children also visiting. The museum inside has some stuffed animals along with some live animals such as fish and turtles. Outside are some other animals in cages and enclosures. The visitor gets a map which shows all of the trails. We walked along a boardwalk which was built over a wooded area. I estimate that we spent less than an hour here.
Written November 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
how much does the park cost
rhetorical_meow
Normal, IL202 contributions
I think we paid five bucks each (adults).
Frequently Asked Questions about Tree Hill Nature Center
- Tree Hill Nature Center is open:
- Mon - Sat 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
- Hotels near Tree Hill Nature Center:
- (5.92 mi) Riverdale Inn
- (6.48 mi) Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel
- (2.22 mi) Courtyard Jacksonville I-295/East Beltway
- (5.52 mi) Hotel Indigo Jacksonville-Deerwood Park, an IHG Hotel
- (4.91 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites Jacksonville Deerwood Park
- Restaurants near Tree Hill Nature Center:
- (0.39 mi) Spices Caribbean Restaurant
- (0.41 mi) Jacksonville Crab Shack
- (0.43 mi) Domino's Pizza
- (5.66 mi) The French Pantry
- (5.08 mi) Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse