South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

Walking in to the cashier through the gift shop, great marketing idea. As you walk back to the next room it is the reptile room. We were told they are owner surrendered. Snakes, lizards, turtles and tarantulas in glass terrariums. Each with their own name and species. On the back are turtles in little pond structures that keep an eye on you. Around the corner are some interesting birds that will talk to you maybe. Then the plants start Cacti, Orchids any size and color, epiphytic plants. There is a butterfly screen house and buttery garden A hummingbird garden at the start of the nature trail out to the alligator pond (we didn’t see any) but along the way you are reminded this is a natural habitat area so watch your step. There is a rose garden which should start producing blooms end of March. There will be a playground (end of February)and pavilion with benches in the future. Exit through the gift shop or I noticed other exit gates outside.

We visited Corpus Christi botanical gardens a week or so after a deep freeze, so we did not expect to see any blooms outside. Even keeping that in mind, we were disappointed. The main building has a gift shop and a reptile room which is about the size of the standard bedroom. There are about 20 specimens in various glass tanks. The next building is the orchid garden which we were hoping would be filled with blooming orchids. There were orchids in bloom, but most were bare. The ones there were very beautiful flowers and there is a second room where there are some orchids for sale. 10 to 15 minutes should do it for this part of the facility. There is an outdoor screened in butterfly display, which looks like it could be very nice, although there were no butterflies due to the freeze. There are a few tropical birds on display in outdoor cages as well. The rest of the facility is made up primarily of a nature trail, which is quite extensive. However, it is not well maintained, and most of the informational signs were illegible due to weathering over what I assume would be very many years. There was some good signage, explaining the various kinds of animals and birds you might encounter, but of course, these are wild animals, and you cannot predict if any will be seen. There is a viewing platform by a lake in which you might see some waterfowl, and they say even an alligator. Even if there had been outdoor flowers blooming I don’t think the visit would’ve been worth more than eight dollar senior citizen price. This garden needs a lot of tender, loving care.

Went there to check for birds but was amazed by the Orchid house. Knowledgeable volunteers tending to the beautiful orchids and were a delight to speak to. Thanks Jorge!

Fun and beautiful place to visit. They have a variety of butterflies at their butterfly garden. Also have two of the sweetest parrots that greet you as you walk in. All around you is greenery and nature. It's a fun place to get away for lunch or to bring the family for a hike.

This is a beautiful Botanical Garden! I visited with my mom and we had a lovely time exploring the trails, butterfly house and garden, and seeing the different animals. Our favorite section was walking through the many rows of orchids. Tickets for us were $10 with free parking. I highly recommend a visit!!