Nature & Wildlife: guides, shops and venues

Guide services, gear shops and venues in every region, A to Z. Listed from their public websites; they don't pay to be here and are never mixed into the communities.

All regions · just Western Carolinas · all of the Southeast

• Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES)venue · Birding · Aspen, CO · not in an area yet

  Aspen nature center at Hallam Lake and Rock Bottom Ranch offering naturalist-guided hikes, snowshoe tours and community programs.

• Back Bay National Wildlife Refugevenue · Birding · Virginia Beach, VA

  Barrier-island refuge with trails, birding and paddling in southern Virginia Beach.

• Blue Hills Trailside Museumvenue · Birding · Quincy MA

  Mass Audubon nature center in the Blue Hills with guided walks and family programs.

• Bolsa Chica Conservancyvenue · Birding · Huntington Beach, CA

  Wetland interpretive center offering guided walks, restoration days and nature programs at Bolsa Chica.

• Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuaryvenue · Birding · Worcester MA

  Mass Audubon sanctuary in Worcester with trails, bird walks and nature programs.

• Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refugevenue · Birding · Davis, WV

  Large high-elevation wetland refuge in Canaan Valley with trails, birding and seasonal public programs.

• Chabot Space & Science Centervenue · Stargazing · Oakland, CA

  Oakland hills science center with public telescope viewing nights and hikes.

• Charleston County Parksvenue · Birding · Charleston, SC

  County parks system with bird walks, paddling, seashore exploration and other outdoor programs.

• Chattahoochee Nature Centervenue · Birding · Roswell, GA

  Nature center on the Chattahoochee with trails, guided walks, paddles and family programs.

• Coastal Discovery Museumvenue · Birding · Hilton Head, SC

  Nature and history museum with guided tours, birding excursions and nature walks.

• Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuaryvenue · Birding · Concord MA

  Mass Audubon sanctuary in Lincoln with bird walks, family programs and trails.

• Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Centervenue · Foraging & plants · Lanesboro, MN

  Nonprofit learning center near Lanesboro with public foraging classes, guided astronomy hikes and climbing sessions.

• EcoTariumvenue · Stargazing · Worcester MA

  Worcester science and nature museum with trails, planetarium and public events.

• Edenton National Fish Hatcheryvenue · Birding · Edenton, NC

  Federal fish hatchery in Edenton with grounds and trails popular for birding and wildlife viewing.

• Fairbanks Museum & Planetariumvenue · Stargazing · East Burke VT

  St. Johnsbury natural history museum and planetarium with public programs.

• Front Range Birding Companyshop · Birding · Littleton

  Birding shop in Littleton and Boulder selling binoculars, scopes, feeders and field guides, with free monthly bird walks from its stores.

• Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reservevenue · Birding · Portsmouth, NH · not in an area yet

  Estuary reserve with the Great Bay Discovery Center and public nature programs and walks near Portsmouth (Greenland).

• Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refugevenue · Birding · Chesapeake, VA

  Swamp refuge bordering Chesapeake with trails, birding and Lake Drummond paddling.

• Green Bank Observatoryvenue · Stargazing · Marlinton, WV

  Radio astronomy observatory in Pocahontas County offering public tours and star parties.

• Green Mountain Audubon Centervenue · Birding · Huntington, VT

  Audubon Vermont's 250-acre nature center with trails, gardens, bird walks and nature programs.

• Halyburton Park Nature Programs (City of Wilmington)venue · Birding · Wilmington, NC

  City nature center at Halyburton Park with free first-Friday bird hikes, a monthly Walk and Learn series and nature workshops.

• Hawk Ridge Bird Observatoryvenue · Birding · Duluth, MN

  Bird observatory on the Duluth hillside with public hawk-watch programs, bird walks and naturalist events.

• Ijams Nature Centervenue · Birding · Knoxville

  Nonprofit nature center and urban wilderness on the Knoxville riverfront with trails and Mead's Quarry, running guided paddles, night hikes, bird banding and nature workshops.

• Intermountain Bird Observatoryvenue · Birding · Boise, ID

  Boise State bird research program with public banding-station visits, bird walks and events.

• John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicumvenue · Birding · Philadelphia, PA

  Urban wildlife refuge with marsh trails, bird walks and paddling programs.

• Kiptopeke State Parkvenue · Birding · Cape Charles, VA

  Bay-side state park south of Cape Charles known for fall bird migration, trails and kayaking.

• Loon Preservation Committeevenue · Birding · Moultonborough, NH

  Loon Center with nature trails, talks and programs about New Hampshire's loons.

• Mass Audubonvenue · Birding · Massachusetts

  Massachusetts nature conservation nonprofit with sanctuaries and guided walks.

• Montana Natural History Centervenue · Birding · Missoula, MTYouth

  Missoula nature center offering naturalist classes, field trips, nature journaling and kids' programs.

• Mount Washington Observatoryvenue · Stargazing · North Conway, NH

  Nonprofit weather observatory with public talks, science programs and summit trips about Mount Washington.

• Nashville Metro Parks Nature Centersvenue · Birding · Nashville, TN

  Metro Parks nature centers such as Warner Park and Shelby Bottoms with guided hikes and programs.

• Nature Collectivevenue · Birding · Encinitas, CA

  Formerly San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, offering wildlife tours, discovery walks and restoration volunteer days.

• Nisqually Reach Nature Centervenue · Birding · Olympia WA

  Nature center on the Nisqually estuary with public programs, field trips and volunteering.

• Ogden Nature Centervenue · Birding · Ogden UT

  Nature preserve in Ogden with walking trails, classes, family programs and volunteer work.

• Patagonia Lake State Parkvenue · Birding · Patagonia, AZ · not in an area yet

  State park near Patagonia with guided bird walks at Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, paddling and trails.

• Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve (The Nature Conservancy)venue · Birding · Patagonia, AZ · not in an area yet

  Nature Conservancy riparian preserve in Patagonia known for birding, with guided Saturday bird walks in season.

• Paton Center for Hummingbirdsvenue · Birding · Patagonia, AZ · not in an area yet

  Tucson Bird Alliance hummingbird and birding site in Patagonia, linked by trail to the Sonoita Creek preserve.

• Pea Island National Wildlife Refugevenue · Birding · Nags Head, NC

  Wildlife refuge south of Nags Head known for birding, with seasonal guided bird walks and programs.

• Pima County Environmental Educationvenue · Birding · Tucson, AZ · not in an area yet

  Pima County naturalist-led bird walks, nature hikes and programs at county preserves and parks.

• Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuaryvenue · Birding · Santa Fe, NM · not in an area yet

  Audubon sanctuary in Santa Fe with free Saturday guided bird walks.

• Rio Grande Nature Center State Parkvenue · Birding · Albuquerque, NM · not in an area yet

  Bosque nature center in Albuquerque with bird walks and nature programs.

• Sandy Point State Parkvenue · Birding · Annapolis, MD

  Bay-front state park near Annapolis with beaches, birding and ranger programs.

• Schoodic Institutevenue · Birding · Bar Harbor, ME

  Research and education center in Acadia offering public bird walks, citizen science and ranger programs.

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Centervenue · Birding · Holderness, NH

  Holderness nature center with trails, lake cruises and public nature programs.

• Sunriver Nature Center & Observatoryvenue · Stargazing · Sunriver, OR

  Sunriver nature center and observatory with night-sky viewing, nature walks and programs.

• Swaner Preserve and EcoCentervenue · Birding · Park City UT

  Nature preserve and center in Park City with guided walks, family programs and volunteer days.

• Tall Timbers Research Stationvenue · Birding · Tallahassee, FL

  Research station near Tallahassee whose bird lab leads public field trips October through May.

• Teton Raptor Centervenue · Birding · Jackson, WY

  Bird of prey rehabilitation and education center near Jackson with public programs and events.

• Three Rivers Avian Centervenue · Birding · Hinton, WV

  Wild bird rehab center near Hinton with free public tour days May-October and live birds-of-prey programs.

• Tin Mountain Conservation Centervenue · Birding · Albany, NH

  Environmental education center with nature walks, birding programs and family events in the Mount Washington Valley.

• Tohono Chulvenue · Birding · Tucson, AZ · not in an area yet

  Tucson botanic garden and nature preserve with bird walks, nature journaling and seasonal programs.

• Tracy Aviary Nature Centervenue · Birding · Salt Lake City, UT

  Bird walks, nature programs and family outings at Tracy Aviary's Nature Center on the Jordan River.

• Ventures Birding Toursguide service · Birding · Asheville

  Asheville-based guided birding tour company leading local outings and trips.

• Vermont Institute of Natural Sciencevenue · Birding · Woodstock VT

  Quechee nature center with raptor programs, trails and public events.

• Wild Birds Unlimited Johnson Cityshop · Birding · Johnson City, TN

  Johnson City nature shop that posts a weekly list of local bird walks and nature events.