The Austin Nature & Science Center offers nature and science-based educational programs for a variety of school groups, including public, private, preschool, and homeschool.
2023-2024 School Year
- Instructor-Led Field Trips
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Registration link can be found in the Instructor-Led Program Registration drop-down.
Program Overview
- Created for Pre-Kindergarten - 5th Grade students
- Take place At ANSC or At-Your-School
- Pre-K thru 1st Grade- 1-hour programs
- 2nd - 5th Grade- 1.5-hour programs
- All programs take place in three indoor and/or outdoor stations
- Themes correlate to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards
- Programs are offered October 17, 2023 - April 26, 2024
- October 17- February 16
- Animal Communities
- Astronomy (only offered At-ANSC)
- Bats
- January 22- April 26
- Animal Communities
- Habitat Hunt (only offered At-ANSC)
- Insects
- Pond Study
- October 17- February 16
Dates & Times
- Registration will begin on September 5, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. for the 2023-2024 school year.
- Each reservation for an Instructor-Led Program is for a 2-hour field trip window: either 9:30 am-11:30 am OR 11:30 am-1:30 pm.
- PreK through 1st Grade programs are 1 hour in length and can accommodate up to 150 students per 2-hour field trip window. The remainder of the 2-hour field trip window is for exploring ANSC exhibits at your own pace.
- 2nd through 5th Grade programs are 1.5 hours in length and can accommodate up to 75 students per 2-hour field trip window. The remainder of the 2-hour field trip window is for exploring ANSC at your own pace.
- If you have more than 150 PreK to 1st Grade students OR more than 75 2nd-5th Grade students, you must reserve back-to-back 2-hour field trip windows on the same day to accommodate your group size. Limited space and resources prevent us from running the same program topics concurrently.
Fees & Payment
After you register, you will automatically receive an invoice that you or your school or district can pay by:
- Credit Card by phone in advance of your trip, call 512-974-3888 to make payment.
- Credit Card when you check in at the front desk.
- Check when you check in at the front desk, or by mail. Checks must be issued for the exact amount of the invoice. Checks can be made out to Austin Nature & Science Center and sent to our mailing address: 301 Nature Center Drive, Austin Texas 78746.
To fit safely and comfortably into our classrooms, school groups must be divided into smaller groups of up to 25 students each. Therefore, fees for instructor-led programs are based on groups of 25 students. Up to 5 chaperones are allowed for each group of up to 25 students in a classroom. Any additional chaperones will be asked to wait outside of the classrooms and will not be able to observe the program.
At ANSC
At Your School
For At-Your-School reservations, we charge $5.00 per student (Non-Title I Schools) or $2.50 per student (Title I Schools).
- Instructor-Led Program Registration
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Registration Steps
- Check the availability of your preferred dates and times in RecTrac.
- Fill out the Instructor-Led Programs Registration Form. It may help to have the following information handy:
- Two preferred dates and times that show as available on RecTrac
- The first and second programs you're requesting
- Grade Level of students
- Number of students, classes, and teachers attending
- Number of chaperones (maximum of five chaperones per group of 25 students are allowed inside our classrooms)
- your plans for eating lunch or snacks on site, if applicable. We are a pack-in and pack-out facility on a nature preserve. If you have plans to eat at ANSC, you must take your trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal.
- Our administrative staff will reach out to you via your preferred method of contact within 72 hours to make your reservation.
- Once you have reserved a date and time, our programs staff will reach out to you to discuss the details of your program.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
- Reservations close 3 weeks in advance of available dates.
- Inclement Weather Cancellation/Rescheduling: Our site is open rain or shine. In case of predicted precipitation, plan to bring appropriate outdoor weather clothing and gear. Please reconsider eating lunch on site if precipitation is predicted, there is NO indoor or covered space to eat. In the case of severe or dangerous weather conditions predicted by NOAA or local emergency management agencies, we will work with you to cancel or transfer to any other available dates free of charge.
- Refunds: If a written cancellation request is received to anscprograms@austintexas.gov 30 or more calendar days in advance of your reservation, we will gladly refund your balance minus a $35 processing fee (or your field trip fee, whichever is less). If a written cancellation request is made with less than 30 calendar day notice, there will be no refunds or credits issued, and you will owe any balance due.
- For At-Your-School programs, we cannot accept checks at your school-please have checks mailed for the exact invoiced amount to Austin Nature & Science Center 301 Nature Center Drive Austin Texas 78745.
Glossary
Reservation: A reservation for an instructor-led program is a 2-hour block of time that includes your instructor-led program plus time to explore ANSC at your own pace.
Instructor-Led Program: We use Instructor-Led Program to refer to either at ANSC or At Your School programs led by our instructional staff.
At-Your-School: These are Instructor-Led Programs that take place in your school instead of at ANSC.
Field Trip: A field trip refers to a number of experiences we offer for school groups. You can visit ANSC at your own pace in groups of 15-200 via a Self-Guided Tour, participate in one of our Instructor-Led Programs at ANSC or At Your School, or you can participate in our Homeschool programs. All of these experiences require reservations in advance.
Self-Guided Tour: A field trip experience to ANSC at your own pace, with no instructor-led activities.
Registration: The process of filling out our online form and working with our administrative staff to get your reservation for an instructor-led program into RecTrac, our registration system.
Group Size: The number of students attending the instructor-led program. Your groups will be divided into smaller groups of up to 25 students in order to safely fit inside our classrooms.
Chaperone: Typically a parent or volunteer (not school staff) who accompanies students on the field trip experience. Only five chaperones are allowed per group of 25 students. Any additional chaperones must wait outside of classrooms and will not be able to observe the programs.
- Homeschool
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These STEAM-focused programs instill an appreciation of the natural world while offering an opportunity to collaborate and socialize with peers. We offer monthly meet-ups, a science club, and an adventure club. Masks are not required indoors or outdoors.
Registration is currently open 2023-2024 school year!
Monthly Meet-Up
Program Offerings:
Each month, students meet their peers in small group sizes while making discoveries about a new topic. We encourage students to participate without their guardians in the program. All programs take place in three stations; they vary indoors and outdoors based on the topic. The 13-17-year-olds will develop their leadership skills in nature-based education by assisting the staff as Educators in Training (EITs).
Meeting Time:
- Ages 4-12 years 10:00 am -11:30 am or 12:30 pm -2:00 pm. The teen homeschoolers will have a tabling activity 15 minutes before the program start time. We encourage you to come a little early to try out the theme-related activity.
- Ages 13-17 years (Educator In Training) 9:30 am -11:30 am or 12:00 pm -2:00 pm
Price for all 5 sessions:
- Ages 4-12: $45 City of Austin resident/ $55 non-COA residents
- Ages 13-17: $35 City of Austin residents/ $45 non-COA residents
2023-2024 Dates and Themes:
- October 24 or 25: Astronomy
- November 14 or 15: Ponds
- December 19 or 20: Hiking
- January 23 or 24: Insects
- February 13 or 14: Geology and Paleontology
Science Club
Program offerings:
This program is designed for students to explore, make observations, and answer testable questions using the scientific method. Students in grades 3-5 will work on individual projects. Projects that meet eligibility requirements can enter the Austin Energy Science Fair. Participation in this program will conclude with an ANSC Science Fair for all! Designed for students in 3-5 Grades, typically 8-11 years. Science Club meets from 11:30 am -1:00 pm.
Price for all 5 sessions:
- $75 City of Austin residents/ $90 non-COA residents (Includes entry fee to Austin Regional Science Fair for eligible projects!)
2023-2024 Dates and Themes:
- October 17: What makes an experiment? Homework: Design your experiment
- November 7: Design an experiment and measure results: Homework: Conduct your experiment
- December 12: How to display data. Homework: Create your project board
- January 9: Present your project to the ANSC class Homework: Finalize your board for the ANSC Science Fair
- January 16: Homeschool Science Fair! Selected projects submitted to the Austin Energy Regional Science Fair
Adventure Series
Program offerings:
Each session focuses on a different activity. Adventure activities include biking, caving, climbing, and outdoor skills. Bring a sack lunch and a refillable water bottle! Participants in the bike session must be able to ride a bike for three miles unassisted. Designed for ages 12-15. The Adventure Series meets from 9:00 am -1:00 pm.
Price per series:
- $75 City of Austin residents/ $90 non-COA residents (Includes all required equipment)
2023-2024 Themes and Dates:
- Series 1: Biking
- October 12, October 19, October 26, *rain date November 2
- Series 2: Outdoor Skills
- November 30, December 7, December 14
- Series 3: Caving
- January 11, January 18, January 25, *rain date February 1
- Series 4: Climbing
- February 8, February 15, February 22, *rain date February 29
*Rain dates will only meet in the event inclement weather requires the cancelation of a previous date. You will be notified in advance if we are canceling due to weather.
- Self-Guided Tours
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Registration will begin on September 5, 2023.
Explore the Austin Nature & Science Center at your own pace with a Self-Guided Tour.
Reservations are required for organized groups of 15 or more participants. Groups of less than 15 participants do not need to have a reservation. This reservation policy applies to all types of group visitors: schools, non-profits, childcare facilities, homeschool groups, or private groups of 15 people or more.
Dates & Times:
2023-2024 Self-Guided Tours are available Monday through Friday from October 17, 2023 through May 24, 2024. Registration begins on September 5, 2023 at 10:00am CST.
Each reservation for a Self-Guided Tour is for a 2-hour field trip window where your group explores the exhibits and grounds at your own pace: either 9:00am-11:00am, 11:00am-1:00pm or 1:00pm-3:00pm. Your group may arrive to begin your field trip anytime during your 2-hour field trip window.
Self-Guided Tour reservations are for any age group up to 200 participants. School or organizational staff (teachers, school staff, instructors, aides) are always FREE and are not included in the group sizes below. If you have a group of more than 200 students, you will need more than one 2-hour field trip window reservation.
If your preferred Self-Guided Tour date is unavailable, we also offer Instructor-Led Programs from October 17, 2023 through April 26, 2024, which allow for groups of 15-300 PreK-Grade 5 students to explore the Austin Nature & Science Center with a guided activity. We do not offer Instructor-Led Programs or Self-Guided Tours during the summer (June-September) due to the high demand for Summer Camp programs at our facility. We cannot accommodate group visits during summer time of greater than 15 individuals.
Fees & Payment:
To safely and comfortably explore the Austin Nature & Science Center exhibits & grounds, school groups must be divided into smaller groups to explore the center (we recommend groups of 15-25 individuals each starting their exploration at a different exhibit or location at the Center). Up to 5 chaperones are allowed for every 25 students.
Self-Guided Tours for All Schools (per 2-hour field trip window) at ANSC:
Registration Steps
- Check availability of your preferred dates/times in RecTrac here.
- Fill out the online Self-Guided Tour Registration Form. It may help to have the following information handy:
- Three preferred dates/times that show as available on RecTrac
- Grade Level of students, if applicable.
- # of students / participants
- # of teachers / organizational staff
- # of chaperones (maximum of 5 chaperones per group of 25 students)
- Your plans for eating lunch and/or snacks on site, if any. We are a pack-it-in pack-it-out facility on a nature preserve, so any plans that involve eating on site must include taking trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal.
- Our administrative staff will reach out to you via your preferred method of contact within 72 hours to make your reservation.
- Once you have reserved a date and time, our programs staff will email you a copy of your invoice with balance due.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
- Inclement Weather Cancellation/Rescheduling – Our site is open rain or shine. In case of predicted precipitation: please plan to bring appropriate outdoor weather clothing and gear. Please reconsider eating lunch on site if precipitation is predicted, there is NO indoor or covered space to eat. In the case of severe or dangerous weather conditions predicted by NOAA or local emergency management agencies, we will work with you to cancel or transfer to any other available dates free of charge.
- Cancellation / Refunds: If a written cancellation request is received to anscprograms@austintexas.gov 30 or more calendar days in advance of your reservation, we will gladly refund your balance minus a $35 processing fee (or your field trip fee balance, whichever is less). If a written cancellation request is made with less than 30 calendar day notice, there will be no refunds or credits issued, and you will owe any balance due.
These documents will help you prepare for your visit!
- Maps
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- Driving Directions to ANSC
- Bus Driver Bus Lane arrival
- Nature Center Site
- Zilker Nature Preserve
- Scavenger Hunts
- Frequently Asked Questions
Reservations, Cancellations, and Rescheduling
What if I have more than 300 PreK-Grade 1 students? Or more than 150 Grade 2-5 students?
- You will need to make additional reservations on different days.
- If you have more than 150 PreK to Grade 1 students OR more than 75 Grade 2 through Grade 5 students, you must reserve back-to-back 2-hour field trip windows on the same day to accommodate your group size. Limited space and resources prevent us from running the same program topics concurrently. (graphic)
What if it rains or there is severe weather on the day of our field trip?
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Our site is open rain or shine. In case of predicted precipitation, please plan to bring appropriate outdoor weather clothing and gear. Please reconsider eating lunch on site if bad weather is predicted, there is NO indoor or covered space to eat. In the case of severe or dangerous weather conditions predicted by NOAA or local emergency management agencies, or if ANSC must cancel your program, we will work with you to cancel or transfer to another available date free of charge.
What if we need to cancel or reschedule?
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If a written cancellation request is received at anscprograms@austintexas.gov 30 or more calendar days in advance of your reservation, we will gladly refund your balance minus a $35 processing fee (or your field trip fee, whichever is less). If a written cancellation request is made less than 30 calendar days before your scheduled field trip, there will be no refunds or credits issued, and you will owe any balance due.
Arrival
What happens if I arrive late?
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Instructor-led programs rely on your on-time arrival to facilitate the program as designed. Please call the front desk staff at 512-974-3888 if you are running late. Instructors will do their best to accommodate late arrivals; however, program length may need to be adjusted.
Where do we go when we arrive?
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Upon arrival, please unload and meet at the large limestone blocks across from the entry meadow. If your group is divided and some students will be going on a self-guided tour first and other students will be in the instructor-led program first, please send the groups that will be in the instructor-led program up first. We highly recommend having a plan for dividing up your school group before your arrival. (picture coming soon!)
Where do I pay?
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Please send one representative from your school to our front desk, just inside the main entrance of our Visitor Pavilion.
Buses and Parking
Where can we park?
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Free parking is available on Stratford Dr under the MoPac bridge across from the ANSC entrance. (picture coming soon!)
Where should the bus go? Do you have bus parking or bus lanes?
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We have a bus lane along Stratford Dr that is oriented toward ANSC for participant drop-off. The most accessible way to position correctly is to drive through the Rollingwood neighborhood. (map) Once students have unloaded, buses must then move to a different parking spot. We do not have designated bus parking spaces.
Lunch
Where can we eat lunch?
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You may eat at the Overlook or the Entry Meadow. (picture coming soon!) We are a pack-it-in pack-it-out facility on a nature preserve, so any plans that involve eating on-site must include taking trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal. In order to limit pests and ants, please do not eat around the animal enclosures or the dino pit.
Is there a place to store our lunches/backpacks/water bottles?
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Coolers or lunches can be placed in the lunch areas. ANSC is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Items cannot be stored indoors due to space limitations and fire code regulations.
Where do we put our trash and recycling from lunch?
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We are a pack-it-in pack-it-out facility on a nature preserve, so any plans that involve eating on-site must include taking trash and recycling back to your campus for disposal. We do not have trash or recycling receptacles for large groups.
Is there a place to buy food or drinks?
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We have a vending machine located by the bathrooms in the Headquarters Building, which only accepts cash. ANSC does not have change and cannot repair/refund/refill the machine.
Is there a gift shop?
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ANSC does not have a gift shop.
Program Specifics
Will my class be split up the entire time?
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We try to keep classes together and can accommodate up to 25 students per group for instructor-led programs. If your class is larger than 25, we may need to move some students into a different group for the instructor-led program, but your class will be together for the remainder of your field trip.
What does my class do while they're not in an instructor-led program?
- Students who are not in a program with an instructor are welcome to explore our site with chaperones or teachers. You may also opt to eat lunch while the other half of your students are in their program.
Chaperones
How many chaperones can we have? Where do they meet us?
- Only five chaperones are allowed per group of 25 students. Any additional chaperones must wait outside of classrooms and will not be able to observe the programs.
- Chaperones can meet the school group by the bus drop off along Stratford Dr or by the limestone blocks across from the entry Meadow where ANSC instructors meet your school.
What are the chaperones' responsibilities? Do they have to pay? Where do chaperones park?
- Chaperones are expected to stay with students as they explore our site to make sure they are safe and accounted for. We also occasionally ask chaperons to assist with activities during programs. Up to five chaperones may accompany groups into classrooms and participate in our instructor-led programs.
- There is no charge for chaperones to attend a field trip with a school group.
- There is parking available along Stratford Dr. under the MoPac Bridge.
- Photos
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Check out our Flickr page.
- Testimonials
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Coming soon.