Austin Nature Center

Merritt and I joined some friends at the Austin Nature and Science Center today.

It was tough getting there, traffic was horrible and I almost turned around to go back home several times. I kept going because I really want to spend as much time as I could with Merritt doing fun activities before I go back to school next week {where did the summer go?!?}.

We finally arrived {by the way, after traffic cleared, I then got lost - which made the 29 minute drive, according to Mapquest, an hour+ drive} to see our friends! The Nature Center was really cool {and FREE}. The kids played inside, chasing each other around a cave and exploring different items, like bones, rocks, and the kids' favorite 2 plastic turtles.

We walked outside and followed the path around the pond to the huge dinosaur pit. Merritt and her friends grabbed shovels and began digging {the moms tried to stay in the shade - it was sooooo hot}!

We then walked to see the animals. The Nature center rescues animals, many of the animals used to be pets. The coyote was everyone's favorite {probably because it was the only animal not sleeping, hiding, or just trying to stay out of the Texas heat}. Merritt was so cute as she tried howling, I am pretty sure the coyote understood what she meant. Warning, there was also a skunk and you could smell him... and the smell wasn't good. I thought about busting out some Scentsy room spray but I refrained.

There was a reptile and amphibian building {which I was excited about because I thought it might be air-conditioned, I was wrong... and hot}. We strolled over to see the owls and other birds and then headed back inside the main building to do some more exploring.

I think Merritt could have stayed all day, we will definitely have to go back soon, when it cools down that is :)