Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center and Aquarium

It is a nice and quiet little green niche without disturbing dogs. A boardwalk leads you through reeds and other seashore plants until you have a rewarding view of the water. We enjoyed high grass and colorful leaves although it was cloudy and wet.

This area was absolutely stunning. The proximity to the ocean is very calming and the wildlife is abundant. Perfect for a walk on a nice afternoon. A must visit if you are a local or just in the area. Worth coming back to.

Beautiful walking trails, small aquarium and we had a fun animal encounter with an owl and later with a turtle. Bathrooms are clean and there is a small picnic area.

My son (7), nephew (10) and I visited The Audubon nature center and aquarium yesterday and loved it. My son and nephew also enjoyed engaging with the staff member about the animals there. They also enjoyed seeing the family of deer on the grounds outside. My only suggestion would be to add to their website that they’re closed on New Year’s Day. We drove there On New Year’s Day and the only thing that it said on their website was that they were closing at 3 PM on New Year’s Eve and did not state that they were closed on New Year’s Day.

We held our wedding at Audubon recently and we are so happy we did. The staff at Audubon, especially Sarah the events coordinator, are so friendly, welcoming, and easy to work with. Sarah was very responsive and was always ready to answer our many questions in the year leading up to the wedding, and she and the Audubon staff were so accommodating to all of our requests. She was willing to accompany us through several walkthroughs to iron out the details of the event, and she gave us access to different areas of the venue for staging and setup which was so generous and so helpful! Audubon even offered to rent their event audio equipment to us, which was a life saver, and all of the equipment worked flawlessly for both our ceremony and reception. We were so grateful to find a wedding venue that let us put money towards supporting Audubon's work and a cause we care about. And, the wedding was so personal and customizable compared to standard wedding venues in the area: it was affordable to have a 7 hour event vs. the standard 5 hours of most venues, no mandatory caterer or required vendors meant we could order catering from one of our favorite restaurants in town for a much more reasonable price. Given we had to bring in all our vendors: tent rental, bartending, food, waitstaff, venue fee, musicians, photography, etc. the overall cost of our wedding was over $30k. This was still around $7k lower than the lowest quotes we saw for more standard wedding venues in Bristol RI and required a lot more planning effort on our part, but we are so happy with the result: a memorable, personal, meaningful wedding day! We would absolutely recommend Audubon for anyone hosting an event or wedding - the staff are amazing and the location is unbeatable. We will be returning often to reminisce and enjoy the grounds!

Update Summer 2023 - still a great place to spend several hours and don't forget to walk to the end of the boardwalk to see the bay and the Osprey nests! This is a multifaceted nature center where you can spend an entire day, or just take time for a beautiful walk down to the bay. The Nature center itself has great exhibits that explain the natural ecology of this area near the bay. There is even an aquarium! An of course, if you like the birds -- this is the place to be! A great advantage they have here is that this center is connected with people from the Roger Williams university nearby, which helps keep exhibits fresh and relevant.

Beautiful pollinator garden and trail. Was able to see many birds and wildlife on the trail. Stunning view from the end of the board walk. The indoor aquarium was impressive for how small it was lots of fun exhibits and a scavenger hunt

Had an amazing time during their community educational program! Went with my family to the beginner bird watching class with Kaylee and it was lovely. Very educational, we had multiple levels of birding experience and all learned quite a bit! Kaylee was excellent- kind, knowledgeable, and an overall great guide! We started with a presentation and then went on a nice easy hike around the facility. Would highly recommend the outdoor portion and educational programs they offer!

This is a great learning place for kids and adults. We happen to come here often with the grandkids. You can experience all the nature in the surrounding area. We had the pleasure over the summer to watch as the osprey babies were born . The whole experience was so cool. There are trails , butterfly gardens . The different species of fish and shellfish in the bay. That are in different tanks the kids can learn from. They also have a summer camp and host birthday parties.

I recently went for an Owls and Ales event. I decided on a Friday that it would be a nice date for myself with myself. Then on Saturday as I was preparing to go, and bundling up, and thinking about being alone at an event my anxiety was telling my that a nice date for myself would also be a movie on the couch in my jammies... but I had paid and I want to be better at doing things alone - so I went. It was FRIGID! But I still had a great time. When I got there they told us we could wander the exhibit hall while we waited for people to arrive. It's a small hall but still had some great information and the tanks were exciting. Being there alone in the quiet, I immediately was happy I dragged my ass there. Then I went into the room for the event. Grabbed myself a beer and a snack and took my seat. The woman running it was good - although I'm not sure how often she has done these presentations. There were just a few comments where she'd say something and then say "well I shouldn't say it that way..." but it just seemed more of like a flow of talking to a crowd unscripted thing. The owl they brought out is beautiful and right then and there I could have died happy. She was beautiful and so calm. The information was interesting and the gorgeous bird was a treat. We braved the cold and wind - like 27 degrees - and wind - 9mph - and walked outside to try and hear some owls. They have a small radio looking device that plays owl sounds. Due to the wind, she didn't expect we would hear too much. They start with playing the sounds of the smaller owls, and then larger - so the sounds of the larger owls don't scare away any smaller owls before we can call to them. We were not very lucky at first - but when we got down towards the wetlands we were lucky to hear a screech owl a few times. It was so fun standing in the dark, on a clear night, even if we were frozen, to hear that sound. I definitely recommend this event if you can go - its seasonal, so being cold is highly likely. I'm looking into more events, and now that I have done one alone I've decided I don't need a friend to go bird adventuring with me if I can't find someone who is free or interested. Looking forward to going back in the daylight, and warmer weather, just to walk around.

It was a great day for a school field trip. Since the last few weeks have been spent learning about the eco system, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island was a fun and educational experience. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. Half the time was spent inside learning about the food chain and the various animals that inhabit our area, and the second half was spent outside walking along the nature trail. Make sure to bring your own lunch and beverage. Overall a great day and fun was had by all the students!

I was looking for a fun museum to take my almost 2 year old on Smithsonian Free Museum Day and this was perfect!!! When you first walk in there's a cute exhibit area of local wildlife, a hawk, and fish tanks. My daughter went straight to the play area and the stuffed raccoon. We must have spent 40 minutes just playing there! Beside the play area is a fake cave kids and adults can walk to and see the hawk through a window. Then there are fish tanks and fun aquatic exhibits. My daughter liked the giant whale sculpture that she could walk in. For parents that still have kids in diapers, there are bathrooms with changing tables in both the men and women restrooms. Outside they have beautiful walking trails. The stroller friendly one has a lovely wooden boardwalk. It ends in a water view worth walking for. I believe the rates of admission we're reasonable on days you have to pay. We'll be back. There is also a cute museum store with lots of nature stuff and an auditorium where there are occasional educational talks.

We so enoyed the center. There are 2 paths, a stone one, perfect for sneakers and a grassy one, perfect for sandals. They both lead to a wonderful, wooden boardwalk that walks you over a fresh water and a salt water marsh habitat to Narragansett Bay, a real reward. We were blessed with seeing two osprey nest, one with clearly visual nestlings. Lots of wild flowers and marsh and field fauna and flowers, birds, butterflies. Loved the pollinators garden. Posters along the way telling the story of Zach, the crow, born there, injured there with a broken wing and rescued. You can meet him later. They have a delightful nature center with native animal and coastal marine life exhibits and examples. Children centered activities as well as adult. No hands in the tanks, please. Very well done. Coming back this winter.

overall this is a pretty beautiful piece of land. cool to say hi to the turkey family here. the animals abused inside don't appeal much to me. i like the boardwalk but was very disappointed when i got to the end and couldn't even checkout the ocean or dip my toes in smh.

I've lived in RI for a decade and never heard of this place until a few weeks ago, and boy was I impressed. There is a small museum and a local shop, but what's really fun is the large walking area (about 1 mile total) behind the audubon society and the beautiful visage. It's perfect for dates or taking your kids out on a beautiful sunny day and it's still a well-kept secret, so stop by before the secret comes out!

We are big fans of the Audubon in Bristol. Inside the visitor center you can find an educational exhibit with local ecosystems and various aquariums. The hiking/birdwatching outside is extraordinarily. Be sure to take a walk across the meadow path and to the bay. Our kids love spending time at Audubon.