Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

Address:	1 Nature Pl, McKinney, TX 75069, USA
Phone:	+1 972-562-5566
Site:	heardmuseum.org
Rating:	4.4
Working:	Closed 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 1–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 11

A Private User

I was initially very excited about going here since, what with its purported "Living Lab," hands-on animal interaction, and nature trails, it is very atypical for a museum. I was especially pumped for the Ice Age Mammals exhibit that Id read a blurb of in the Observer. When I first walked into the main building and gift shop, I was a little crestfallen when my question of "What trails have the most reports of wildlife right now?" was answered with a dumbstruck "Uummmm... I think there were some turtles on the Wood Duck trail, but I dont know if theyre there anymore." From there, my boyfriend and I went to check out the live snake exhibit, which is completely comparable to examining the reptile section of a pet shop. The snakes were kept in small terrariums with bowls of water; each terrarium was a duplicate of the one before. From there we saw the pearl and gemstone collection, which together spanned all of fifteen feet of a single-level glass case. Next was the kicker: the Ice Age Mammals exhibit Id been looking forward to. From what Id read, I expected to see some to-scale replicas along with at least a few fossilized preservations. Ha. Instead I walked into a room filled with 1970s animatronic creatures roaring and bleating at me. Each "mammal" had a small blurb plaque introducing it, but as far as being informative? I learned nothing aside from how to pronounce their names. At this point I considered my twenty bucks wasted, but I still wanted to see if there was any form of wildlife to be seen on the trails. My boyfriend and I walked on two different trails and saw several kinds of insects, some beautiful spiderwebs, and a cardinal. We walked over unkempt vines and branches, climbed over logs, passed by a partially leveled wooden footbridge (half of it had seemingly fallen into the languid water), and walked over another damaged bridge. This "museum" is ill-kept and uninformative. The trails are equivalent to walking through the brush of someones backyard, and the collections are as extensive as my little finger. The Ice Age Mammals exhibit, does, however, have a comically redeeming quality which you have to see for yourself. Make sure to get a picture with prehistoric Big Bird.

Brandy Metz

I expected more out of a place that calls itself a sanctuary. The Animals of the World exhibit was nothing short of depressing, unacceptable, and an exhibit of cruelty to animals. Below are pictures of 2 white tailed deer confined in a cage smaller than my living room. There is no room for them to run around. This is not an acceptable habitat. The deer sit on hard rock floors with zero greenery...yet right outside of their cage they are surrounded by lush foliage and open meadows. The conditions inside the cage are no better than an under funded forgotten zoo in a 3rd world country. Its disgusting, depressing, inhumane, and backwards. All of the cages exhibited isolated mistreated animals suffering unethical living conditions. With all of the acreage at your disposal, you can do better. And you should. For the sake of the animals and calling yourself a sanctuary. Please raise the standard and quality of living for your animals or release them to a real sanctuary.

ReachLocal ReachLocal

I had my wedding here in April and had a great experience. Everyone involved loved everything about it and had a blast. We had the ceremony outside at the Amphitheater and the set up was great. It was easy to set up and tear down. The reception took place in the Science Resource Center. They let us bring in our own food and wine, making it very easy for us. The tables and chairs were included in the rental price, and they set them up for us. The kids loved getting to see the animals in between the ceremony and the reception. They were very helpful with everything, and think it is a great place for a special event or just a weekend activity.

Batalia Hewlett

The Heard musuem is a hidden natural gem and is one of the last areas in Mckinney that hasent been developed. It consistence of a main building with many learning activities, natural musuem, and classroooms. Then you have the outdoor area where you have miles of hiking trails and even an old rustic scale town. They have butterflies during the summer and life size dinosaurs starting in September. The heard is also part of the Dallas musuem group so if your a member its free. Adults are usual 9, Seniors 6 etc... if your visiting Mckinney dont miss this wonder of Texas.

A Private User

This was the third trip with the grand-kids. Every time we have a blast. They loved the dinosaurs and playing in the sand box, but we also had a great time just walking the trails and watching the squirrels, birds, turtles and trees and enjoying nature. Just a terrific day. The staff is great, friendly and knowledgeable. This place is a gem on the edge of the concrete metropolis and gets better every time we go. You may want to bring your own food and water, I dont think there is any for sale, except maybe for a vending machine. They do have picnic tables available.

A Private User

The Heard Museum is not about the museum. I read another review that chastised the small museum and gift shop found here, when its not really about the museum at all. The Heard is a gorgeous nature preserve, teeming with wildlife and 7 miles of trails through the preserve. The trails are easily navigable by families, making it a great place to bring your little ones for their first hike. There are several picnic spots for a post-hike lunch, and a wildlife rehabilitation center to check out some animals up close.

Lucia Garcia

Un lugar muy interesante sobre todo para los niños...yo lleve a mis sobrinas y pasamos un dia muy bonito, disfrutamos mucho caminar por las veredas del parque...y las niñas disfrutaron mucho jugando en las cabañitas de madera..

A Private User

This is a fun outing for the kids. The museum isnt the largest, but it is bright, interactive & fun. When they have special events like the snakes or buterflies, it makes the trip even better. This is definitely an affordable experience for the kids & whole family. My son to this day talks about the baby armadillo that we saw on our way into the exhibit. If you family enjoys wildlife, this is a great day activity.

Victoria Ellison

It has been awhile since my grandson and I went to the museum. We had a wonderful time! We are going to go back next weekend. He loved the dinosaur nature trail and the many other activities in and outside to do! We are going to take his little sister and she loves whatever he likes. It will be so much fun to watch them together. He is a great big brother!!! Grandchildren are a blast!!!

Brett Burkett

There are very few pieces of nature left in McKinney. The Heard is a great place to experience nature. With numerous environments on site - wetlands, forests, prairie - and one of the highest points in Collin County, it is a must-see for the enthusiast. It isnt flashy, but that adds to its allure. Plus: its a not-for-profit which means you know where your money is going.

Ankit Mehta

Nice place to walk. Good trails and an interesting dinosaur exhibit. However, its sad that they keep innocent animals in cages despite being a nature reserve. I understand that they are rescued animals but Im sure that most of them can be rehabilitated back into the wild on site in the nature reserve. Set them free!