Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center is part of the national non-profit, National Audubon Society, protecting bird species and their habitat. Our nature center is the local face to enable our communities to connect with the outdoors and appreciate and learn about the beauty and diversity of our local ecosystems and habitats. Come experience this peaceful canyon where you can hike our trails, bird watch at our indoor viewing area or outdoor bird blind, join a Kayak Eco Tour, introduce your family to camping by joining a Family Camp Out, earn Scout badges, plan a birthday party, host a reception or meeting in our beautiful Trout Lily room, let your toddlers free-explore in our Nature Play area, enjoy a picnic at our tables under the trees, reserve one of our animal encounter or guided hike programs, and so much more.
Located 16 miles south of downtown Dallas in Cedar Hill, Dogwood Canyon is part of the White Rock Escarpment. Nowhere in North Texas can one find a greater variety of rare species than in Dogwood Canyon. Plants and animals from east, west and central Texas converge here, making the canyon the only place in the world where one can find the Black-chinned Hummingbird of west Texas nesting in the flowering dogwood tree of east Texas. Audubon owns or manages over 200 acres of nearly pristine wildlife habitat in the canyon, and because the property neighbors university, county, and state lands, it is part of a nearly 3,000 acre greenbelt in southwest Dallas County. Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center is admission free, open to the public, and provides science education to over 6,000 school students on an annual basis from the surrounding the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
From its inception in 2011, Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center has been welcoming visitors to its sanctuaries and inviting them to participate in nature education programs. This innovative approach—preserving open space not just to protect wildlife and native habitat from people, but to actively engage people in its conservation through learning and exploration—served as a model for Audubon and other nature education centers nationwide and influenced the development of place-based experiential learning as a highly effective pedagogical practice. Come, see what the outdoors can do for you!
The Center sits at the mouth of Dogwood Canyon
Views of the lake can be enjoyed from the top of the West Loop Trail
Enjoy the quiet that this canyon forest provides
Kids enjoy animal encounters with school programs and guided private programs
Enjoy a private guided Kayak Eco Tour
ENJOY PINTS OF BREW FOR BIRDS & CONSERVATION IN TEXAS Join us at Legal Draft Beer Company in Arlington for live birds, craft beer tasting, food and fun. Admission includes three pints of brew of your choice and, while quantities last, a collectible glass. $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Local
Eat and Drink
- Roma's Italian Bistro - Duncanville (4.5 miles) - Roma's italian Bistro is a family owned and operated eatery with a nice bar. We are located in t...
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- SPICE IN THE CITY DALLAS - DALLAS (15.3 miles) - DIETITIAN-BUILT, HEALTHY MEALS FROM TRADITIONAL INDIAN DISHES TO TASTY FUSION CUISINE - LOCATED DOWN...
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- Grub Burger Bar - Dallas (19.9 miles) - We’re passionate about great food, great drinks and great hospitality. We believe in fresh ingredie...
See and Do
- Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill Cedar Hill (0.0 miles) - Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center is part of the national non-profit, National Audubon Society, protecti...
- Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center Cedar Hill (0.0 miles) - COMMUNITY CAMPING Offered in partnership with the City of Cedar Hill Pitch a tent and celebrate under ...
- Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center Cedar Hill (0.0 miles) - FREE YOGA WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS & ADULTS at Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center 1st Sunday of each month; Febu...
- Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center Cedar Hill (0.0 miles) - Join us for an exclusive, members-only guided hike through this wild and special place. This annual g...
- Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center Cedar Hill (0.0 miles) - KIDS LOVE LEARNING FROM NATURE Offered in partnership with the Zula B. Wylie Library, youngsters will...
Shopping
- Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill - Cedar Hill (0.0 miles) - Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center is part of the national non-profit, National Audubon Society, protecti...
- Secretts Farm and Farm Shop - Milford (18.6 miles) - Secrett’s at Hurst Farm in Milford is a premier gourmet food destination in Surrey. With over a ce...
