My adult son and I decided that we needed to get out of the house, so we thought we'd check this…read moreplace out: we were not disappointed! It was fun taking the tour & getting to feed some of the large residents of the park. We also enjoyed seeing some of the little kids' reactions to the animals. It was a lot of fun for grown-ups, I'm sure it would be even more fun with littles!

The best little safari!!! We went during off season and got there for the first tour of the day. We…read moregot so many up close and personal encounters with the animals there! Our tour guide, Raleigh, was excellent and made sure to get the animals up close for us! Such a fun place! We will be back and hope to bring others with us!

Rode today for a trip to the border wall. Fun, wonderful young lady as our guide. The horses were…read morevery cooperative for this novice rider. Would reccomend and plan on doing it again next year if we're here.

Super fun! We did the horseback riding and ATV tour. Staff was fantastic and patient with some of…read moreus who never rode. Would definitely do it again. Highly recommend!

What fun! We were visiting our son and daughter-in-law and decided to come here as a mini…read moreadventure. Our alpaca, Mochi, escaped from us and ran for the barn. We got to the barn just as they were bringing her back to us. It was fun to wander around and take picture.

Came for my niece's birthday, she had a great time!! The venue is soo beautiful and picturesque,…read morecustomer service was great, and the alpacas were sooo cute!! Highly recommend :)

I have been wanting to check this nature center out for some time. Today I finally got to stop in!…read moreThe staff are very welcoming and friendly! The grounds are beautiful. There were wild Javelina roaming the grounds and burds of all sorts. The mansion was gorgeous. They had benches along the walking paths and lots of shade. They are working on an expansion that should open early next year I think. Definitely a beautiful part of McAllen heritage. Support a local nature center!

This used to be a Spanish home that is now used for celebrations and events. The original home is…read morewell maintained. There is a nice green garden and park surrounding this home. They have programs like Natural history tours,Native plant walks,. The Intro to Native Plant Gardening sounds cool . Many birding programs. I went there for a event in the evening and sitting in the beautiful courtyard for a formal dinner. The venue doesn't offer food any you need to be use a caterer. Most people visit to watch birds and pay the nominal admission fee.

Nice state park! Loved seeing all the green jays and chácalas! It's also cool to get the birding…read moreapp and see what bird it identified from the sounds. We liked renting the bikes to ride around the park. But you can't go off on the trails and the bikes are in need of some tlc but still worth it! My kids loved the coloring tables inside the visitor center.

Rio Grande Valley State Park! This place is in sort of…read morethese marshes, low lying fields in the RGV outside of Brownsville. We came in for a hike along their shortest trail, which wound through scrub brush, mesquite trees and the overwhelming sound of cicadas. We saw lots of armadillos on our hike, and several strange, menacing looking birds. The park has a nice ranger station with a gift shop where you can rent binoculars and get patches and other gear that you'll need to camp and hike along the park's many trails. Be sure to reserve ahead of time on the website. The park is quiet, other than the insects. When we went, it has hot as heck, and nobody else was on the trails. They do offer a few bird blinds, or places to relax in some shade and observe the birds. There seemed to be a planetarium or telescope or something, but the armadillos were preventing us from investigating this.

Most reviews of the park are several years old but they were spot on…read more I enjoyed the park and due to its location and the fact they have primitive camp site there it would be a great place to camp overnight since there is no light pollution there. There is a camp ground next to the entrance for anyone with a camper. (Looked very nice and well kept) I rented a bike ($5.00 for 4 hours )

We visited the park yesterday to join a birding tour. John was fabulous and made everyone in the…read moregroup feel welcome. We saw and learned about many beautiful birds as well as plants. Plus our 2 hour tour ended up being nearly 4. The park was much prettier than I expected. The visitor center which had great items for sale was surrounded by beautiful foliage and benches. There were people hiking, camping, biking, and birding there. The energy in the park was so positive and friendly.

Was a wonderful experience for my entire family. Staff was very friendly. Learned a lotread more

We needed to see dolphins and that's exactly what we got (and more). Captain Murphy's Isla Tours is…read morea great activity for fun lovers to do in SPI. It's pretty cheap and you get an hour and a half out on the bay searching for dolphins and taking in the views. Parking is pretty accessible and you ride on Murphy's Law out to the bay. The boat is a bit older but clean and cared for. The captain narrates portions of the cruise to stay interactive but the workers make all the difference. They are extremely friendly and do a great job during the portion where they show off the wildlife they caught earlier that day. One of the biggest pros for us is that they were dog friendly, we couldn't believe it (our dog couldn't either but had a great time). We saw a few pods of dolphins, some in twos, others in fours. They don't stay above the water for long so we recommend being very ready to snap photos as soon as they break the surface. The workers will also go around asking if you would like them to take your photo which is a nice plus as well. Altogether, the experience was very fun. The only slight downside is that the heat really can get to you but prepare accordingly and you should be all set. You can also byob so that's pretty important to note. Definitely a tour we'd recommend checking out if you're in SPI.

Best dolphin tour on the island, they had spots available since one night before and we enjoyed our…read moretime there. My mom and daughter loved this and the weather was amazing. A very important note, is that they are very punctual with the times, so don't be like me and arrive late (they were super accommodating) but please make sure you are there at least 15 mins before. Cannot recommend them enough!

Hands down best dolphin tour on the island. Prices were amazing at $16/person for the morning tour…read more Just walk up. First part of the tour they towed in sea creatures to touch and look at: starfish, stingray, blue crab, moon jellies. We saw a dolphin mom and her baby. Saw Starbase. Got to go under the bridge. Headed out closer to the ocean where it's very windy and it gets rough. Saw dolphins feeding on the fish that were hiding in the murky water. Wonderful adventure to do on the island. (Do not try their competitor CM to the right of them. CM said they would text me instructions and address and they didn't. On the morning of the appt I called them 20x for that info and their phone kept hanging up. Then when I got thru they told me the tour was cancelled. It almost ruined our last day's plans.)

Absolutely a must see when you're in the RGV. This is one of the most beautiful parks I've ever…read morebeen in! I was initially drawn to check out the cool suspension bridge amongst the trees (costa rica vibes) and there was even more the park offered! We were greeted by two very friendly and knowledgeable workers at the visitors center, they were able to show us some recommended routes and things to look out for. The visitor center itself was so enjoyable to look around since it was like a mini museum with a bunch of history and information about the nature and wildlife. We took the Chachalaca Trail to the Tower Trail as recommended to get to the suspension bridge. Along the way you pass by a beautiful lake with many bird species and find a bunch of Spanish moss trees. When you get to the suspension bridge you take a tall spiral staircase and it's literally the coolest thing walking on the bridge. It was wobbly but very sturdy even when my friends were jumping on it! There was a lookout tower next to the bridge you take a separate staircase for and see a gorgeous overlook above all the trees. We later took the Pintail Lakes Trail to see the Rio Grande River outlook where you see the river and Mexico on the other side! After that we went up towards all the Pintail Lakes and took in all the gorgeous flora, birds, and scenery. The coolest thing we saw was a hawk carrying a snake!! We finished walking through it all in about 2ish hours. Can't recommend this place enough!

Beautiful hike and lots of cool wildlife and nature in the area. We saw a lot of very colorful…read morebirds also. The rope bridge was a fun addition as well

This State park is located on South International Blvd. (S. Farm to Market 1015) in Weslaco and…read morenorth of Progreso, TX. It boasts some hiking trails, small lakes, and wetlands where many water birds come as well as the regular South Texas avian residents and migratory birds. Many bird watching enthusiasts love this park. From the parking lot, follow the signs and make your way to the Visitors Center where you can pay the modest entry fee. The Visitors Center has a small gift shop, and there is a large covered porch overlooking one of the wetland areas where you can watch for birds. There are also restrooms available. The park is well maintained, and looks like it recently went through some improvements with new boardwalks. I did not have time to walk all the trails, so I did not get to see the alligators at Alligator Lake. However, I did see ibis, whistling ducks, red winged blackbird, hummingbirds, and some others I could not identify. Some have reported sightings of cranes, herons, spoonbills, and much more. I'd like to return when I have opportunity to see what else I can see. There were family groups walking, enjoying the park, and quite a few Winter Texans equipped with binoculars. There is usually someone, a more experienced bird watcher willing to share their tips. Besides the fauna, I enjoyed seeing some of the native flora such as the Palo Verde which was in full bloom the day I went. Espero Llano Grande State Park is a great place for family outings, bird watchers, or hiking enthusiasts. I recommend it.

My girl and I attended the First Day Hike to start off our 2019 outdoors and boy did we have a…read moregreat time. Ranger Javier was in charge of our 2hour/2mile hike and he was a super friendly and easy person to like. He had tons of knowledge and allowed our group to enjoy our stops even though we kept a pretty good pace from location to location. The entire park is pretty darn awesome. The land it sits on has been painstakingly converted into the marshlands that originally encompassed this area before irrigation amd development changed how the Rio Grande flowed. Apparently, this area is a bird lovers dream and many hard to find species call this area home. We were lucky to spot some very cool and beautiful birdies as well as one very illusive crocodile that Javier quickly spotted in crocodile pond. The entry fee is only $5 and there is an information area at the ticket office. They are getting very good about having events such as the first day of the year hike and you can even sign up for a Texas Parks newsletter that tells you of upcoming events. You can bring leashed doggies as well as your bike to use on the bike trails! All in all, a great RGV Texas State Park to bring your whole family. Try a guided tour and you will see even more than you expect!