Located in Central Park West, we absolutely loved our walk through the nature center. There's a gift shop when you first enter and an information table. We followed the trails that led us through a habitat of California native plants. There were many places off trail to sit. However, food is not allowed inside. We enjoyed the Redwood Grove and relaxed there for a bit. The staff is friendly and informative and this is definitely a great place for kids. It appears they have a variety of workshops. No fee to enter or to park. We continued our walk around the park outside and noticed the east side of Huntington Park Central. That will be our next spot to explore. read more

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Gorgeous center - peaceful walks. The trees and area is lush and beautiful. There is always something about being in nature to help you feel centered and relaxed. There is a surrounding park area too with a lake and assorted playgrounds. Fun experience. read more

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Shipley Nature Center was exactly what we needed. After being cooped up all day with rain, the first sign of sun had me itching to get my son out into nature. We chose Shipley without really knowing what to expect, and it ended up being such a sweet little reset. Important note: they're only open 9am to 1pm, so you've got to get there early. Parking was also super easy with plenty of space. Right when we walked in, there was a lovely lady at a table who offered us a scavenger hunt, which was adorable and instantly made it feel kid-friendly. Before we even started, my son and I posted up at the cutest little checkers board and played a few rounds in the sunshine. Simple quality time like that, in a beautiful setting, is everything. Then we hit the trails and since it was the day after rain, we saw the coolest mushroom situation: fuzzy white ones, bright orange ooey-gooey looking ones, and the kind that blend into the logs like nature's little magic trick. There are little ponds, trees with berries, and then you keep walking and find a tiny little redwood grove. I love redwoods. The fresh air and that slightly cooler feel under them is unreal. Bathrooms? Yes, and they were clean and easy to find, which matters. Trails were very flat, but I wouldn't call it stroller-friendly, especially right after rain. It was a little muddy in spots, but they have mulch and wood chips down in a lot of areas which helps. On the way out, I noticed the suggested donation is $5, but it's free to enter, which I really appreciate. They also mentioned First Fridays have extended hours and kid activities, so we're definitely coming back for that. Summary: easy parking, sweet kid-friendly touches, and a simple nature walk that feels like a mini reset. If you catch it the day after rain, just wear shoes you don't mind getting a little dirty. read more

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Very cool place to visit, loved the egrets, plants, poppies, bird houses, etc. Desi and Alex helped us along our trip. Thank you very much guys. Awesome center. read more

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Love it, it has different trails. I took my grandson age 2.5 yes old on a 30 mins trail. He had fun finding, small waterfall, butterfly habitat, lake, hearing sound of ducks, squirrels, jumping off the red wood tree stumps. Wold recommended. read more

Awesome find in the middle of Huntington Beach. This place is much bigger than I expected, with lots of opportunities for kids to explore and learn. The trail is marked and loops around, so you could easily make your hike as short or as long as you want. The kids get scavenger hunts to use as they explore anything from ducks to egrets, and ponds to redwoods. The nature center is not too big but still has a lot to look at, including a variety of taxidermied animals, bones, and rocks. There is also an interactive area where kids can read books and play with puzzles or puppets. Bonus - the workers/volunteers are so friendly and helpful. We only scratched the surface of seeing what there is to see here, so we will definitely be back again! read more

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I recommend this park because, there is a parkour-y park and museum with a nature hike that is beautiful. read more

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Oh my gosh! Have you ever been here? It is amazing! This magical natural environment, with a pond and coastal redwoods! There were Osprey nesting in some dead trees right near the entrance. It is right next to the senior center, there is plenty of parking (free). It renews my faith in humanity. This land used to be where they dumped debris from the construction of the 405 fwy. Look at what the well-meaning volunteers have done for us all to enjoy! This is a free benefit for all residents! Please leave a donation so they can continue the good work they do! read more

Shipley Nature Center - Osprey nesting! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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We went to visit for the first time this week and I'm so glad to have found such a wonderful trail for toddlers to roam around and explore, but yet is enclosed and is a single manageable loop. You are welcomed by the friendliest people at the entrance with scavenger hunt checklists for the kids and a map of the trail. The checklists are great because they have a couple different kind so you can do ones that are a mix of wildlife and plants, or just flowers, etc. It's a great way to motivate kids to keep walking while looking for things. They have wetlands and redwoods! There are so many dragonflies and butterflies around the trails (not only in the butterfly garden), which makes it so magical. Tip: Part of the trail is blocked because the pond's water levels are too high so you walk one direction and then go back to walk the other part of the loop. The interpretive center has so much for the kids to do: look and feel boxes relating to birds, lots of kids books, lots of bones in a display with different colored lights and even a curtain puppet show play area. Outside is a guess-the-animal flip photos game that is fantastic for kids. The nature center is open from 9-1 on certain days of the week and $3 donation per person is suggested. We are happy to donate to make sure they can keep running and stay open for a long time to come! read more

peaceful, educational. lovely nature preserve. little indoor interactive gallery with lots of cool information. we loved our nature walk.

Best nursery for local native plants. Lovely walking trail. Sweet nature museum for children and fantastic summer day camp.

what a great shaded nature trail. liked the trail volunteers at the front. they gave some advice for our first time here. however part of the trail is closed off amd they failed to mention this to us. wish we had more time to explore! but they close early at 1 and quickly shoo'd us out. next time well def try coming at opening! parking is free and plentiful. we came on a tues. the trail is mostly mulch. all terrain wagon was useful. read more

A great little hike for your little ones. We came here when they just reopened and they had hangouts for a scavenger hunt designed for the kids. Very cute. This is more of a little park then an actual hike. My toddler loved running around and there wasn't any hills that would make me worry she would take the wrong step. I would come more often if it lived closer. A great gem for locals with kids! read more

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Visited this place on a Saturday morning with my daughter. We were greeted at the entrance & supplied us with a map. It's a small nature center, but we were able to see different plants, redwood trees, storks, & other wildlife. There was also a scavenger hunt that my daughter & I completed as we were walking & exploring the trails. We valued our time here. Lovely trails & Family friendly! read more

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Visited on a Saturday morning around 10am with family. Parking lot looks like it can get full quickly, so if you need to find a spot, you can drive south on Goldenwest to park in neighboring lot. There were 2 greeters at the entrance who were friendly and provided us a map. It's a rather smaller nature center and can be completed in less than an hour, but it was fun to see the different plants, Redwood trees, and wildlife (hawk). Well kept and clean. Bathrooms also available. The adjoining park is great to spend some time at too with kids or dogs. Plenty of space to either relax or run around. read more

I absolutely LOVE Shipley Nature Center, but I HATE that they close so early. I would love to be able to bring my niece but my current work schedule & the fact they close so early hasn't allowed me an opportunity to bring her. Luckily my work schedule will be changing soon so bringing my niece here is on my list of things to do. What a shame they close so early it truly irritates me. My guess is that they do this in order to avoid having too many people visit here so that the plants may thrive. This place is beautiful & if you're around the area please check it out. read more

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We held our wedding ceremony here and I was really apprehensive! I do not do well with heat and being in direct sunlight. With a three layer suit on, I was really worried about having my ceremony outside at Shipley Nature Center. Did I mention this was on June 24th, at 4:00 PM?! However, the second the ceremony started, I was so relieved and happy to be there! This place was GORGEOUS! There were so many beautiful, beautiful spots for taking the first look photos...and so well shaded! The design of the garden was done so there is a nice breeze even at the hottest time during the day. The amphitheater itself is quite small, which only added to its cozy and close feeling. Sound amplification was definitely not a problem. I wish there were more flowers, but the greens were really good as is. Denise was a pleasure to work with and she was so understanding and accommodating. Overall, we loved having our wedding ceremony at Shipley! My wife loved every moment here. I look forward to visiting this venue during regular hours and just to walk around. I also hope to potentially have future events at this location! read more

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Such a nice and beautiful hidden gem. Runs off of donations and wonderful volunteers. On the first Friday of every month they stay open a bit later so it's worth checking out if you have time. read more

Wow wow wow. We visit Huntington Beach often as our in laws live here. We are from Vegas and it's a nice break from the heat to come this direction. I had no idea this place was here or that it would be as large as it was. It was so big that even though the parking lot was full as it was a holiday weekend, it still felt as if there were hardly any other people there. We had room to run and play and not worry about social distancing. The park has wide paved trails making it super easy for strollers and littles on their bikes and strollers to get around. The grassy areas are really well kept as well as the plants and flowers. There are benches and picnic tables scattered throughout the park. There is a lake so the park has plenty of geese and ducks throughout which was very entertaining for my two littles. The restrooms, while not super clean, were surprisingly clean for a park. Excited to visit when we are back in the area. read more

Shipley Nature Center - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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A beautiful place to hike! I really enjoyed it. Not a ton of shade, so maybe don't do it if it's a super hot day

Cool little place. Nice to see redwoods. I called and asked if it was wheelchair accessible before coming, but it is not. My parents had to tilt my wheelchair back on it's rear wheels in order to go on the trails. read more

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My sons class went last week on a field trip and all the kids had a blast. The ladies who coordinated the field trip were all amazing. First field trip I chaperoned and it was so fun! read more

" Well, I'll be! You mean to tell me there's a Nature Center in 'em Huntington Beach?!" That's me, channeling my inner Huell Howser. Good ole' Huell Howser's show on KCET introduced me to the Shipley Nature Center. Huell Howser, with his Gommer Pyle meets Andy Griffin style of presenting. If you know Huell, you know his style of reporting well make you curious for the places he showcases;Or, he will annoy you. Huell approaches reporting with a naiveté and childlike innocence, that has been his quirky trademark. Huell has introduced folks to California businesses and landmarks throughout the state for years. Huell's piece on Shipley made me curious for this nature center, that I paid it a visit. And now, I can't get enough of this place. I like to neander through the trails and paths, and admire the trees, the California native plant life and the visitor's educational center. This nature center is a great center to visit, especially right now, when the California poppies are available and in full bloom. The center is really lush and green at this time of Spring and definitely worth a visit. I really like admiring the variety of plant life which volunteers have planted and helped to care for at the center. Succulents to California poppies, to pine trees are some of the species that thrive in this little biosphere of nature. Spring is a good time to visit Shipley, when you have a lusher, green vegetation, as well as the California poppies. Quick tips: *Admission is FREE (donations are optional; and do help to keep the center open) *Parking is FREE! *The Center is Open only between 9 AM to 1 PM, Monday to Saturday (The Center is Open for a short time span, which is a bummer) *The Entrance was initially hard to find for me, but know that if you walk into the park, past the parking lot off of Golden West, you well come across the main gates to Shipley's entrance. Thank you, KCET and Hugh Howser for introducing me to Shipley. I love this nature center. To view Huell Howser's piece on Shipley, hit up the following link: http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us/Residents/videos/attractions/central_park.cfm Enjoy your time venturing to the center! read more

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Finally made it here last week and it was so much more vast and beautiful than I expected! The nature trials are lovely and basically one large loop...large loop! Lots of trees but it does get hot so go early or late and I suggest leaving the strollers at home or parking at the front gift shop area and leaving them while you walk. Already looking forward to going back and exploring the rest of the trails! There is also a quaint indoor center where kids can play. Check it out! read more

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I love coming here to unwind and relax. Just a nice stroll thru this nature park will calm the stress levels. I always see tons of hummingbirds and butterflies. Sometimes they'll have plant sales, gardening classes, and music. My biggest issue though is I arachnaphobia and this place loaded with grape sized spiders... and since not many people come thru this place they hang out all over the walk ways. Yikes! read more

I love coming here to photograph the birds, butterflies, rabbits and anything else I run across!! It feels like I'm in Oregon and NOT OC...Feels magical :) Last time I was here I was randomly walking around and ran into someone from HS (We didn't go to HS in HB or anything so it was super random) He was also there taking pictures! I love this place - its free! And only a couple miles from home woo hoo! read more

Shipley Nature Center - My favorite picture taken at Shipley - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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One of many great places in Huntington Beach (other than the beach, but these days even the beach isn't fun). Key word is "nature" and this center has got plenty of that! Once inside I forget I'm in HB, and having that feeling of being submersed into nature is amazing! Shipleys Nature Center provides a wonderful trail that allows explorers and nature lovers to observe and photograph a variety of flora and fauna. They use a lot if California native plants and provide information and how to's for your own yard. The benefit of this is attracting native animals in to there natural habitat. Insects and birds are the most frequent types of wildlife. They have a butterfly garden which is amazing during the spring. The colors of the blooming flowers are so vibrant and attractive. Hummingbirds as well frequent the butterfly garden. Lizards will dart by as you walk the windy trails, bees will buzz as they collect nectar and you may even end up with a little praying mantis hitchhiker on you! It has a composting expo that's pretty informative and explains the process and benefits of composting. They also have a stinging nettle garden so beware! If you've ever been stung by nettle, you'll be right to be cautious. If you don't know, they have signs to guide you away from it. Admiral butterfly's love nettle so that is the reason they leave it. There is a small pond inside the center but it's really hard to see unless it's full. You'll hear the ducks quacking and splashing but it's covered very well so it's hard to spot them. I really love the waterfall next to the building. It's recirculated so it's always flowing! There's a bench next to as well to sit and listen to the flowing water. Very relaxing indeed. They also provide tours school field trips which is a lot of what I see when I am there. Shipleys is a great place to enjoy nature without driving hours to get away! read more

Shipley Nature Center - Stinging Nettle! BEWARE! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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This is a nice little place to get away. It's situated next to a small park and across the street from the HB Library and sports complex. I came during their Spring Festival (?) where they had a lot of activities for children so there was limited parking but I don't think it's usually an issue. We had to park across the street this time. Once inside you're pretty much free to walk around as you please. It's mostly shrubs and trees though, so don't expect to see a bunch of flowers in bloom. It took about 30 minutes to leisurely stroll through the entire area. Some trails are blocked off so we had to double back but that's all right. We got to see some lizards, squirrels and red tailed hawks during the walk. Not a bad way to spent part of a morning in beautiful Huntington Beach. read more

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It's places like Shipley that make me so very grateful to live in Huntington Beach. I frequently bring my kids here for the Nature Center's Wednesday parent and me event, which we all love and appreciate so much, but this past weekend I decided to go kid-less and attended their composting class. It was so interesting to learn about the different types of composting and they even gave out vouchers to HB residents to get started at home for FREE. I also love how much they do (again, completely FREE) for our schools to bring awareness about reducing trash through composting. Sincerely, One very grateful HB resident who vows to master composting at home and will also make sure that my kid's school does too!!! Thanks again for this wonderful community event. :) read more

Shipley Nature Center - Hooray for composting!!! Thanks Shipley Nature Center! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

I love this place. It's right around the corner and I can putt around anytime I have nothing to do. My daughter loves it here as well. There is a lot of educational stuff here, and an abundance of little critters to watch. When ladybugs are in season, they breed and sell them. We usually buy a bunch just to let them go. Great place, I just wish the hours of operation were a bit longer. read more

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Beautiful, peaceful spot with lots of trees, plants and especially egrets nesting in the trees. Wonderful docent to guide you.

Loved this walk, parking was easy, trails were marked. Tons of places to sit & relax. Stroller & kid friendly. Pretty views. And It's free, which is always a plus. read more

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This is the best way to teach your kids about Nature. Go to all the Nature Centers you can find. This was our first and we continue to come week after week, year after year with all the grand children. Shipley's is as natural as you can find. The trails are fun and easy to figure out. See the natural plants, the Butterfly gardens, the compost area, the Nesting of the Egrets area, and all the sightings of squirrels, hawks,birds, rabbits, and sometimes coyotes. My grandkids and I have been coming here for 8 years now and they always want more. read more

Shipley Nature Center - A fun day looking for Butterflies but not catching them! Hunter at 4. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

First time going here. Enjoyed the scenery. Staff was friendly, park was clean, too bad some of the walk exhibits were closed, will definitely return n hopefully the rest of the exhibits will be open. read more

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Very beautiful with redwood trees, California poppies, native plants, and a small lake. Great talks on local wildlife and ecology in the summer. They are also a good source of outdoor water conservation tips for the public. I do wish the trail loop was a bit longer though. read more

Shipley Nature Center - Shipley Nature Center: California poppies in May 2014 - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

writing a 1* review for the Shipley nature center makes me really sad! Took lo here today and the place was absolutely atrocious!!! Outside the gate is a nice park, walk in the center and it looks like a homeless camp. I felt a little unsafe inside the gates. The pictures shown on this site look nothing like what I saw! Quite a bit of trails were closed and the ones that were open were in pretty bad shape. So much over growth and dead plant material, that it was hard to walk on the paths as well as mixed in wood chips. I thought I remembered coming here as a kid but this place doesn't resemble my thoughts one bit :( so disappointed. Sadly, we won't be back:( On the plus side we saw one hummingbird and 2 butterfly's read more

Our first visit today! The parking lot was closed which we knew via their website so we simply parked in the residential area across from the Park Bench Cafe. The full trail was closed at a few points due to high water so we couldn't do the full loop. No big deal, we live in SoCal so I'm not about to complain about a little "extra" water. Went with my 4 year old, perfect amount of time for her interest and attention span. We saw some squirrels, lots of lizards and butterflies. Wildflowers were beautiful and blooming away. It's a great place for young kids to learn and experience nature and the habitat of local wild animals. I loved the opportunities for great photos, it's such a gorgeous little spot. Definitely will be visiting again! read more

Make sure to get out by the time they close or you will get locked in. We had to call the PD to get us out! The did not have a key so they had to help us climb over the barbed wire fence. read more

Shipley Nature Center - Got locked in after the closed. Police helped us climb over the barbed wire fence. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

very nice staffs, small but nice for little kids, used to have so mich more butterflies & more wildlife. nice place for the kids. Make sure to check the schedule before coming. read more

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I came here on a recent field trip with my daughter. We had a good time walking through the grounds and learning about nature. What I really liked is how they brought it down to a level she could understand and still learn something. Best part is that anyone can visit and its free. read more