Meet the mother-and-daughter duo Sprite and Luna, Southern flying squirrels, at the Heard Natural Science and Wildlife Sanctuary. Or Sweetie, the blue and gold macaw. These animals were unwanted or illegal pets. They found a home in McKinney at the Heard, a place where you can experience wide-open nature just minutes from the big city. The Heard’s mission is three-fold: conservation, preservation and education. They want families to know that keeping wild animals as pets is illegal and frequently dangerous for both owner and animal. The Heard also provides a refuge for injured animals such as Fuzz, a white-tailed deer who has a disabled leg that keeps her from surviving in the wild. And that’s just a fraction of what this unusual living museum offers its guests.
Miss Bessie Heard saw a need to preserve a part of the Texas countryside for animal and nature conservation. So at the age of 80, in 1967, her vision became the Heard, and today it is home to a wide assortment of live animals, six-and-a-half miles of nature trails, three ecosystems, 62 types of snakes, 300 bird species and much more. The Heard is an easy-to-find, friendly place, and as you make your way into the museum the aroma of fresh popcorn will hit you in the face and a volunteer or staff member will kindly introduce you to all that the Heard has.
Start your tour inside with a stroll through The Living Lab, which showcases hands-on learning opportunities for your kids. Explore nature by using scientific instruments such as microscopes, thermometers, scales, specimens and even a light box for viewing X-rays, or get a glimpse of the three ecosystems found at the Heard: wetland, forest and woodlands. A kid favorite is the sand pit, where if you let them, children could spend all day searching and digging for fossils and other curiosities, but there’s a lot more to see. Go all Jurassic Park with the outdoor dinosaur display – no, they’re not real, they’re part of the Dinosaurs Live! Exhibit. You’ll find nine dinos along a half-mile trail, including a 46-foot T. rex that moves and makes real-life sounds. The trails at the Heard are not wheelchair- or umbrella-stroller accessible, but there are backpack baby carriers available for free to make walking through nature easier and more enjoyable. You’ll feel a million miles away from the city sounds as you walk on a self-guided tour surrounded by nature.
The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary
1 Nature Place, McKinney, 972/562-5566; heardmuseum.org Hours: 9am–5pm Tue.–Sat., 1pm–5pm Sun.; closed on Monday; closed for Christmas and New Year’s; open until 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Admission: $9 adults; $6 kids 3–12; members and kids under 2 free.
