The Scene
This 2,500-acre nature preserve lies along one of the largest migratory bird routes in North America. The preserve protects interconnected prairie, marsh and forest ecologies, with the Armand Bayou running through them all. Keep an eye out for white-tailed deer, ducks, hawks, egrets and other wading birds, migrating warblers and other songbirds, alligators and butterflies.
The Draw
Take a sunset or moonlight cruise or have a Saturday morning breakfast on the bayou and see some of the more than 220 species of birds and 350 species of wildlife living here. Kids' day camps begin in June and run through the summer. Volunteer training takes place twice a year. Volunteer staffers run educational programs, including classes, wildlife observation walks, farm demonstrations and an eco-camp--weeklong sessions that keep more than 200 Houston-area youngsters sweaty and satisfied during the summer months.