Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Laguna Vista

I'm so glad that we made a detour to go to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. I am from Colorado so I have never seen an alligator and that was a hope for my trip. But I also love birds and there are millions of birds in the area and it is quite the sight. It's funny because my daughter was disappointed at first she said, "I thought we were going to a zoo!" So we had to explain to her what a wildlife refuge lol. At the first stop, called Osprey Overlook, there were a ton of ospreys just like the sign promised haha. And then we went to another overlook where we saw seagulls dive bombing for fish which was really cool because I have only seen that on TV. And we were pretty sure we saw some alligators but at that distance it was hard to confirm. It was almost a magical moment though for me. I love connecting with nature and I felt so connected in that moment and that place. I would love to frequent it if I lived closer. Then we moved on to an area called Alligator Pond. I love getting short nature videos so I was trying to get a nice 30 second clip of the area. Unfortunately it took a long time because some people came and they were chit-chatting so all of the birds were quieter and obviously I don't want people talking in my video so we had to wait patiently for them to move along. Thankfully we did though because after they left and I managed to get my 30 second video I was ready to leave content with what I had got and my daughter was like what about the alligators? And I looked to my left and there was one right there! It was fun getting to see it so up close. Beforehand I thought that it was going to be scary because that is an apex predator, however the park is designed in such a way that you can have a safe overlook on a boardwalk so if you want to escape you have plenty of time before the alligator is able to get to where you are at. So it was a lot safer than I imagined before I came. It was really spectacular to experience that though and I definitely recommend a trip to Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge if you are in the area. And my daughter ended up loving the experience and she didn't want to leave even though it wasn't a zoo and she was initially disappointed haha.

Interesting wildlife area. Very friendly and helpful staff who are willing and able to answer your questions. Easy walking trails and drivable roads to scenic views. Picnic tables, restrooms, gift shop.