Chula Vista Nature Center

Discover Chula Vista Nature Center, San Diego Bay’s native wildlife center. A zooquarium that focuses on the importance of coastal resource conservation, Chula Vista Nature Center features a number diverse and fascinating exhibits set just steps from the pristine coastline of San Diego Bay.

Enjoy the new Wergeland Family Discovery Center, which features giant green sea turtles and rainbow trout, as well as a variety of other sea life. In Turtle Lagoon, get up-close-and-personal with the Nature Center’s own endangered Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtles. The David A. Wergeland Shark & Ray Experience is a state-of-the-art, 21,000-gallon aquarium that includes a shallow-water touch tank where you can touch the resident rays. Step into the walk-through Shorebird Aviary and enter the home of native water and shorebirds — including egrets, ducks, and herons. At Eagle Mesa, you will be face-to-face with the majestic national symbols of the United States and Mexico: the Bald eagle and Golden eagle. Take a walk down Raptor Row and meet the Nature Center’s native birds of prey, including hawks, owls, osprey, and even the Turkey vulture. As you’re exploring, take notice of the beautiful gardens featuring San Diego’s rich mosaic of plant species. Take a stroll on the Nature Center’s 1.5 miles of walking trails leading to the shoreline, where you may catch a glimpse of a soaring harrier, shorebirds, rabbits, and maybe even an Osprey diving down for lunch.

Free guided nature walks are available on weekends and some weekdays. Call for times and reservations (619) 409-5900 or visit them on the web at ChulaVistaNatureCenter.org.