Travel

Explore your own backyard: Anahuac, Texas

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

I haven’t done one of these in awhile, so I thought it would be fun to talk about a place that’s about an hour away from Houston: Anahuac, Texas. In this series I talk about places that are relatively local to Houston that you can get to and from in a day. You can read the rest of those posts here.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Easter is the one holiday that Aaron and I don’t split with our parents. We typically attend church Sunday morning and head outside somewhere. About several years ago, we first decided to visit Anahuac to visit the National Wildlife Refuge.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is 34,000 acres of protected space along the coast of Texas. It is home to tons of wildlife including alligators. I was born and raised in California and had never seen an alligator in the wild before. So, I was really surprised to learn that they can be found in many bodies of water throughout Texas. They roam free at Anahuac, so you can see them up and close.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

The drive to Anahuac from Houston takes about an hour. And, if you go in the spring, you the sides of the highway are filled with Texas Bluebonnets. It’s really a fun time to visit, because baby alligators are typically out and about as well.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

The Skillern Tract

If you decide to go, you must start at the visitors center, which is at the entrance of the park, but you need to go to the Skillern Tract for the best viewing. The Skillern Tract is 300-acres of marsh land that sits among rice fields. There is a viewing platform, but the best way to see everything is to get out and drive the tract. It’s one way, and most are there to view wildlife and take photos, so everyone goes relatively slow.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

When we went a couple of weeks ago, we saw the most alligators we have every seen. The weather was perfect, so they were out sunning themselves. We pulled up to the Skillern Tract, and I saw something moving in the butterfly garden. It turned out to be a baby alligator.

We took Buttercup along for the ride, and she stayed in the car. You can get out of your car to take photos, and you are separated from the wildlife by the water. Now, the gators do sun themselves on the grass, so just be aware of your surroundings 🙂

We stayed for a couple of hours and made the hour’s drive back to Houston. We’ve been several times over the years and always enjoy visiting this gem that is right in Houston’s own backyard.

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