Turtle Bay Exploration Park is exactly that—a mostly outdoor institution built alongside the shady Sacramento River, with creative ways for kids to learn about Native American and pioneer history, plants and wildlife.
Things to Do at Turtle Bay Exploration Park
At Turtle Bay Exploration Park, hands-on learning is woven throughout the 300-acre campus, where interactive exhibits and outdoor experiences bring the region’s natural and cultural history to life. Inside, galleries explore science, forestry, horticulture, and local heritage. The Urban Watershed Touch Table, for example, is an interactive digital exhibit that illustrates the impact city utilities have on the local watershed.
Outside, Paul Bunyan’s Forest Camp lets kids step into the boots of early loggers, while nearby re-creations of a traditional Native American bark house provide insight into the area’s Indigenous history. The Turtle Express Train Ride adds a dose of old-fashioned fun, chugging riders across the scenic Sundial Bridge and along the Sacramento River for a relaxed tour of the grounds.
Animal Encounters at Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Animal experiences are a real highlight here. Visitors can meet some of the park’s orphaned, rehabilitated, and non-releasable animals, including Artemis the gray fox and Kinta the laughing kookaburra. You can also meet some of the park’s orphaned animals, like Artemis, the gray fox, or Kinta, the laughing kookaburra. On Saturdays, the popular Creature Feature program brings guests face-to-face with one of the park’s ambassador animals during a live, educational presentation. On Wednesdays through Sundays you can see Animal Shows, which range from 15 to 45 minutes and focus on a different topic—“Predator vs Prey,” for example—and then examine the dynamic of that theme for a different animal, with the animal making an in-the-flesh appearance.
Experience the seasonal magic of the “Wings of Summer” Butterfly House exhibit, where 32 different varieties flutter overhead. If a chrysalis is timed to hatch while you are there, you can even have the experience of releasing the emerging butterfly yourself ($3 per release). Or take a stroll through the lorikeet aviary. One of the multicolored Australian birds might just land on your head, but springing for a feeding stick for them to eat—it’s only $2—will up the chances of close encounters.
Things to Do Near the Turtle Bay Exploration Park
This 300-acre nature complex is located in Redding, in the heart of Shasta County, and proves you don’t need theme park rides to give kids a thrill. One of the most striking attractions here is the pedestrian-only Sundial Bridge, which crosses the Sacramento River and connects the two campuses (and is an actual working sundial). You and your kids will be mesmerized by its glistening floor made from 200 tons of tinted green glass and granite.
On the far side of the bridge, opposite the museum, is the 200-acre McConnell Arboretum & Gardens, part of the larger Turtle Bay campus along the Sacramento River. The arboretum includes a series of themed gardens, such as Mediterranean, drought-tolerant, and native plant collections, as well as a children’s garden designed for interactive exploration. Paved and decomposed-granite pathways connect the plant displays to the riverfront and the Sundial Bridge.