Holidays at the Heard brings the beauty of the holiday season into nature. Bundle up your family, get out of the house, and experience the most unique family-friendly holiday event in North Texas.
The 2023 Nature Photography Contest, hosted by the Heard Nature Photography Club, will open beginning on March 25. Submissions will end April 15. Learn More
The 2023 Nature Photography Contest, hosted by the Heard Nature Photography Club, will open beginning March 25. Submissions will end on April 15. Learn More
Tickets will be available to the public, while supplies last, beginning September 22.
If tickets sell out, no additional tickets will be sold at the door. Special Halloween tickets are required for all guests, including Heard Museum Members
More Information
Experience Collin County’s premier family-friendly Halloween event at Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas.
Heard Members-Only Presale
September 7-21
Available to Public
Tickets will be available to the public, while supplies last, beginning September 22.
If tickets sell out, no additional tickets will be sold at the door. Special Halloween tickets are required for all guests, including Heard Museum Members
More Information
Experience Collin County’s premier family-friendly Halloween event at Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas.
Experience Collin County’s premier family-friendly Halloween event at Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas.
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing nature and people together to discover, enjoy, experience, restore and preserve our priceless environment. Your support through financial contributions will help ensure that the Heard, including a 289-acre nature preserve, will be sustained.
Thank you for your consideration of this project and your support!
This Year’s Project: Prairie Restoration
North Texas Giving Day early giving started September 1. This year, we’re working on a campaign to raise $30,000 to help revegetate 10 acres of prairie at the Heard. This might sound like a large amount to reach, but if every one of our followers on Facebook and Instagram gave us just $1 today, we could reach that goal! Donations can be made through www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/heardmuseum or at our website.
Please consider helping if you can. If you’re not able to help financially, please consider sharing! That is also very helpful.
Why are we trying to reseed/revegetate the prairie? Today, less than 1% of the original 12 million acres remain in their true prairie condition or as restored prairies. This makes the Blackland Prairie part of the most endangered large ecosystem in North America. The Heard is a part of this ecosystem. The Heard Wildlife Sanctuary is now an oasis of preserved and restored Blackland Prairie bordered by subdivisions and commercial development.
Preservation of the Blackland Prairie is vital because native animals and insects lose the food and shelter they depend upon to survive. What habitat remains becomes increasingly fragmented. To continue to preserve native habitats, the Heard faces many challenges on our site.
Invasive plant species often make their way in, crowding out and killing off native plants. Fire and large grazing mammals were essential to keeping out trees and other plants that would change the character of the habitats. These methods are often very limited in densely populated areas.
Additionally, land that was quickly cleared for agriculture was, in turn, easily converted into residential and commercial developments.
In addition to preserving and continually restoring our Blackland Prairie habitats, the Heard’s mission is to bring nature and people together to discover, enjoy, experience, restore and preserve our priceless environment.
We strive to help the public understand the value of these resources we are losing. Moreover, we aim to empower the public to help restore this ecoregion–even if on their home lots one bit of land at a time. Thank you for your support.
More About Us
Founded in 1967, the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney Texas consists of a natural science museum, indoor and outdoor exhibits, over six miles of nature trails, an outdoor amphitheater and a 289 acre wildlife sanctuary. The Heard hosts more than 100,000 visitors each year, drawing families, educators, researchers, environmentalists, and more. Visitors hike the trails year round (self-guided or interpreted by Heard volunteers and staff, by reservation) and have the opportunity encounter many species of flora and fauna. Programs offered by the Heard include exhibits, school field trips, outreach programs, homeschool natural science programs, preschool natural science programs, summer nature camps, birthday parties, scouting initiatives, environmental research programs, team-building initiatives, night hikes and community events.
Protected for its biological importance and for scientific and educational use, this nature preserve is part of the less than 1% of the Blackland Prairie (the most endangered ecosystem in North America) that remains. The Heard Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature preserve rather than a park because of the special character of this area and the rarity of some of its plants and animals. Preserving these natural resources depends on our collective stewardship. Because the Heard does not receive regular tax funding, improvements to our facility and conservation of these resources are made possible with the support of individuals like you through donations, admissions and volunteering.
The Heard was founded in 1967 by Bessie Heard at the age of 80. In a time when the rate of expansion of the Metroplex was slower than today, she foresaw the need to preserve a place where future generations could experience nature. The Heard’s mission of bringing nature and people together is largely fulfilled through onsite educational programs, which emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation and utilizes the natural resources available within our 289-acre nature preserve.
The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary located in McKinney, TX also manages roughly 60 combined acres of Blackland Prairie restoration sites. The Blackland Prairie ecoregion once covered over 19,000 square miles in Texas, which began at the Red River, north of Dallas, and extended south to present-day San Antonio. Now, less than 1% of this ecologically critical ecosystem remains.
Please note: the button labeled “register” below will take you to our North Texas Giving Day donation page.
Please join us for Supper with a Cause on June 9th at the Heard Museum! Harvest Executive Chef Andrea Shackelford will craft a seasonal four-course menu paired with wines and the new summer cocktails. Dinner will be held in Heard’s Science Research Center.
All proceeds will benefit conservation initiatives at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Have you been looking for more ways to enjoy nature? Would you like to try yoga or expand your practice? Explore your connections to nature through yoga in this 30-minute class. Yoga is a great way to calm your active mind, relax, increase flexibility and strength, and connect with yourself and nature. No experience is necessary; all levels are welcome.
Important Note Regarding Arrival Time
Our yoga instruction will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. Please arrive no later than 9:15 a.m. This will allow time for us to walk out to the outdoor location where this program will be held. If you arrive late, you may miss out as a result.
Equipment and Attire
Participants must bring their own mats. Closed-toed shoes (for the hike to the class site), water, and bug spray are recommended. Participants will be outdoors for at least half an hour and should dress according to the weather.
Requirements
Each participant must have a completed Liability Release and Health Statement prior to participating in Yoga in Nature. A copy will be provided to you onsite prior to the instruction start time. Minimum age: 15. Pre-registration is required and spots are limited. Please make sure any guests attending with you have reserved a spot prior to attending.
Program Updates or Cancelations
If there are any changes for our Yoga in Nature program, or in the rare case that your event is canceled, all notifications will come via email to the address you provide during registration. We reserve the right to cancel due to weather or insufficient participant numbers. If the Heard cancels an event, we will attempt to reschedule. If rescheduling is not possible, a full refund will be provided. If the participant chooses to cancel his or her own reservation, no refunds will be given 7 days or less before a scheduled event.
Walk among free-flying native butterflies and other pollinators in our Native Texas Butterfly House & Garden. This exhibit is open during our regular hours of operation during its scheduled dates.
The butterfly house includes native species, which vary by season and what is available from suppliers. Our butterfly garden is filled with host plants that naturally attract these lovely creatures.
Open June 8 – September 28, 2024
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