Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center) - Carlsbad, California

Colleen S

Last here several years ago with a grandchild who had a great time (3 years old) and it's grown and blossomed so much! Worth a visit whether you're a senior citizen or a kiddo. We came on a Tuesday and there was a group of kids on a field trip having a great time. The employees and volunteers are friendly and helpful and informative. The exhibits include reptiles, birds, and aquatic life and you can even touch some of the critters with staff help. There is also a cool chicken coop and a separate enclosure for the cute mini pig and his tortoise buddy. And a very cute fairyland. Original sculptures and art pieces adorn the outside. An easy walking path, several benches to sit and enjoy the wonderful views, lunch tables are also available. Great place, worth the visit, donations are gratefully appreciated.

Jonathan Espedal

Awesome discovery center for the kids! My wife calls petsmart the free aquarium. I would call this the free zoo! In the main hall, there was different aquatic life, a touch tank, some reptiles, and bunnies. In the medians of the parking lots there are the tortoises and pig, and other animals outside were owls, falcons, chickens and then the great view of the lagoon. If you're in the Carlsbad area it's definitely worth checking out.

Everything seemed to be free except for the bags of feed for some of the animals.

Justin Vergason

Great place to take little ones, they have a small chicken coup with turtles that your able to purchase a small snack bag and feed them.
A small tide pool with shark to touch.
Plenty of outdoor space to roam for little ones.

Chad Michael Lawson

Super fun. Great for kids & curious nature people. We got to hold all kinds of reptiles, pet underwater creatures, dig for fossils, & go on a nature hike. Super friendly knowledgeable staff.

Seymour Titt

FUN PLACE ! On Tuesday my wife and I had one of our regular dates with our 2 young grand daughters. That meant driving from Irvine to Oceanside to pick them up at 11am. My wife had picked out this discovery center in Carlsbad...the girls had been here before with their Mom. We took a home prepared cut lunch and other goodies for us all....no food available here just drinks and ice creams. We pulled into their parking lot around midday on another quite hot day. FIRST UP ! We spotted a Tortoise and a cute Pig inside a little fenced area. The girls enjoyed the interaction. Then we headed inside to get out of the heat and see more stuff. A sweet young lady at reception welcomed us and asked if we would make a $15 donation....kind of the price of admission. We saw a number of snakes, a Chameleon, Starfish, Central Bearded Dragon ( from Australia ), Tropical Fish and more. VERY CLEAN RESTROOMS ! We used the 2 restrooms opposite each other inside. My wife bought 2 cute wallets for the girls and 2 bags of lettuce to feed the Tortoise & the Pig. Then we headed back to our car to gather our lunch sandwiches and other snack stuff. We found a shaded area ( a number of tables with umbrellas ) below the main building where we sat and enjoyed our lunch. After lunch we headed back up to the main building where we saw a Swallow's nest, a Great Horned Owl, a Peregrine Falcon and an American Kestrel....all of these raptors had suffered some sort of permanent injury which prevented them from being able to survive in the wild. We took the girls over to feed some lettuce to the Tortoise and the fat little Pig. The girls loved hand feeding the little guys and then headed inside to wash their hands in the restroom. WE HAD A FUN TIME !

Lauren Brimmer

Trails all around the lagoon have Aqua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation to thank for their care. Likewise, the Foundation engages in education and community building. Anyone can join and enjoy the fun and camaraderie of preserving the lagoon for generations to come. What’s not to love?

E l i z z i e b e t h

Great experience! My toddler had so much fun feeding the animals and learning about them. They also have a short "hiking" trail which was nice. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick but fun distraction with the kiddos.
P.s Dont forget to donate! We want them to continue giving our lil ones fun experiences but keep the animals safe in a great environment.

Marlayna Driscoll

Our daughter did the preschool play dates program here and it was so wonderful! Great experience. The teachers are all so happy and full of love. Thank you so much!