Video summary
Fort Worth Nature Center & Botanical Gardens stands as a unique urban sanctuary, recognized as the largest city-owned nature center in Texas with its expansive 3,700-acre footprint located within historic Broadview Park. Originally acquired by the city in 1914 to protect the watershed for Lake Worth, this hidden gem has evolved into a diverse ecosystem that allows visitors to experience environments ranging from the limestone outcrops of the Texas Hill Country to Louisiana-style bayous without leaving Fort Worth. The park features over twenty-two miles of hiking trails and includes significant geological history, such as ancient cross-timber forests with trees up to three hundred years old and rock formations containing millions-year-old fossils that tell the story of the region's past.
The center is home to a thriving population of native wildlife, most notably its bison herd which serves as the primary ambassador species for conservation efforts in an urban setting. Although the current herd consists only of five adult animals while prairies are being restored, plans exist to expand this group back to around forty individuals once habitat recovery is complete. These majestic creatures have co-evolved with native prairie dogs and bison herds that were carefully reintroduced after a two-year planning process involving rescue colonies from West Texas, demonstrating successful mutualistic relationships within the park's ecosystems.
Beyond its terrestrial habitats, the nature center boasts an impressive wetland system covering 700 acres of water in various forms, supporting species like eagles, otters, and alligators that are native to these watersheds. The area includes specialized research platforms for studying alligator nests, which resemble giant domes on the ground, while also preserving historical elements such as a police training grenade found during exploration. Efforts to engage the public extend to ADA-certified boardwalks along marshlands, aiming to provide unique scenic opportunities and foster greater appreciation for these serene environments that are surprisingly located in the middle of a bustling city.
With nearly 92,000 visitors last year, representing almost double the attendance from 2021, Fort Worth Nature Center continues its mission as a national model for urban conservation, education, and sustainable recreation. The organization relies heavily on support from friends who own and care for their bison herd while facilitating public access to view native wildlife, fossils, and educational exhibits at the Hardwick Visitor Center. Ultimately, this protected space serves not only as a critical habitat for diverse flora and fauna but also as an inspiring example of how cities can integrate large-scale natural areas that filter water, support pollinators through vibrant wildflower prairies, and offer peaceful retreats from urban life.
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You can see eagles, otter, see
alligators.
>> I'm gonna wrestle one, right?
>> If you're brave enough, [laughter]
>> you can go from Texas Hill Country to
Louisiana bayou in one trip.
>> What's probably the most interesting
thing that you found?
>> A grenade. [laughter]
>> That becomes really western really
quick.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Less than 20% of Fort Worth knows this
place [music] exists. And today we're
3,700 acres, making it the largest city
owned nature center in the state of
Texas.
[music]
Welcome to historic Broadview Park. I
love this spot because this [music]
represents the origins of the nature
center. The city began acquiring this
land in 1914 [music]
to protect the watershed for Lake Worth.
And then in the 1970s we grew to over
3,000 [music] acres and today we're
3,700 acres making it the largest city
owned nature center in the state of
Texas. This is probably the prettiest
view in Fort [music] Worth. So we're
looking at the north part of Lakew
Worth. And then we have Grew Island off
to our right.
>> Grew Island is where the goat man lives.
The goat man lives. That's another
legend that [music] has put us on the
map is a Lakeworth monster who portably
lives in the island. Yep.
>> But no one's ever seen him
>> or people have said they've seen him
there. Yes. There's no evidence of it.
>> When I think of places that have wild
areas this big and this diverse, there's
not many. And as we change elevations,
we'll change ecosystem types. We have a
prairie that's great for pollinators. A
lot of diversity of wild flowers.
>> That's [music] the wetland over there.
>> Yeah, that is the old west fort of the
Trinity River. This has created a
beautiful wetland system that filters a
lot of the water before it ends up in
Lake Worth. You can see eagles, otter,
[music] see alligators.
>> Going to wrestle one, right? If you're
brave enough, [laughter]
>> we have 22 miles of hiking trails.
>> So, this is Cap Rock Trail.
>> What's neat about this is we're on a
limestone outcrop.
>> All this right here.
>> Yep. Millions of years old. You'll see
fossils in the stone. We also have old
growth cross timmers forest and those
are nationally designated old growth
forest to our north. Y
>> 300y old trees. [music] We think we
should be a national model for, you
know, urban conservation, education,
[music]
and sustainable, responsible recreation.
>> We're now here in the section called
Oakmont.
>> This has been an intensive area of
restoration. We brought back the fan
favorite, the prairie dogs.
>> Prairie dogs. I grew up coming out here
and watching the prairie dogs.
We spent about two years planning
[music] and working to identify rescue
colonies and found two in West Texas and
we went [music] out, trapped them,
meticulously recreated their bird
system, their habitat. And this group
was introduced in 2025. This was their
first year to have pups,
>> which is a great sign that
>> they're doing well. We want them here.
They work well with our prairies, and
they [music] have co-evolved to work
mutualistically well with our bison
herd.
said there's six bison pastures. This is
the newest [music] bison pasture.
>> Our bison have become our brand. They're
our number one ambassador species. The
public loves them. Males [music] get up
to 2,000 lbs.
>> Yeah. Looks like three calves there.
>> Four calves.
>> Four calves. Yeah. One's hiding back
there. Yes. Tell us about this herd.
>> First got the original cow and bull in
1973. [music]
So right now just five adult animals.
We're doing that to give us time to
fully restore our prairies. [music] Got
it.
>> And once we do, we can bring the herd
back up to around 40 individuals. In the
spring, we round [music] them up and do
pregnancy checks.
>> And then the fall, we'll do vet
vaccinations. So that becomes really
western really quick.
>> Yeah. Yeah. [laughter]
>> This historically is what Fort Worth
should look like.
>> Right.
>> We're extremely proud of the bison.
We're extremely thankful to the friends
of Ford Nature Center who actually own
the bison and provide for all of their
care.
>> So how many visitors does the center get
each year? Last year we had about 92,000
visitors. Wow. Which is nearly double
what we had in 2021.
>> So this is the Hardwick Visitor Center.
>> Variety of different snakes, amphibians,
all types of native wildlife that kids
can view. Fossils, bones.
>> What's probably the most interesting
thing that you found?
>> A grenade. [laughter]
>> A pineapple grenade.
>> Pineapple grenade. Okay.
>> Probably from the days when this was a
police training ground.
>> Okay.
Everything you've seen beyond just the
basics that we offer the public have
been supported by the friends of the
Ford Nature Center. Megan, I'd like to
introduce you.
>> Hey, Michael Crane. Good to see you.
>> So, we're headed to the Marsh Boardwalk,
which is one of the two ADA certified
trails we have. It offers visitors to
come down and get on and near the water,
which I don't think that there are a lot
of opportunities in this area for this
type of scenery.
>> We want people to come out and see this.
There's 700 acres that's water in some
way, shape, or form, [music] marsh land,
etc.
>> We're really trying to work to engage
the public and get more people on the
water. So hopefully one day we can offer
them a version of the tour I'm about to
take you on.
>> So there's no cooler mudboat in the
state of Texas that I know of.
>> Ready to get cinjuning?
>> Let's go.
>> All right.
So this big platform [music] was built
for alligator research.
>> What does a nest look like?
>> A nest looks like a giant eagle nest on
the ground. Okay.
>> 6 ft by 6 ft. Just a giant dome the size
of this deck.
>> Yeah.
>> The first alligator encounter in Fort
Worth was recorded in 1849. So, they're
native to these wetlands.
>> Do you have any good alligator stories
for us?
>> We got a call one day that there was an
alligator on a trail high up away from
the water and we thought there's no way.
Sure enough, there was an alligator
trying to leave the refuge and cross
Highway.
>> Oh, wow. Jared, thanks for having us out
here today. You've been the perfect host
and tour guide and and it's so serene
and peaceful out here. It's hard [music]
to believe we're in the middle of the
city.
>> It truly is a hidden gem and we hope
more people come and see it.