A great place to walk and see a marshland area with trees, native California shrubbery and waterways that are filled with tadpoles. The area is bustling with life and fills you with tranquility as you make your journey throughout the area.

I felt like I was transported to some watering land. The cat tails were so tall, I felt a sense of being a wilderness.The trials are well kept up. The volunteer was an encyclopedia of information and the welcome center was fun. There is a board with pictures of birds on one side and their names on the other. (Tip use both wires. One touches the screw underneath the bird and the other one touches the screw next to the name of the bird.Parking is free but the lot is small.

A lovely little surprise! The trail through the reeds make you feel far away while in the city! Well worth a visit!

Splendid little nature center with a short but fun hiking trail.

Great educational place to take the kids for a little visit

We all loved this place. Was not crowded which offered lots of opportunity to explore the exhibits, resources and materials. Many hands on opportunities for all ages....telescope, microscope, and binoculars .. so much to see and learn about, and FREE. Donations suggested, but when traveling with kids, these options matter.

Longer trails would be nice!

An overlooked gem tucked away on the inland side of Coast Highway 101 immediately north of the lagoon. Plenty of parking. Friendly, knowledgeable staff and informative center. Offers a short, lovely short stroll (flat) trail loop where you are immersed in a sea of head high reeds. Im no bird watcher, but enjoyed the nature immersion.

The Nature Center has some nice displays but the trail was disappointing. It is a 1/4 mile loop and the most of the time you are surrounded by 8 ft tall reeds that block any view and crowd the path. There are a couple of wooden platforms that allow you to get closer to the water but again, the view is very limited.None of this is anyones fault, as it is the nature of a lagoon. I was just hoping for more.

Lovely place to visit. Lots of displays. I encourage you to support them

Great place to visit!

Nice little place to visit. It’s has a very interesting visitor center: animals, mostly birds that live around the lagoon and information about the area. Rocco, the volunteer that day, was so informative. He took the time to show us around the center and told us about the lagoon. There was a small trail around the lagoon. Lots of interesting events happening at Buena Vista Lagoon.

The nature preserve is awesome you can walk around and see some really neat stuff. The staff does not make me feel welcome and act like I am stealing are going to vandalize the place or something. Once you get by the rude people the rest of the place is amazing. I highly recommend it, especially to families with children.

Support your local unique environment and educate the public. A worthy cause and area desperately in need of saving for future generations. Nice walk, collection of local stuffed wildlife kids can see up close.

A peaceful December day. Thank you to the volunteers who help upkeep and educate visitors.

Cool little nature preserve with an easy loop trail suited for all walkers! Hubby and I bring our dogs to walk it often. Main center is filled with all kinds of info on the history of the area and local wildlife as well as gifts and souvenirs.

Very unique and interesting place to visit, they have book reading for kids and nice picnic tables outside.

Fantastic place for bird viewing and an easy, short trail walk

Small, but had nice displays and the volunteer staff was very friendly

Very cool place for local wildlife information and area history. Lots of stuffed animals and birds. They have an abundance of educational videos. The volunteers are super helpful and knowledgeable.Go here to find out the future plans for the lagoon and its conversion to a Salt Water Lagoon.Get on their mailing or email list for future events.

Nice place for a walk. Great little nature museum with an impressive collection of ethically obtained taxidermy.

Insightful talk by Rick Halsey on chaparrel ecology and human need for nature walks.

Small little hike through the marsh with a very cool nature center. Great way to spend an hour or two with kids. The very tall plant life makes for an interesting walk and some great photos. The nature center has an electronic microscope, viewing deck (with telescope and binoculars), lots of books, replicas of the animals (taxidermy), and other miscellaneous items for kids (and adults) to explore and play with. Check it out during different seasons for different color combinations on the hikes!

Interesting view of the wetlands. Love to take a walk on the trail. Exhibits are informative and educational. Worth your time.

I have lived in the San Diego area for over 30 years and I just went to this lagoon for the first time. I have to say that I was very impressed with the Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center. There are many display cases with the examples of creatures that are seen here. Outside of the center is a Native Species Garden . There is also a nice 1/4 mile walk to experience the lagoon up close and personal. As an added bonus, there is 2 Torrey Pine trees right next to the lagoon-what a treat!You will learn so much about this area in less than under and hour.

Beautiful marshland and wildlife as well as a very informational museum/establishment that allows young kids and adults a chance to see the native wildlife up close

Interesting place to stop and learn about local lagoons, wildlife and urbanisation impacts

Great place to bring your kids, very informative

Small nature center with very nice taxidermy of local animals. There is also a small trail around part of the lagoon. The audobon society news letter also is very informative. With scheduled group bird watching tours at different locations. If you love birds or wildlife I highly recommend visiting

Wonderful presentation from the Nat herpetologist. Free. Great visitor center

Would like to see more historicalpics and info displayed

Beautiful

Lots of preserved animals inside with nice walking trail.

Great volunteers including extensive educational outreach to local schools.

Great place with special events like the bird house auctions and educational stuff for kids. Realistic diaramas and the Buena Vista Lagoon right outside makes this a unique place to visit. And its free.

The Nature Center has great exhibits of the native plants and animals, including a lot of hands-on items that the kids can pick up and examine. A nice, 2nd story view deck provides an overlook of the lagoon. They hand out a neat Nature Treasure Hunt map to take with you out on the short loop trail.

One of the nicest nature centers in San Diego County. Tucked away but full of cool things for kids to explore.

Good Taxidermy exhibits of birds try to avoid the times when school buses are there.

Walk through the marshy grassland, stop in the building, those ladies know their stuff! See some amazing coastal animal, bird and prey taxidermy!

Awesome lagoon experience. Keep your eyes open for turtles, all kinds of cool birds, frogs, dragonflies, and lots of other cool little native critters.

Very informative and knowledgeable staff and volunteers. The welcome centre is very well set up with many static displays of the flora and fauna of the nearby wetland trails.

Wonderful bird watching trips and fun events. Also the nicest and helpful staff.

Love this place my son always wants to go. ..The staff was very nice.

Fun place with lots of animals on exhibit.

A nice place for a short walk.

Birds

Not bad

Small but peaceful

V gud