Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Science museum and zoo in Redding, United States.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a science museum and zoo in Redding, California, set along the Sacramento River with indoor exhibits on regional wildlife and natural history. The grounds also include outdoor gardens and an arboretum, connected by walking paths and a footbridge over the river.
The site started in the 1950s as a small educational project and grew over several decades to include a museum building and planted gardens. The name Turtle Bay came later, when the different sections were brought together under one identity.
The park sits along the Sacramento River, and its indoor exhibits display everyday objects and artwork made by the indigenous peoples of Northern California. These pieces give a grounded, tangible sense of how people in this region lived and made things long before European settlement.
The grounds are easy to walk and clearly marked, so starting from the main entrance gives you a natural route through the different areas. Allow at least half a day if you want to see both the indoor exhibits and the outdoor sections at an easy pace.
The footbridge connecting the main grounds to the arboretum has a glass deck, so you can look straight down at the river while walking across. Many visitors are caught off guard by this detail, not expecting to see the water moving beneath their feet.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
