Anniston Museum of Natural History

The Anniston Museums and Gardens is home to the Longleaf Botanical Gardens, Berman Museum, and Anniston Museum of Natural History. Upon turning off Hwy 21/Hwy 431, visitors enter the Lagarde Park to turn onto Museum Drive. Once on Museum Drive, the Longleaf Botanical Gardens surround you, including the 125-acre Treasure Forest. An attractive, mature hilltop pine-oak forest with easy access and good lines of sight allows for excellent birding opportunities. The gardens surrounding the Anniston Museum of Natural History are open to the sky, and hawks and vultures regularly soar above. In March, Cedar Waxwings move through the property, devouring berries. One can see and hear Eastern Phoebes in and around the Tropical Courtyard Garden and be mocked by resident Northern Mockingbirds along the connective concourse to the Berman Museum. The entrance to the Berman Museum is bookended by two large Turk’s Cap shrubs, welcoming a wide variety of pollinators from June through September. Hummingbirds zoom by and argue over who gets which bloom.

To the left (south) of the parking area and the Anniston Museum of Natural History, enjoy nature trails and the Bird of Prey Trail, which houses native permanent resident raptors. The trees throughout the campus harbor breeding songbirds year-round such as Carolina Chickadees and Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, American Robins, and the Tufted Titmouse. Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, Goldfinches, and Thrashers can be seen and heard in the Wildlife Garden located at the back of the Anniston Museum.The best time of year for the site is spring and fall when the hilltop forest becomes a first-class place to look for migrants, such as the Indigo Bunting. Birdhouses are located throughout the Longleaf Botanical Gardens, offering our many Eastern Bluebirds a safe place to raise their families.

The Anniston Museums and Gardens serve as a ‘Gateway’ site for the Appalachian Highlands Birding Trail. This institution is an excellent place to get information about the birding trail system. While you’re visiting, don’t miss the opportunity to see the Anniston Museum of Natural History’s exceptional collection of mounted bird specimens collected in the 19th century, including the rare Ivory-billed Woodpeckers, the extinct Carolina Parakeets, the critically endangered Eskimo Curlew, and the extinct Labrador Ducks.

Be sure to spend some time at Lagarde Park, on the right side of Regar Circle, just off US 431. The park’s highlight is a pond generally occupied by Canada Geese and Muscovy, as well as an occasional Mallard or other passing waterfowl. Water is the greatest attraction for wildlife, and this pond is no exception.  When the area is quiet, Green Herons and the occasional Great Blue Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, or Belted Kingfisher may visit the pond or the rocky stream.  A good representative sample of the songbirds of Central Alabama may be seen around the pond in all seasons.

Follow to the right (S) and park at the end of the road to continue birding the remainder of the park. Check the edges and tangles for White-eyed Vireos from spring to fall. Indigo Buntings are fairly common along the woodland edges during this period, when Wood Thrushes call from the deeper woods, and Hooded and Kentucky warblers are present in the understory.

GPS:  33.6973 -85.8206 

Anniston Museum of Natural History
800 Museum Drive
Anniston, AL 36206
Phone: 256-237-6766

Berman Museum
840 Museum Drive
Anniston, AL 36206

Longleaf Event Center
920 Museum Drive
Anniston, AL 36206

Amenities: Parking, trails, restrooms, gift shop
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Sunday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Plus Summer Mondays
Museum Admission: Adults $12, Children 4-17 $8, Under 3 Free, Over 60 $10

Trails free to explore!

Directions: From I-20 in Calhoun County, take exit 185 (Anniston/Oxford) and turn left onto S. Quintard Avenue (US 431). There is gas, food, and lodging here and along US 431. Follow northbound Quintard/US 431 approximately 7 miles, turning left on Regar Circle. Largard Park is immediately to the right. Follow the signs up the hill to the museums and event center.