Skip to main content
Usitour
Sightseeing

Turtle Bay Exploration Park

No photos yet
4.1/ 5.0
★★★★☆

Introduction

Turtle Bay Exploration Park sits on the banks of the Sacramento River in Redding, California, a 300-acre complex dedicated to nature, art and history. The flagship Turtle Bay Museum, designed by architect Nicholas Grimshaw with a cable-stayed timber walkway over the river, houses permanent exhibits on natural history, Indigenous cultures and the ecology of the Sacramento Valley. The campus also includes the 200-acre McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, a wildlife rehabilitation exhibit and the historic Paul Bunyan Bedwell Mill. The Sundial Bridge, a glass-decked pedestrian span by Santiago Calatrava, is a Redding landmark, seamlessly blending scientific exploration, artistic beauty and outdoor leisure.

✨ Highlights

1
Sundial Bridge
Calatrava-designed glass-deck cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, Redding's landmark
2
Turtle Bay Museum
Grimshaw-designed timber walkway museum with natural history and Indigenous exhibits
3
McConnell Arboretum
200-acre native and global plant collections along a riverside trail
4
Wildlife Rehabilitation Exhibit
Non-releasable native animals up close for public learning
5
Sacramento River Trail
Connects the park to the city, ideal for cycling and hiking

🛈 Practical Info

→Hours：Museum 9:00-17:00, gardens sunrise to sunset; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
→Admission：$16 adult, $12 senior, $11 child 4-15, includes museum and gardens
→Duration：3-5 hours including museum, bridge and gardens
→Transport：Central Redding off I-5 with free parking
→Facilities：Visitor center, cafe, gift shop and accessible paths on site
→Website：turtlebay.org

💡 Tips

• Summer Redding often tops 100F; tour gardens in morning or evening
• Sundial Bridge at dusk offers a light show and superb sunset photos
• Museum exhibits are interactive, ideal for in-depth visits with children 6 and up
• Rent bikes to ride the Sacramento River Trail to Turtle Bay
• Pair with Whiskeytown Lake and Shasta Dam for a Northern California nature trip

FAQ

Any practical tips for visiting Turtle Bay Exploration Park?

Summer Redding often tops 100F; tour gardens in morning or evening Sundial Bridge at dusk offers a light show and superb sunset photos