A quaint little duck park within the Arboretum shopping area. It's a quick walk from shops and restaurants. There are so many ducks! Couple of geese too as well as turtles. A lot of the sweet friends will walk right up to you. There are a couple of short walking trails and wooden areas where the ducks like to relax and cool off from the hot Texas sun. Small pond with a water feature for our feathered friends to frolic about. This is my favorite part of The Arboretum. read more

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Sometimes the best things in life are free. The arboretum duck pond is one of those free places for your enjoyment. The hubs and I decided to do a walk around the pond, which was not very large. The arboretum duck pond is located between Arboretum Blvd and Research Blvd (near Barnes & Noble and Porsche dealership). Ducks waddle along the ponds' bank as well as paddle through the pond seemingly unbothered by humans. You can also see turtles and other small wildlife. The ducks can literally put you in a meditative trance as they interact with each other...so engaging. This calm environment allows you to sit on a bench and chat or completely remain silent, listen to birds chirping, and feel transported from a busy day. The arboretum duck pond feels like a small pocket of happiness...natural, peaceful, and genuinely restorative. read more

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We hiked down this short walkway to the duck pond. It was beautiful with picnic benches around the pond. Not crowded, lots of different fowl. I would definitely go back. read more

Arboretum Duck Pond - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is a amazing pond. The pond is dominated by Muscovy ducks, which are like little doggies. The Chinese Geese are extremely friendly, and the baby ducklings are so cute. The pond is super clean and the ducks love kale. 10/10, would recommend. read more

If you're too lazy to read this entire review I'll start with this statement: Letting the waterfowl eat bread is the equivalent to feeding them snicker bars as a meal. You're contributing to making the waterfowl fat, sick, malnourished, or all of the above. So kill that habit of feeding bread to ducks or geese. This pond is messy for a landmark that's close to the fairly new Arboretum shopping center. The pond has a handful of geese residing on the side of the shore closest to the road. Sometimes I worry if they ever try crossing the road. The ducks are dominating the pond in sheer numbers. The side of the road has plenty of parking, and the Barnes and Nobles parking lot nearby too if all the street parking is taken. The majority of the ducks that reside at this pond are Muscovy ducks. You'll recognize the males based on their warty looking red faces, and their aggressive panting if you get too close. The females are not as openly aggressive, but they are less likely to approach you even if you have food. But overall they have been sweet as long as I have seed offerings on my hand and don't get too close to them. The geese are terrified by people approaching, and there are signs left that their wings have been tampered with. A goose was trying to escape when I approached it, and when it jumped down and flapped its wings, I noticed that its wings have been clipped. No wonder the geese are terrified of people and stay at a pond that isn't exactly the most clean. As for the other visitors... Learn to properly control your kids. During one of my visits, I saw a mom let her son throw an entire apple at one of the geese. Of course the geese won't eat an entire apple if you use it as a projectile. For the other kids who don't wastefully throw produce at wildlife, quit feeding bread to waterfowl. You're contributing to making the waterfowl fat, sick, malnourished, or all of the above. read more

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that all Chinese geese are mean (and aggressive and loud). There were three Chinese geese when I visited and lots of dumped domestic ducks (like maybe 40). There were no wild ducks. If even the wild ducks don't visit and stick around, then you know the pond isn't suitable for ducks. Though the majority of pond visitors throw bread (which is VERY UNHEALTHY for ducks), I did see some whole corn kernels on the "shore." I call it a "shore" because it's an artificial pond and the shore consists of a few feet of hard packed gravel with no soil or grass and then an abrupt 2-ft-high concrete wall the ducks must jump onto that then leads to the surrounding soil, grass, and wooded area. Ducklings have an amazing ability to jump, but 2 ft is probably impossible. There is one narrow sloped walkway, but it's inconvenient for the ducks who may be at the opposite side of the pond. Most of the lower shore is unshaded during the day; the ducks would have to jump up to the upper level to hide under the trees. The upper level does not have a convenient source of water for them to drink. All this jumping up and especially down could lead to cuts on the bottom of their feet that let in bacteria (which could cause the dreaded bumblefoot). There was some litter floating in the water and on the shore, but in general, the trash situation is above-average compared to other park ponds around town. There are perch swimming in the water and I saw a human-dumped 3-4-week-old muscovy duckling trying to eat it. This is no place for ducklings that young without a Mother duck taking care of them. I haven't come here regularly and have no idea of what (if any) predators hang around. I've never seen fishing here. It's a relief to know the ducks and geese won't die from being tangled up in fishing line or swallowing fishhooks like at other ponds. The ducks seemed fairly hungry since they approached me and ate duck pellets even at noon on a very hot Sunday. The other pond visitors I've encountered here were respectful of the ducks. Pond visitors were all parents with closely-monitored young children who didn't abuse the ducks and geese. If you're feeding the ducks, please don't throw food into the water unless it's the Mazuri Waterfowl Floating Pellets. Also, don't leave too much food in case it ends up uneaten and becomes moldy or bacteria-laden. Bread is bad for ducks. You can google for reasons why. read more

Arboretum Duck Pond - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Such a fun cute place to visit with my kiddos. The kids had such a fun time feeding the ducks. Small but good enough for a short mid day walk and or break. Beautiful scenery as well. All and all we will be back. read more

Nowhere close to a major attraction but it's a cute little place. We like it. Some tables around the pond and a short hike to the shops.

What a down right beautiful place. I mean, its set so nicely, and perfectly nestled in the trees.. Small rock wall for sitting.. Ample parking along the roadside. Thought we just stop by and check it out on the way home after leaving Boathouse grill. My daughter had some breading left fro. Her corn dog and hubs had some fries.. We decided to go feed the ducks.. Lol. Well, I enjoy nature to a certain extent.. But I'm no buff. Those damn ducks were coming after me...they wanted that food.. I found myself backing up...before I ever tossed...I swear they knew food was coming before we ever Approached. Flocking those gigantic wings... Holy crap... Had to move back. Lol. I was scared.. Yup. Grown woman. Scared of ducks. Honestly, I don't have a lot of good experiences with "birds"... Ahhh.. They hate me, or know that I hate them and they feed on it. Lol. Needless to sy we made our way back up to the bridge and threw food from afar.. and looked from afar.. stayed for a just a few minutes...long enough to realize they were making their way up toward our car... Good lord... They must have been starving. Lol. I don't know. Beautiful place. Will definitely go back...with a lot of food. .. More cautiously though... :-) read more

Arboretum Duck Pond - How pretty is that?? - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Along with the surrounding nature area and the adjacent shopping center, this is all part of the Arboretum. I like it down there. It's really relaxing. You can feed the ducks or just walk around after you're done with your shopping. I've been going here for years, and sometimes if my friends and I have just absolutely nothing else to do, we'll just chill here. read more

A nice landscaped place to wander around and relax on a pleasant afternoon. BUT A WARNING: Ducks are not the brightest. Do not wear sandals or you risk having a duck try to nibble your toes thinking they are bread. This will make you reflexively push the duck away quickly with your foot causing it to quack loudly and fly a short way away unharmed and slightly grumpy at not getting bread. Then you will have to beat a hasty exit because the lady a few hundred feet away totally saw you kick a duck. Trust me on that one. read more

This is a very cool man-made duck pond, located in the Arboretum area between Great Hills & 360. Here I've enjoyed seeing a variety of ducks, geese, red-eared slider turtles, fish and blue jays. There a few benches around the pond so bring along you lunch and enjoy this urban respite. Hint: the turtles like hot dogs. read more

Arboretum Duck Pond - Duck pond at dusk - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

The ducks are aggressive and will chase you. Sometimes the water is really low and it's not much of a site to see wear your running shoes to get away from the ducks and geese! read more

This is a wonderful, secluded area behind Amy's Ice Cream. It is a little hard to find, though. If you walk to the overlook and walk to the left (away from the cow sculptures) you'll find a cobblestone/paved path that winds down to the pond. You can enjoy your ice cream and relax after shopping. I go here every once in awhile to watch the ducks run around. Best part? It's free! I wish more people knew about this area, and I'm very jealous of those who work around the pond! read more

The water level is so low. Are all the living creatures going to die? Is anyone monitoring the pond?

Unexpected find, a very nice large pond in a shopping center! Not many ducks but maybe they were hiding out because it was very hot.

I love this little spot nestled at the bottom of the hill here. We like to grab an ice cream from Amy's, watch the sunset off the deck, and then wind our way down the hill to hang out with the ducks. I imagine it is a popular place to unwind on your lunch break if you work in the Arboretum. read more

This is probably my favorite duck pond in town. If you're gonna splurge. This is the place to do it.

Very cute place to take your kids to, however the geese can be sort of vicious so keep a close eye on your kiddos. It's also fun to take some Amy's icecream or teapioca down and enjoy that by the duck pond. read more

What's the point of reviewing a duck pond you might ask??? Well first of all it's a relaxing place to enjoy your Amy's ice cream or smoke a cigar from Heroes and Legacies or to take a date and just talk like we did in the Old Timey Days. read more