Visiting the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Nature Park

Along the Rio Grande

The Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center in Hidalgo, Texas, is a beautiful park with a nice cement walk through butterfly gardens and lots of pretty trees.

In the early 1900s, this pumphouse would siphon water out of the Rio Grande to irrigate the surrounding fields. It was officially closed in 1983 and was donated to the city as a historical museum in 1999.

It is free to park, enter, and walk around the grounds by yourself.

We walked slowly and looked hard for some of the bird species known to nest in this area. I would have loved to see a Tropical Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, or a Green Monk Parakeet. Pretty sure I saw a Green Jay quickly pass by me from one tree to another, but he was too quick for me to get the camera ready.

Some flowers were blooming, and we saw several bees and small butterflies. This Turk’s Cap was blooming bright red for the hummingbirds, but we didn’t see any the day we were there. This is a beautiful area, well-maintained, and a nice place for a relaxing stroll through nature.