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Snowy Egret standing on grassy island surrounded by water
Snowy Egret @ Clare Carvel

Wildlife Sanctuaries & Properties

Joppa Flats Education Center

  • Newburyport
  • 50 Acres

Plan Your Visit

Celebrate region’s wildlife-rich habitats through guided tours, marine touch tanks, art exhibits, drop-in programs, and interpretive displays.

Directions to Joppa Flats
Hours
Nature Center & Gift Shop
  • Tuesday–Saturday, Monday holidays
  • 8:30 am–4:00 pm

Choose Your Path

Property Regulations

  • Foot travel only; please stay on trails (day passes are available for powered mobility devices)
  • Dog walking and horseback riding are prohibited; please leave all animals and pets at home (service animals welcome)
  • Camping, collecting, smoking, hunting, fishing, releasing of animals, and feeding wildlife is prohibited.
  • Commercial photography needs prior approval; please see all photography guidelines.

Facilities

  • Parking
    Parking
  • Nature Center/Museum, Universally Accessible
    Nature Center/Museum, Universally Accessible
  • Restrooms, Universally Accessible
    Restrooms, Universally Accessible
  • Picnic Tables
    Picnic Tables
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Station
    Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Featured Experiences

  • Holding Horseshoe Crab at Joppa Flats

    Family Drop-in Programs at Joppa Flats

    Throughout the year, Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport offers family-friendly drop-in programs. 

  • American Redstart held be a hand
    American Redstart

    Bird Banding

    Joppa Flats Education Center established its Bird Banding Station on Plum Island, part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, in May 1998

  • Teen Conservation Club members on excursion

    Teen Programs

    Teenagers on the North Shore looking to help build and strengthen a strong environmental ethic can get real behind-the-scenes conservation experience.

Upcoming Programs at Joppa Flats

See more
See more

Explore Joppa Flats

  • Great Blue Heron flying over tall grass with wings extended.
    Joppa Flats, Newburyport © Richard White
  • Two Semipalmated Sandpipers wading in a shallow pool of water.
    Semipalmated Sandpiper, Joppa Flats, Newburyport © Jesse Costa
  • A Killdeer standing on brown straw.
    © Ken DiBiccari
  • A Snowy Owl on top of some fallen wooden logs making a standing triangle. Bare trees off in the distance.
    Snowy Owl, Joppa Flats, Newburyport © Michael Francis
  • Two people in tan sun hats in a grassy marsh. One is one their knee looking into the grass, while the other is bent over and pointing.
    Joppa Flats, Newburyport © Janice Corkin Rudolf
  • A dozen egrets scattered across a salt marsh on a gray, gloomy day.
    Joppa Flats, Newburyport © Kevin Namet
  • Dozens of birds flying in a V-formation over a salt marsh on a gray, foggy day.
    © Christa Griffin
  • Dozens of white birds flying around 22 black birds on a small patch of land in water.
    © John Harrison

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