In the heart of the Texas Hill Country lies an astonishing place called the Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center, a 76-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility in western Travis County, near Austin, that provides a sanctuary for the fl ora and fauna of surprisingly diverse ecosystems.

Westcave has been connecting children and families to nature since 1976, when the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corporation was established to restore and protect a popular but rapidly deteriorating picnic spot that encompassed a fern-covered grotto, an ancient rock shelter, and a spectacular forty-foot waterfall.

In Discovering Westcave, Chris Caran and Elaine Davenport take readers on a walk through the beautiful preserve, which includes a 3,000-square-foot learning center, unveiling the evolutionary past of its stunning natural features and acknowledging the many people who have been a part of Westcave’s long history. The aim of this guidebook is not only to share the natural and human history of this refuge, soon to be surrounded by one of the fastest growing urban areas in the country, but also to inspire through environmental learning a continued respect and appreciation for the natural world.