The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center outside of Athens provides a view of the creatures that inhabit Texas waters that few will ever witness in the wild. Not only is it a premier educational facility, but it is also one of the state’s five state-of-the-art fish hatcheries.
On July 1, the center welcomed back visitors after a nearly yearlong renovation that expanded aquariums and added new exhibits. The recreational fishing ponds also received enhancements to the anglers’ experience.
TFFC first opened in 1996 as a public-private partnership. Much of the funding came from a federal program using taxes on fishing equipment. The center was unique in that it combined a working fish hatchery with an educational aspect focused on fish native to Texas.
Visitors enter the aquarium building where they can look through a window at the tanks where the fingerlings are raised before stocking Texas waters with 3 to 4 million largemouth bass bred from the ShareLunker program.
The aquariums hold more than 50 species of fish that occupy Texas waters. The specimens range from silver fingerlings to the Rio Grande cichlid with bright blue spots.
The outdoor tanks are filled with crappie, catfish, and bass, but the stars of the show are the two alligator gars that swam close to the glass, at least to a little girl who wasn’t much taller than the fish are long. With the features of its prehistoric ancestors, the gar move slowly and look docile despite their long snouts and rows of sharp teeth. If I met one in the wild, I’m not sure I would be comforted by the fact that there are no documented cases of alligator gar attacking humans.
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is on the northern outskirts of Athens. March through August the center is closed on Monday, and it is closed on Monday and Tuesday from September through February.
1,765th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in August 1 • 2025.
