The Bayway side

West of town, along Bayway Drive, Baytown runs out of land and into three bays. This is the neighborhood the water took, the nature center it became, and the streets that are left. Drive Bayway slowly enough to understand the geography. In summer, do the outdoor stop before the indoor one, and bring water, because shade is uneven on the peninsula.

Brownwood

Brownwood was a neighborhood of roughly 400 houses on the peninsula between Burnet, Crystal and Scott bays. It was sinking for decades: groundwater pumping under the whole ship-channel corridor lowered the land, by one account about ten feet, and Hurricane Carla in 1961 forced the question. In 1983 Hurricane Alicia pushed the bay into the subdivision and the land, already lowered, didn't come back. The city bought out what was left with federal help and let the bay have it. What you drive through now on the way to the Nature Center is the ground of a place that was, with the bay where the backyards were. Old foundations and concrete are said to remain under the restored marsh. The subsidence districts that regulate groundwater across Harris County exist because of places like this. Do not treat Brownwood as a curiosity. It explains the modern shoreline.

The Nature Center

Baytown Nature Center, 6213 Bayway Drive, is 500 acres at the end of the road, the Brownwood peninsula restored: about seven miles of trail, boardwalks, four fishing piers, kayak launches, a butterfly garden, the Myra C. Brown Bird Sanctuary, ten covered pavilions, 317 species of bird and the Fred Hartman Bridge across the water like a postcard. The city paid for the first restoration with a $300,000 bond approved in 1991 and a Superfund consortium led by ARCO Chemical that put in the other $1.1 million. Construction began in late 1994, and by the fall of 1995 the site was counting 275 bird species.

A few dollars a person at the gate: $4 for adults, $1 for children 5 to 12 and seniors, and an annual pass at $30, or $65 for a family. The gates open 30 minutes before sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset, so a sunset visit means leaving right after the light goes. No pets (service animals excepted), no alcohol, no drones, no personal barbecue pits. Fishing only where the signs say. The Nurture Nature Festival is held each October at the center; this year it is Saturday, October 10, 2026. It is free, but on-site parking costs a small fee, and a free shuttle runs from West Town Shopping Center at 4220 Decker. The guide by season has the rest, and the birding guide has the festival.

The Wetlands Center

Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center is the indoor half of a nature day, but it is not at the gate. It sits at 1724 Market Street, in the Goose Creek part of town, so plan it as its own stop. It is free, with a lot on Market Street, and open Monday to Friday 8 to 4 and Saturday 10 to 4, closed Sunday and city holidays. Inside are live animals, including young alligators, and a working hive: the rainy-day hour with kids, the place the school field trips start, and the headquarters for Nurture Nature in October.

Bayland

Bayland Park, 2641 South State Highway 146 Business, is the boat ramps the town launches from, the shoreline, the lighted fishing pier, the hilltop gazebo and the sunset. The park is open 5 in the morning to 10 at night, free, with free parking. Use Bayland when you want water access without admission. Bayland Marina, next door at 2651 South Highway 146, is a separate business: slips, a store and an office open Tuesday through Sunday 8 to 5, closed Monday. Public ramps are the park's. Slips and the store are the marina's. Next to the marina, O’Neals on the Water is the fried-shrimp patio, closed Monday, open from 4 on Tuesday to Thursday and from 11 on Friday to Sunday. Anchor & Hearth Woodfired Kitchen, in the Hyatt at 100 Convention Center Way, serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 9. Fishing, the sunset walk, and the folding-chair crowd that comes for the light: the sunset guide has the rest of the places to stand.

The FR store

FR & More on Bayway is one of the in-town stops for flame-resistant work clothing and boots. Directories list it at 6206 Bayway Drive, open Tuesday to Friday from 10 to 8, Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 6 and closed Monday. The address has varied from one directory to the next, so confirm it before you drive.

Living here

Water on three sides, a quiet the rest of Baytown doesn't have, and a hurricane history you read before you sign. The Brownwood peninsula itself has no houses now. Homes near the bays elsewhere in this part of town sit close to the same water, so the rule travels: the evacuation zones nearest the water go first, flood insurance is not optional, and the elevation certificate is the document to ask for. Ask for it, and the flood history, before the offer and before emotion takes over, and check flood insurance requirements before you make that offer. The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District has described how Brownwood sank before the storms finished it, which is why the land itself, not only the water, is part of the risk assessment here. The trade for living close to the bay is a view of the water, some of the region's best birding nearby, and neighbors who know what the water can do.

The city bought out what was left with federal help and let the bay have it.

Drive Bayway to the end on a weekday evening, pay the gate, and walk the last loop as the light goes. Somewhere out there, a house used to stand. Stand there a minute. Then go to Bayland and watch the boats come in.

Before you go

- The Baytown Nature Center is at the end of Bayway Drive, but the Wetlands Center is at 1724 Market Street, so do not plan them as one stop. - The Nature Center gates close 30 minutes after sunset, so a sunset visit means leaving right after the light goes. - On October 10, 2026, the festival day, park at West Town Shopping Center, 4220 Decker, and ride the free shuttle. - Bayland Park is open daily 5 to 10, while the marina office is closed on Monday and O’Neals on the Water is closed on Monday too. - Buying near the bays: ask for the elevation certificate and the flood history before the offer, not after.

Questions people ask

What happened to Brownwood in Baytown? Groundwater pumping lowered the land for decades, and Hurricane Alicia's surge flooded the subdivision in 1983. The city bought it out and it became the Baytown Nature Center.

Can you still see the old neighborhood? Not as streets. Old foundations and concrete are said to remain under the restored marsh.

Is the Bayway side in a flood zone? Most of it is near water. Flood insurance and an elevation certificate come before the signature.

En español

El lado de Bayway

Aquí la historia ambiental de Baytown se vuelve terreno: Brownwood, el Baytown Nature Center, el Centro de Humedales y la orilla de las bahías forman una sola historia. Al oeste del centro, por Bayway Drive, Baytown se acaba y empiezan tres bahías.

Brownwood

Brownwood era un vecindario de unas 400 casas en la península entre las bahías Burnet, Crystal y Scott. Se hundió durante décadas por el bombeo de agua subterránea (según una fuente, unos diez pies). El huracán Carla en 1961 puso el problema sobre la mesa, y en 1983 el huracán Alicia metió la bahía en el vecindario. La ciudad compró lo que quedaba con ayuda federal y dejó que la bahía lo recuperara. Se dice que aún quedan cimientos y concreto bajo el humedal restaurado. Los distritos de hundimiento del suelo que regulan el agua subterránea en el condado de Harris existen por lugares como este.

El Nature Center

El Baytown Nature Center (6213 Bayway Drive) tiene 500 acres, unas siete millas de senderos, cuatro muelles de pesca, lanzamientos para kayak, jardín de mariposas, el santuario de aves Myra C. Brown, diez pabellones y 317 especies de aves. Se financió con un bono de $300,000 aprobado en 1991 y un consorcio Superfund liderado por ARCO Chemical, que aportó $1.1 millones; la construcción empezó a fines de 1994. Entrada: $4 adultos, $1 niños de 5 a 12 años y mayores; pase anual de $30 o $65 familiar. Abre 30 minutos antes del amanecer y cierra 30 minutos después del atardecer. No se permiten mascotas (salvo animales de servicio), alcohol, drones ni asadores propios. Se pesca solo donde indican los letreros. El Nurture Nature Festival se celebra cada octubre; este año es el sábado 10 de octubre de 2026, con entrada gratis, estacionamiento con una pequeña tarifa y autobús gratis desde West Town Shopping Center (4220 Decker).

El Centro de Humedales

El Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center no está en la entrada del Nature Center, sino en 1724 Market Street. Es gratis y abre de lunes a viernes de 8 a 4 y sábados de 10 a 4; cierra domingos y días festivos de la ciudad. Hay animales vivos, incluidos caimanes jóvenes, y una colmena.

Bayland

El parque Bayland (2641 South State Highway 146 Business) abre de 5 a.m. a 10 p.m., con estacionamiento gratis, rampas públicas para lanchas, muelle iluminado y mirador. La marina Bayland (2651 South Highway 146) es un negocio aparte: oficina abierta de martes a domingo de 8 a 5, cerrada los lunes. O’Neals on the Water cierra los lunes. Anchor & Hearth Woodfired Kitchen, en el Hyatt (100 Convention Center Way), sirve cena de martes a sábado de 5 a 9.

Vivir aquí

Agua por tres lados, mucha calma y una historia de huracanes que conviene conocer antes de firmar. En la península de Brownwood ya no hay casas. Cerca del agua, las zonas de evacuación más cercanas salen primero, el seguro contra inundaciones es indispensable y el certificado de elevación es el documento que debe pedir, antes de hacer la oferta.

Sources

- Houston History Magazine, Brownwood: https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/2019/03/brownwood-from-neighborhood-to-nature-center/ - Click2Houston, Harris-Galveston Subsidence District on Brownwood: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/09/15/what-happened-to-brownwood-in-baytown-hgsd-says-subsidence-sank-the-neighborhood-before-fema-buyouts/ - City of Baytown, Baytown Nature Center: https://www.baytown.org/708 - Baytown Nature Center history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baytown_Nature_Center - Harris-Galveston Subsidence District: https://hgsubsidence.org