About John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove

A Place for History, Art, and Nature

The John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove sits on land where John James Audubon lived when he first came to America from France in 1803. The historic house still stands and is open to the public, along with a dynamic visitor's center built in 2019.

It was at Mill Grove that Audubon developed a technique for drawing birds "from life" that would allow him to become one of the world's best-known wildlife artists. The hundreds of life-size portraits of birds contained in his seminal work The Birds of America helped to bring the wonder of birds to people across the United States. Although Audubon did not found the National Audubon Society, his work sparked an interest in birds that ultimately inspired men and women to create an organization dedicated to acting on behalf of birds.

The property includes the three-story 1762 farmhouse where Audubon lived, miles of trails along the Perkiomen Creek, and a state-of-the-art visitors center, featuring indoor and outdoor exhibits focused on birds, art, and conservation.