carolina raptor center

We came during the Arts and Counsel Free day. I did not even know about this place. It is very interesting, and they only have raptors that can not survive in the wild due to injury, prior illnesses, or other. It is a great way to educate the public, protest the birds, and provide some cool learning experiences. What detracted most of the stars for me was the sign along a path that was not that visible that warned SNAKES, they are basically zen with them and want you to watch your kids. This was disturbing to me, and I felt there should have been way more signs, and kids were all over playing and off the trail. The fast they they tell you they sun right on the trail is a little much for me. The place could use better signage, more interaction with the birds, and more funding to increase the size of their habitats. The feeding demo should have been in a larger area, as there was such a crowd, one had to constantly maneuver to get a spot to see what was happening. Mic could have been louder too, hard to hear if you were a little further back. All this said, we wall learned a lot, and it is great to see such education and preservation for the Raptors, some of which are def. in the decline. Bathrooms were clean, little store not really laid out well, you have to walk though it to get into the raptor area, and it is chaos coming and going, much less trying to shop.

I have been to the Carolina Raptor Center many times and always try to take visiting company there for a visit if possible. The Raptor Center is extremely clean and well maintained, and the staff and volunteers are friendly and helpful. The raptors themselves are, of course, the big draw. They are beautiful animals and the chance to see them up close is a rewarding experience for all. If you are in the Charlotte area, please plan to visit the Carolina Raptor Center.

Though it was very cold, it was a unique place to explore and do something fun and interactive. The birds are incredible, as are the facts that were posted in and around the center.

The Carolina Raptor Center right outside of Charlotte, NC inside the Latta Plantation at 6000 Sample Road is a great place for families. The outdoor Raptor Trail is 3/4 mile and little ones and strollers can easily handle the trail, wheelchairs maybe a little bit harder. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors/military/teachers, $6.00 for students and 4 and under free. They are open year-round but closed Mondays & Tuesdays Nov. 1-March 31. There are owls, bald eagles, vultures, osprey, hawks and other raptors. There are picnic tables in the shaded parking area. There are also "shows" usually around 2 o'clock, I believe. For a bit extra, you can also have a "behind-the-scenes" tour. We saw children of all ages enjoying themselves with their families.

As a long time bird lover, my favorites have always been the raptors. My one and only tattoo is of a great horned owl on my left shoulder. The birds in this place have all come from situations which will no longer allow them to live in the wild. As sad as it is to see them caged, we know what their fate would have been without this loving center. The cages are all clean and are actually outside in the woods. An hour long walk allows you to see not only raptors from this country, but others as well. Located west of Charlotte on the historic Latta Plantation, it makes for a nice day trip from anywhere around Charlotte. We came from Monroe and it only took about an hour to get there. There aren't many places like this and it is well worth the visit. They offer a military discount too.

I volunteer every year as I very much appreciate the work they do to save and rehabilitate the raptors. We are very lucky to have a facility like this in our area. Great staff, well maintained, and a nice gift shop. Kids will love it.

Driving in it was confusing as to where it's at, even when you come to the gates.....still no signs ???? I can't believe it's that costly to put up a few signs. We talked to the young lady at counter who told us what they offer for the $10 admission , which was in 15 minutes a program where the bring out some "birds on the glove" as she put it and the self-guided walking tour. So we paid and walked out to wait for show and overheard a man ( not a employee) saying the program wasn't going to happen now for a couple hours. So we walk back inside and asks what's going on and her reply was " oh we switched the programs it's no big deal all we did was switch the times" . Well don't you think it would of been nice if you come out and tell the people who are waiting that you are unorganized and don't know what your doing and changed the scheduled time to 2 hours later ?? Even her and the man behind the counter couldn't get their stories/times right between them. So we walked and did the Self-Guided walking tour in about 45 minutes and decided we weren't going to wait around that long and have you change your mind again. Without doing a program showing and talking about the Birds this place is pretty boring. The caged birds for the most part just sit motionless on a perch, so you research Wikipedia and read about Raptors and view pictures of them without wasting your time and money. If you choose to visit don't bother bringing your camera as they are all behind chain link. Kids seemed to just like running on the pathways more than viewing the birds.

This is a place that cost $10.00 per adult, and $6.00 per student, where is all the money going? The signs are all worn and hard to read, most of the cages are empty or closed off. I am glad the animals were rescued and they have a home. Most of them look sad and not happy. It is nice to see rare, endangered, and hard to find birds that cannot be seen anywhere. Please use some of the profits to fix up the place!!

This small educational facility houses over 23 varieties of raptors (birds of prey), many of whom cannot be released into the wild due to injuries sustained by gun shots, hitting electric wires, and broken wings. A 3/4 mile flat, stone dust path winds you through the woods to the raptor enclosures - easy to walk for even small children. The enclosures are designed to provide visitors with a close view of the birds - many are spectacularly colored and regal looking (e.g. Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, owls, hawks, vultures...). Information is provided about the individual birds - why they were given their names (some taken from Star Wars characters), background on the species, and types of injuries. Creative touches such as a Harry Potteresque section add to the fun. A small gift shop is housed on the premises focusing on gifts for younger children and t-shirts. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit and learned a lot about these magnificent birds - it is well worth the $10 admission. The Center is housed on the property of Latta Plantation Nature Preserve which has several good walking trails.

Heard about this place from a friend. Decided to check it out. Very cool place. Went with the family (2 young kids). Stayed for 3hrs walking around and learning about the work they do and seeing all the birds. GREAT PLACE! Friendly staff. I would recommend checking it out.

A great place to spend a day and learn new things about raptors. A must is the Raptor Flight Show - do not miss this! Also take time for "Meet the Raptors" and "Feeding the Raptors". Very neat place- we will visit again

Firstly I am by no means an animal lover and birds hold very little interest usually apart from they annoy me at 4.30 every morning with the dawn chorus! What does interest me are the people who work so hard to ensure we have these beautiful creatures around long term, whether injured or fit, be it this centre or centres like The Clearwater Aquarium in Florida we should all support their cause and help fund the saviour of our own world through greater understanding?This centre is in a remote and peaceful surrounding and can be added to a visit to Latta Plantation to fill a day, the birds are mainly acquired following injury and carefully looked after by the caring staff.The variety of large raptors is quite eye opening, especially coming from a country where the chances of every seeing an eagle are quite remote. On the day of our visit we had the centre to ourselves, which I have to admit seems par for the course for us in NC, this may have taken something away from our visit as the sound of joyful kids seeing this kind of wildlife for the first time is music to your ears?The staff were all happy and informative, there is a small shop to further aid the cause and cost of both food and up keep.Adverts for this centre are poor in Charlotte, this should be supported by the locals to ensure its long term survival, we only came across it from a friend in the UK who's relative had just purchased real estate on the lake.The cost for your visit is $10 per head, or your next tip in a restaurant!Spend an hour visiting the centre you won't regret it and watch the snakes if it's hot!

I took two teenage animal lovers and we had a great time. We enjoyed seeing all the birds and the various demonstrations. We will go back again. The flight shows are not daily, so we missed it this trip. It is a good choice on a hot day because the whole area is shady.

My hubby, preteen and I went here on a Saturday. It was not to crowded. We walked the grounds and watched the "flight show". They have a wide variety of raptors. On some of the cages they had the birds name and information on why the bird was there, but some cages had birds w/ out any information. They had some cages that were empty because the bird was in the show. There was one I really wanted to see after I saw it in the show, but could not because he was not put back in his cage. There were two shows for the day 1pm and 3pm. These were an extra cost of $5.00 per person. My family would of liked the flight show to be a bit longer, by letting the birds they were showing, stay out a bit longer. There were quite a few, that were out for a very short time and we couldn't really see them. The cost of entrance to the park is $10.00 for adults and $6.00 for kids. The park was kept clean and the personal was friendly. There was also a "vulture feeding" at 12:30pm. This was informative and included in the cost.

My family and I love the raptor center! This is such a great place to see nature, and learn about some incredible animals.