Discover the Wild Side of Life
Minnesota is home to four national wildlife centres and will soon be home to a fifth centre opening in 2025.
INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTRE
Visit the International Wolf Centre in Ely, Minnesota, heart of the Superior National Forest to have a close encounter with the exhibit pack as they play, eat, sleep and tussle. Several times daily, our staff naturalists will introduce the pack through captivating programs for children and adults. Guests won't be able to resist the new interactive and entertaining Discover Wolves exhibit. Guests will learn how wolves were important to various cultures over time. Plus explore a field exam station where young and old alike can learn how—and why— these field exams are done. These are just a few of the features of the new exhibit.
NATIONAL EAGLE CENTER
The National Eagle Centre is a world-class museum located in
Wabasha, Minnesota. It is the world's premier resource for impactful eagle
education and experiences and offers wild eagle viewing, up-close eagle
experiences, daily programs, field trips, and the Preston Cook American Eagle
Collection. Live eagles are on public display each day featuring live eagle
ambassadors and naturalist educators to answer all your eagle-related
questions. The centre recently underwent a renovation to add more education
rooms and an open space amphitheatre.
NORTH AMERICAN BEAR CENTRE
The North American Bear Centre is a nonprofit museum with
indoor and outdoor viewing of live black bears in their natural habitat. The
enclosure is home to three resident bears – Tasha, Lucky, and Holly that are
always within view if the large windows and balcony. The North American Bear Centre
has a wide variety of daily programs, and a hands-on children's area. People of
all ages learn bear behavior from the bears themselves. It is recommended to
allow at least a two-hour visit for this unique, world-class experience that
the whole family will enjoy!
INTERNATIONAL OWL CENTRE
Few people are lucky enough to see these nocturnal raptors
in the wild, but everyone can see live owls at the International Owl Centre in
Houston, Minnesota. Not only can you meet the owl ambassadors, but you can also
feel how soft an owl wing is, explore owl art from around the world, find out
more about the language of the Great Horned Owl, learn how to identify owls by
their calls, and experience a stunning collection of mounted owls. The gift
shop will tempt you with everything from plush owl puppets to locally made owl
art.
Loons / Photo Credit:
Travis Novitsky
NATIONAL LOON CENTRE
Located in the heart of loon habitat, the National Loon Centre
will offer visitors an intimate look at freshwater and Minnesota's state bird.
Docks, exhibits, boardwalks, bird sanctuaries, native gardens and more will
offer a plethora of outdoor experiences for nature lovers. From private
education rooms to enjoying coffee in the café, visitors will have reasons to
return time and time again. The National Loon Centre is also undertaking a
large shoreline restoration project, providing protected shoreline while
offering lake access to the public. Featuring exhibits that include digital and
virtual reality as well as hands-on learning, the Centre will engage all the
senses. This will be a state-of-the-art sustainable and regenerative facility.
The goal is to create a zero-energy building with the lowest environmental
impact possible. The National Loon Centre will open in Cross Lake, Minnesota in
2025.
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