This is really a wonderful center. The birds they have are beautiful and the "heart" of the place is in the right place as the goal is to release them back into the wild. I was there I guess a little less than two hours and they had, during that time, three birds out of their cages for people to get a closer look. Two randomly by center staff and one for a school group that was coming to the center. You have to stay on the path but you can get very close to the animals based on the way the place is designed. The only thing that's holding me back from 5 stars is that it's not a big collection and they had about four cages blanketed off for various reasons (e.g. nursing newborns) cutting down on the collection you could see. This isn't anything they can really do anything about... you can't go injure some birds so you have a bigger collection and I'm sure there reasons for blocking some cages were valid. It's just an overall comment. Maybe they could offer an exclusive fee so people could see the part where they care for birds and limit it to two people a day or something. This place is unique and definitely worth a visit if your travels bring you to Eugene. read more

Great place to see and learn about raptors. They have many species, from enormous bald eagles to tiny adorable owls. If you're mobility-impaired, though, only a fraction of the place is accessible because the paths are steep, made of loose gravel, and have inadequate railings. We saw one elderly woman lose her footing several times. read more

I took my granddaughter to the Raptor Center. She said it was awesome. Her favorites were the small owls and bald eagles. It was an interesting and most important my granddaughter enjoyed it. read more

Great work they are doing here! Today we saw over 30 birds of prey ranging from small fist size to golden and bald ! Price was $9 but it is a non profit organization so it's going to a good cause. They do have a small gift shop but no food or restrooms. They to have a couple portapotties. read more

I love this place! They have so many birds to observe and it's amazing seeing them so up close! The walk is a little hilly and I had a bit of trouble getting my big jogging stroller around so maybe put your baby in a carrier? We just parked the stroller and carried our baby and we were alright. It's a small place so you won't have to walk far. Great place to bring kids and the best part is that they have a little bio for each bird. I love knowing their stories! read more

Great experience and fun to take the kids. Learn about Owls, Hawks, and Eagles :) must go if you are around Eugene. This is community supportive so please pay the fees and support :) read more

Cascades Raptor Center - Zoos Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

I made a detour on my trip to Crater Lake just to see this place. I can't say enough good things about it. All the people that represent the Center are genuine and kind. All the birds looks very well cared for. Lots to see. The parking and road in were tight but I made it in a big truck. Go see this place, it's great! read more

Such a neat place! There are quite a few spectacular raptors to visit and friendly staff to answer questions. All of the aviaries are outside so dress for the weather. Also the parking lot is a little sketchy. Totally well worth a visit! read more

My daughter, age 11, LOVES birds so it was a given we would make this a stop on our Spring Break road trip. It was a cool, light rain day but we took our time learning about the birds. A major disappointment was that the woman in the office said there would be bird talks/demos starting at 11 a.m and the schedule would be posted by the office at 10:30. We arrived at 10 am (opening time) and around 11:00 went back to the office as the schedule was not out yet. The woman we had previously spoken to said she did not know if there would be any talks. We waited around until noon but nada...oh well...at least my kiddos liked the birds :) read more

Wonderful place to get out and see some beautiful birds! If you hang around long enough you'll catch one of the trainers taking a bird out and can see them up close! We got to meet Ravi and ask all the questions we could come up with which was a great addition to the visit. The only thing that prevents a 5 star review is the size of some of the enclosures are a bit small in my opinion - I was reassured the birds get out for enrichment but I would like to see the space used a bit more for the birds. All in all, it was a marvelous place and I can't wait to go back and also start volunteering when possible. read more

What a beautiful facility, with magnificent birds! I was so touched to see that each raptor had it's story posted amongst their living space. They all had plenty of room to play and feel at home, some even talked to us! I wish covid wasn't going on so we could see the special acts they perform but well definitely be back to experience it. It was super quiet which was nice! Bring your kids there for a school field trip! read more

Love this place! My wife and I visited over the holidays and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the rescued raptors

This is an awesome little wild life preserve. My family (kids 4 and 8) had a wonderful time. The birds and the grounds are all well maintained. The walking paths are gravel so grandma, who has some mobility issues, had to hold onto the railing, but she said it was doable and she had fun too. This is a great little place to visit if you're in the area and looking for something to do with the kids. It is fairly small so it'll only take about an hour to tour the entire location. read more

The Raptor Center is an ideal stop when you're in Eugene! It's such a wonderful environment filled with beautiful raptors of all kinds. I had such a great experience with my friends. They provide background information on each bird such as where the bird came from and how they ended up where they are! Along with a fitting name for the raptors and information on the species. The center does amazing things for birds in need, I recommend 100% stopping by and giving support to this organization. read more

This is definitely one of the coolest things to see in Eugene. Parking is a little tight, but so is their budget, so that's alright. Show up during one of the feedings/trainings to see these amazing creatures in action. read more

I think this is a place everyone should visit. You learn a lot about birds of prey. I've never really seen birds like this up close-they are equisitley beautiful. A great place for families or even a date. We happened to be there at the end of the day when they were feeding the birds. Volunteers were bringing out trays of dead chicks to the cages. While it was a bit shocking to see, it also added to the facination that these birds are still very much "of prey" even though they are in cages now. My 16 month old didn't seem to care too much. I lifted her up to the cages but it was hard for her to see if the birds were in the back. We saw lots of young kids to teens and I think if my daughter were just a few years older, she would have gotten a kick out of it. My mom has lived in Oregon for the past five years and was facinated to see these birds up close that circle around. Over-all, I would go again and think it is a wonderful place to support. read more

It's a pretty quick tour, but I really enjoyed learning about the different birds. We also got to see the staff training one of the hawks and feeding mice to the snowy owl. It's sad to realize humanity's impact on the birds, but good to support their rehabilitation through a visit to the Raptor Centor. read more

Tucked away next to fox hollow trail is this beautiful raptor center. The staff was very friendly and informative of each raptor. It was around feeding time when we went and seen lots of action. The only bummer is not much parking. If the parking lot is full you can park across the street next to the trails. But watch out for vehicles going up to the facility. read more

The 'Handler Talks' are great too, and provide some amazing information about the birds...how some raptors hunt at night, and that Peregrine Falcons dive at up to 200 mph to catch their prey. Information like that adds another dimension to visiting these birds. A great, community supported place... read more

This place was a great stop. I love reading the stories about the individual animals and how they ended up at the center. There are A LOT of bees so if you are bothered by them or have allergies you may want to skip it. Great time though. read more

The raptor center is a cool place to see owls and eagles which I love. The main issue was that it is not at all handicap accessible. It was extremely difficult pushing a wheelchair up a steep hill in the mud. Parts of it we just plain couldn't get to. The second downer was that we apparently came right after feeding time and there was pieces of dead baby chicks everywhere. I know these are birds of pray but I couldn't believe how many half eaten baby chicks we saw. It was a blood bath! read more

I went to the Raptor Center with my husband and it was amazing to see all the birds. I didn't know what a Raptor was before coming here, but I learned all sorts of things like Raptors are birds that tear the prey apart with their feet. I saw vultures and cute owels. I also saw the American Bald Eagle. It was beautiful. The cages looked well kept and the birds seemed happy. The volunteers seemed nice and full of compassion which you would have to have to work with animals. :) read more

This is an extraordinary wildlife rehab center! Large cages, superb care, excellent trained volunteers who give talks. If you want to be there for one of the talks, call ahead to see what times they'll be done. The area is beautiful and woodsy, and so is the center. There are nice paths winding among the well-spaced cages, and at least part of them are wheelchair accessible. Among the many volunteer opportunities there are cage-building, which at least one Eagle Scout did for his project. There is a small giftshop. Birds that are able to be released are not on display, so they don't get stressed or too accustomed to being close to people. The birds on display are those whose injuries were too bad for them to survive in the wild. They still breed, and produce healthy young that are released. They also serve as educators. The founder is Louise Shimmel, who is nationally renowned for raptor rehabilitation. We are very lucky to have such a facility here, and it's well worth the $7 or $8 dollar admission fee, especially when you know that everything goes into caring for these magnificent birds and educating the public about them. Visit their website, & they're on Facebook, too. Bottom line: Go...Go...Go. read more

We drove close to 3 hours to visit the Center. It was worth it. They have 40-50 raptors as part of their education program. These amazing birds are in enclosures that you can view. They also have a rehab facility that is closed to the public. It's a wonderful place and a great learning experience. read more

So happy we added this stop on our drive from Eugene to Corvallis (a little more than an hour outside of Eugene). It was so interesting, informative and a great opportunity to get super close to and get super photos of the raptors. The staff is knowledgeable and patient. Great if you can plan on being there when one of the animals is being fed, or perhaps getting a bath. Once you pay the reasonable fee inside the information/gift shop you are on your own to browse at your leisure. The path is a little up and down at times with some rough terrain, so not the easiest for elderly or anyone with mobility challenges. Gift shop is well stocked with local as well as global products. Believe it's run pretty much by volunteers, certainly non-profit. All the raptors are rescued. Each area has the birds history and general information listed. Small parking area, but manageable. We loved it! Great for all ages! read more

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I had some time to kill on a recent road trip through Oregon and searched for something different to do in the Eugene area. My online search turned up Cascades Raptor Center. That met my definition of different, and away I went. Once off of the fwy you will drive through several miles of rural residential neighborhoods. I began to think this was going to turn out to a be kind of a hokey place. Maybe a few cages in someones backyard. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very professional facility with knowledable, caring staff. They do great work here, taking care of these beautiful creatures that cannot survive in the wild. What an awsome couple of hours! read more

Visiting this place might have been the highlight of my recent trip to Eugene. This place is a must see if you are in town. The volunteer who helped us couldn't have been friendlier and gave us some great tips on local restaurants and other towns to visit. I've been to a falconry center before who had a few raptors and owls but this place has BALD EAGLES. Yeah. 2 OF THEM. I have never seen one in real life before and it was really something to see. I think it was only like 8$/person too which was great. read more

Husband and I visited and thoroughly enjoyed the up close view and interactions with these raptors. Lots of good info, these folks do great work. Admission is $8 for adults and was worth every penny. We will probably donate more at their website. Demo's were held at 11am and 12 noon. Feeding of the bald eagle and exercise of an owl outside of the aviary was a thrill. We wandered around for at 1 1/2 hours. Pretty locale. read more

Visited today with my sons, ages 8 and 10. We all had a great time. Beautiful setting in the woods and so much to learn. I loved it and will definitely go back again. Staff were passionate and knowledgeable. read more

A nice way to spend an hour or two checking out the birds of prey. Check out the times for bird interactions. You definitely want to see one of the handlers interact with one of the birds. read more

What a nice place to visit! Hidden gem in our community! We went for the fathers get in free Father's Day special and everyone had a great time! Thank you to all staff and volunteers who make this sanctuary possible! read more

Must see attraction, especially for families. The "orphan" birds are beautiful. The custodian has done a wonderful job of protecting these magnificent creatures. read more

You get to see bald eagles, vultures, hawks, owls, and falcons. It's neat and leisurely. Lots of yellow jackets are attracted to the rabbit/mouse meat they feed the raptors. Hard to see the turn off from the main road. read more

I really enjoyed my time at the raptor center. We decided to check this place out for my birthday last year because of my love of owls. The parking lot was small but easy to maneuver, it might be more crowded on a weekend though. We walked into the small office and were greeted by a lovely woman who gave us a map and explained the best route to see all of the eagles, owls, hawks and even turkey vultures. This center is located in the trees and above the city of Eugene which makes your experience relaxing and beautiful. The raptors have stories about where they came from-most being exposed to humans early on and so they are not able to survive on their own in the wild. They have many beautiful raptors here and we even got to see some of them being fed which was really cool. We waited to watch a talk about an owl but because he wasn't cooperating they chose a different bird to talk about. I appreciate that they listen to the birds and don't force them to do anything stressful. If you're passing through town or just want to get out and do something different, I recommend coming here and supporting this rescue just by paying the admission fee. It took us probably 1.5 hours including the talk we watched to walk around and spend time reading and looking at each type of bird and I hope to come back again soon! The trails were well maintained and this is definitely a kid and elderly friendly place. read more

Beautiful place. Beautiful raptors. Wonderful setting. Bad customer service. We where outside of the visitor center building for 10min. Taking it easy on a relaxed Sunday morning. I go into the office to ask how much a membership is and the lady says "are you here to check in." I say "I want to know how much a membership is." She tells me. I say "I'm going to go let me husband know." Then she says in a rude way "who else are you here with I tell her "my family outside." She says in an even ruder tone "You are supposed to come straight to the office before you visit the birds." I'm thinking the birds we were looking at are right next the building I'm in and we saw them before I came in. Why on earth is she being rude to me about that. I came in and was asking about a membership!!! I said "I was gong to let me husband know." I felt like a kid getting in trouble. This is ridiculous. She should have been polite. We had intended on a membership and instead we just paid for a one time visit. My husband came back after going in to pay and had the same look on his face. He said "geez she's not very nice" " people remember one thing. That's how you made them feel" That older woman didn't make it feel welcoming and it's really sad she is greeting people. Likely will not return. Also what is the deal with the pricing. It should be less that $9 for adults and $6 for children. There would be many more visitors if it where more consciously priced. I'm sure It's expensive to have that many birds but let's get real it's a good 30-45 min visit and a small place. read more

This is a tiny yet worth it little stop for any hawk, eagle, falcon, and bird lover. Mostly injured birds come here to get help and continue life after injuries. Nice place to see the animals up close and personal. And a good pit stop on our road trip. read more

I first came into contact with Cascades Raptor Center when in 2008 I rescued a young Hawk in Sweet Home Oregon, they sent one of their associates to my home to assist the young bird and rehabilitate it. When the Hawk was ready to be released, they called me up and allowed me to release it back in Sweet Home. They're awesome!! read more

This is an absolute must see if you're an animal person. They are a rehabilitation center and clinic for sick and hurt raptors (birds of prey). The ones that are not healthy or fit enough to release into the wild stay at the center. There are peregrine falcons, bald eagles, barn owls, and many more. If you are around during feeding time, they take the birds out and sometimes show you how they train them. read more

Wow! This place is incredible--definitely make the trip up if you are in Eugene. They have many birds of many kinds, and you can learn a lot about raptors and their rehabilitation efforts. read more

Imagine yourself as an eagle that soared high and travelled freely for miles interacting seamlessly with the environment you were born in to. Now imagine that your wing got shot off and you can't fly anymore. Then imagine how the same species that shot your wing off comes along and "rescues" you, heals your physical wounds and places you in a cage. You have shelter from the weather, and daily food. Now imagine living this fate for the rest of your very long life. I know raptors don't have feelings, per se, but they do have instincts. To fly, hunt, to interact with their environment including other raptors when appropriate (mating)...I just found it super sad to visit this place to see these birds of prey held as captive slaves - put on display for the purpose of collecting tourist dollars, many are trained for public interaction. They use the money to feed and care for the birds. And some birds at this facility have been held in this unnatural state for DECADES. All in the name of "education?" About what? How to domesticate raptors? I am sorry, this is not normal and I left the place angry and feeling like the captors and keepers are very cruel people. I feel the same way about zoos and circuses also. Very sad to keep an animal alive in an unnatural state for the sole purpose of our human amusement. read more