I had such a great time at this place. Who would have known that an exotic animal rescue was in Culver and that so many animals were found in or around LA like at a 7/11 or just walking the streets lol 16$ admissions and tours at every hour on the hour Our guide was super sweet and super funny I initially found this place because I wanted to take my BF here for his bday and ended up scoping it out with a friend before hand. We had such a great time, a little juvenile for sure as there are a lot of families/lil kids on the tour, but we still had a great time Animals are interactive, they have creative names for the animals, and even a domesticated bob cat read more

See all

This is a wonderfully done rescue station/education program. The center rescues exotic animals, usually ones that have been trafficked or exotic pets that people didn't do any research on and discover they can't care for them properly. (Don't get me started--oh wait, do. Please, please don't get a parrot unless you plan to hang with them 24/7 until they die at age 80.) I've taken my children numerous times and even brought them a baby tortoise we found wandering down the alley behind a pizza place. We most recently went for their Enchanted Hallow's Eve. Each room was decorated with a different theme, from Inside Out to pirates to Star Wars. It was so well done with fun trick or treat stations along the way. Take a tour, support the animals, and adopt, don't shop! read more

See all

I was literally heartbroken when I left this place. They call themselves a sanctuary, but it is a living nightmare how some of these animals are trapped here. The animals in particular that I am referring to is the bobcat, the serval cat, and the two red foxes. They made no attempt to try to replicate their natural habitiat whatsoever. They have couches and carpet everywhere in their jail cells and not a single window, an ounce of sunlight or fresh air. These animals look despondent and depressed. This is not a proper way to teach children about these types of animals. I am hoping that the owners do the right things and let these aforementioned animals be relocated to a proper sanctuary. PLEASE leave a review if you are as horrifie as I was after visiting this place and are moved enough to try to help these animals. Please spread the word to any animal activist groups that you know. read more

See all

On these reviews you will see some that say, 'These animals need to be rescued from this rescue.' I'm heartsick that I must agree with them. These animals live in cages, solitary, under florescent light, and are never taken out to see the light of day. This is no better, and worse than, many underfunded zoos. I am crying for the lonely bobcat and African serval cat, trapped in cages without even any height to use their jumping muscles. If you visit, and feel as I do, please return here and leave a review. Maybe, we can persuade them to make improvements. And if you want to visit a wild animal rescue that does things the right way, I suggest going to Animal Tracks an 50 minutes north of DTLA in Agua Dulce, CA. read more

We had an incredible time at star eco station meeting exotic rescued animals. The reptiles were our favorite. The kids and adults gained a new respect and understanding of these precious creatures we share the earth with. read more

STAR Eco Station - Museums Near Me - Culver City, California

A True Home Away From Home for 13 Years Our family has been part of the Star Eco Station community since my daughter was just 4 1/2 years old. She is now 17 1/2 and works there as a volunteer. As the parent of a neurodiverse child, I feel compelled to share our overwhelmingly positive experience. For the past 13 years, Star Eco Station has been nothing short of transformative for my daughter. In a world that doesn't always accommodate neurodiversity, the staff has created a haven where she thrives, feels understood, and is able to be her authentic self. What began as summer camp experiences has evolved into a passion for my daughter that has helped shape her identity. The connections she's formed with the animals, fellow campers/volunteers, and the incredible staff have given her confidence, purpose, and sense of belonging. The fact that she now volunteers there speaks volumes about how special this place is and how much it means to her. Star Eco Station isn't just a wildlife rescue facility or an educational center - for my daughter, it's truly been a home away from home. read more

I send my daughter to camp here and this is our third year in a row! My daughter and her cousins loved seeing all the wonderful animals specifically the axolotl's, lizards the hedgehogs. They learn so much and are inspired to help animals. They also love the animal trivia and earning Eco Bucks! We will go back each year! Highly recommended! read more

Fell in love with this place today!! My 6 year old son, and I drove out from Long Beach to come and visit. I was not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our tour guide was Zoe, and we were so blessed to have her. She was extremely informative, she knew so many facts about every animal she showed us/any animal we had questions about, she was patient in a group of small children, she managed time well in each room, and was very kind! Each room was filled with different animals. I absolutely adored how they each had names located on their tanks or living space and they each had stories. Thank you to Zoe, and the animals for making this a well worth it trip. I would recommend this place! read more

This is a review for their camp. We were so excited about this camp but ultimately had a horrible experience with the management due to needing to drop off our child outside of a valet line because of her special needs. We parked a street away and walked her in and were yelled at and told we could not walk her in. We then had a call with the executive director who refused to calmly discuss the issue. When we suggested alternatives like walking from further away or taking an Uber there they irately refused to consider any other solutions. None of this policy was mentioned in our contract. It terrified me that our kid would be in an environment with people who are this reactive and inflexible. read more

This place is a GRAVEYARD for animals. An animal donated to them died a couple weeks after arrival at this facility and employees kept lying about the whereabouts of the animal and ghosting/misleading. Air quality is HORRIBLE. No animal will thrive there. All the animals look miserable/unhealthy. It is a prison/death sentence. Shocked that people go there and support such place. The animals need to be rescued from this MUSTY PLACE. Super unhealthy breathing environment!!! read more

There was no parking spaces and when my family tried to go in, it was locked but their was a person sitting at the front desk who wouldn't answer the door. read more

Our family loves Star Eco Station! We also love supporting their mission as an environmental science museum, an exotic wildlife rescue center, and a haven for endangered and illegally-trafficked exotic animals confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It's not a large place and no super fancy bells and whistles, but it is so fun to walk through and learn about all the animals that are there. Each tour is guided by an Eco Station staff member, and we learned so many fun animal facts and surprising rescue stories. The kids loved the hands-on animal encounters and environmental exhibits. I also appreciated their messaging to teach kids about innovative approaches to going green. Highly recommend! No reservations needed and visitors are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Inspired by their efforts and left a happy family! read more

See all

Me and my family loved this place it was much more interactive than anything I've done with my 15 month old I would rather come here again than visit the zoo !! HIGHLY RECOMMEND it !!! read more

I took my granddaughter (5) as an inexpensive local Sunday thing to do! She loved it. The tour was well run and interactive. Give it a try!

These animals need to be rescued from this place! Mostly all the animals seemed super distressed and unhappy. Many of the birds had plucked out most of their feathers. The bobcat was clearly hating its life, pacing all around its tiny cage, and hissing into the air. I was part of a tour where the staff would "show off" an animal by purposely agitating it for a "show." I asked in front of the crowd if what they were doing to the animals distresses them, and they responded with, "Yes sometimes, but in this case they're 'excited.'" Are you serious? The animals looked miserable. The cages were small without real foliage or adequate sunlight. I also asked the tour guide why not euthanize the animals that are obviously miserable, depressed, and unhealthy and was told that they are used for "education." An animal isn't rescued if it's only being taken to a miserable, captive environment and used for show and tell, and having to perform daily for audiences. Additionally the venue was poorly ventilated, and looked like a back storage closet for old props, broken set pieces from Adventure land at Disneyland. Poorly lit, stuffy, and again, I would wish for death if I was animal stuck in that place. read more

Awesome- the animals seemed happy and really social. Cages were good sized and clean so we could enjoy it. We got to hold a lot of reptiles! The tour was about an hour. The guide knew a lot about the animals; it was really informative and interesting to know where all the animals were rescued from. The birds were sad but I know birds are prone to depression and anxiety when taken from owners (a lot were rescued from bad living environments) so not much can be done there. Overall, as a person who doesn't support zoos in general because they're too cramped- I really liked this place and the animals were well taken care of. Kids really liked it. read more

It was a fun little experience. Neighborhood spot with sweet animals who all have a little back story. Took teenagers who love animals. Good for all ages. read more

I made a stop at the STAR Eco Station this last Saturday. It was awesome! My tour guide was very knowledgeble of the animals backstories and habits! I saw fish, turtles, a bobcat, a fox, lizards, snakes, tarantulas, parrots, and much more! I got to pet a snake and a lizard, and "high-five" a tarantula! I love knowing that all the animals were rescued and some of them are even up for adoption! I'm happy that all the animals at the Star Eco Station are well-cared for and that the public is able to see them! For the record: You can park in front of the building on Jefferson Blvd. at the meters, or park in the back of the building for free! read more

See all

Honestly, wish I could give this place a 0. I'd highly recommend reading the low reviews here as this place is more of an animal graveyard than a sanctuary. These animals look so sick and miserable. And it's clear that the staff does not care. A sick looking hedgehog, birds with no feathers, a horribly depressed looking bobcat, gators in bathtub sized tanks, the list goes on. If you're thinking about donating an animal here, don't! I wouldn't be surprised that between the poor air ventilation and lack of sunlight, that every animal in there is close to death or insanity. There are so many other REAL conservation parks and museums for animals. This is NOT it. All smoke and mirrors here. read more

Wonderful experience with my little one who is nearly three years old. We were able to touch many animals, including a tortoise and snake. Clean environment and tour was super informative. Worth a visit! read more

Amazing non profit. Better then the zoo in my opinion. We took a guided tour with Kevin and this place and the people working there exceeded our expectations. They really love the animals they care for. I'll be back and bring more people read more

My son and I had the BEST time at the Eco Station this morning! My son has been here several times before on field trips and has had the opportunity to meet and learn about several animals from here during weekly Eco classes to his STAR after school program but I had not yet been to the actual station for a tour. Not all families seek out reptiles and venomous spiders on Sunday mornings but I wanted to hold a tarantula and a snake and figured this would be a great place to do both. I called earlier in the week to ask a few questions - the person on the phone wasn't super friendly but I didn't let him sway my decision to come down. Adult tours are $8 and children tours are $6. They have tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Check out their website for more info. http://www.ecostation.org/ Our tour guide, James was the absolute best. I had told another employee in the gift shop that our sole purpose for this visit was to hold a tarantula and a snake and James made it happen :) He is the best tour guide and we really learned a lot about the animals there today. This is a wonderful place to bring the kids for a fun and informative trip. We met many fresh water fish and turtles, salt water fish, birds, reptiles, creepy crawlers and even the cutest bob cat. We had SO much fun and thank James so much for such a wonderful experience. We will surely return again soon. read more

See all

Great place to bring young kids! The tour is air conditioned and inside the building to beat any summer heat. Definite win over LA Zoo on this one. Our tour guide led us around the building looking at fish, reptiles, birds, a bobcat, and a fox. The parents got the educational bits about the history of the shelter and their mission while the kids were busy looking around. The aquarium had Nemo and Dory. I learned that every Dory was wild caught since they can't be bred in captivity and you should really not buy them. The kids were able to pet a snake, turtle, and Madagascar cockroach. They had quite a few big, beautiful parrots which my kid really enjoyed. There's a big parking lot in the back of the building, free. Oh, they also do birthday parties here. read more

What a fun and interesting place! This is a great family experience. The location has several exotic animals that were rescued from pretty sad circumstances. I am happy to pay the price for their tickets knowing that the money goes to caring for these animals who were not cared for very well by their previous owners or in their previous circumstances. Tickets cost six dollars for children and eight dollars for adults. There is also a seven dollar senior citizen ticket available. There is plenty of free parking available in the lot or in the side street next to this location. We were there at 10:00 AM on a Sunday, so we were part of the very first tour. There was only one other family on the tour with us, so we were excited because we thought we would have a special experience. Unfortunately, our tour guide seemed very uncomfortable with young children. She kept trying to direct and redirect them to look at the animals she wanted to talk about, rather than to answer any questions or provide any information about the animals the children were interested in. She had a very set plan for taking us on the tour, which included passing through, but not discussing, some of the most interesting exhibits and animal habitats. She only pointed out certain animals as part of the tour, and did not give us much time to explore the others. When we asked questions about the animals that were not part of her scheduled tour (or script), we were met with confusion and uncomfortable silence. It did not seem to me like the person giving our tour was very knowledgeable about animals, though she did seem to care about the animals on the location, so that is nice. I was very surprised by how short the tour was, given that there were only two families on it and the following tour was not until one hour later. Overall, we had a nice time as a family. Our daughter got to "high-five "a tarantula, pet a turtle, and pet a tortoise. She was very excited to see the bobcat and the "Dory" fish, and we saw some dancing birds, which was also fun. The space is super small, so I wish we were allowed to explore the animals we wanted to see and hear information about them. read more

Great place to take the kids to see animals. There's not a lot of petting so don't expect to. Staff are great to talk to and they're very caring to all the rescues. read more

This place is so awesome! Found it on yelp and took a chance to come visit! My 3 yr old ended up had the best time! Small group tours happens at every hour. $7 per person to support this wonder place is nothing! The staff is extremely knowledgeable and patient with kids! You learn SO much on all these rare animals and also get to touch them. We really enjoyed it! read more

See all

Hidden germ, at first glance it looks like it's a small dead place with no ones. The tour guide was pretty educational. They have the tour every hour so I recommend going maybe 15-20 min before the hour to pay to admission and the tour. They have a lot of unique animal that you don't see at the zoo which is pretty interesting and learning about how each of them end up at their station is pretty fun. Great for all ages. read more

See all

This place has no concern for the well being of animals. They "rescue" animals and place them in tiny solo cages. Now I love education just as much as anyone, but not at the expense of innocent animals. I couldn't believe how tiny the bird cages were with no room to fly. The birds were visually sad and a few of them plucked their feathers out as a sign of stress. How do you call that a rescue? I pray that someday they get released. Sending love and peace to all of the innocent animals behind bars. Please don't support a place like this. read more

Had low expectations because it's a small ish place but had the best hour long tour, great tour guide and saw such amazing animals. Totally recommend !!! read more

This place is really cool! For $8, you get an hour-ish tour of the place. The rooms are separated into different areas and the tour guide takes you around to explain to you how they got the animal (because they're mostly rescues) and facts and tidbits about it. There are lot of reptiles, some mammals, lots of birds (or maybe because it's loud it felt like it lol) and a good number of fish. The stories are really cool, the tour guide is really knowledgable, and something really cool is they let you touch a lot of the animals with assist of the tour guide. We got to touch a gecko and snake. Free parking which is a plus in Culver City! Also, they're a non-profit so that's always a plus :) read more

My daughter had a great experience here. They even let you pet and hold a bunch of the animals.

Loved it. Private tour, cool animals, awesome tour guide. A+ I think it's a hit-or-miss kind of place. Your experience will vary depending on the time you go, how many people there are, and who your tour guide is (how much knowledge they have, how friendly they are etc). Don't go there expecting it to be a museum (I don't know why it's under this category, i think they're in a category of their own). It's very low key and low budget. They work with what they have and they did pretty well. When I went, I was the very last and ONLY group to go. So it was a super private tour. Lucky me! To add to this, the tour guide was AWESOME. I adore her! If only I didn't forget her name... Her name starts with an S, and she's a young African American. Ahhg, I hate that I can't just call her by her name! I'll be sure to call and update this entry ASAP! Anyway, she opened up the cages of so many of the animals since we were the only ones there. It was very hands on. We even got to see and pet a pissed off baby alligator!! That was pretty friggin awesome. She let out some of the birds and they danced, sang "chickara chickara chickaroo" and said "Hey Baby". So cute. Be sure to look through my pictures to get an idea of what the place looks like. It's very very small, so all the animals are pretty much within arm's reach. Very close and personal, not like a zoo at all. I highly recommend you come here to enjoy yourself, support this place, or both! They do great things by rescuing animals and giving them a home. read more

See all

This is such a fun place! The 1st time my then 3 year old visited, he was literally talking about this place for weeks! You get a guided tour through the facility, they tell you about the animals (and may even let you touch a couple!). This is a really enjoyable outing for kids and parents. The kids get to see so many different things including reptiles, birds, and even some mammals (we saw a bobcat!) I personally enjoyed hearing the backstories of how animals ended up at the Eco Station. It's also great for the kids to learn how to properly care for pets and take care of our environment. We enjoyed this place so much that we had his BIRTHDAY PARTY here and it turned out great! I got lots of compliments from the parents and the staff was great! read more

Why wear a dead Chinchilla around your neck when you can see a rescued LIVE warm & fuzzy one being all cute? Eco Station is an effective operation that bring awareness and educates people of all ages about endangered species in our planet. It also sheds light on how some of the rescued animals ended up there. Many because some dimwits thought a python or alligator would stay a manageable size. Or that a parrot that was smuggled in to this country would be low maintenance. smh. Anyhow I highly recommend Eco Station. Do stop by with your family and check out this one of a kind place. Heck your charitable donation is tax deductible and you'll leave with a greater sense of awareness. You'll be aware that alligators, crocs and pythons ARE NOT sensible pets for most suburban humans. read more

I absolutely love the Star Eco Station! My daughter has been in the Star after school program for 3 years now and they bring in animals from the Star Eco Station to help the children learn about the beautiful animals. They have a beautiful Earth Day celebration every year and my daughter performs with the Star group so we come to the Eco Station. Last time we went (in April) we went on the guided tour which was amazing. There are lizards, birds, wild cats, fish, you name it. I love that these are rescued animals. They take such good care of them. The tour guides are so knowledgeable and make the experience so much fun. My daughter had a great time exploring. She even got to pet a wolf! Highly recommended for children of all ages. read more

See all

I can't wait for them to open up after covid, i am waiting to take my girls scout troop for a visit.

This place is so cool. A little bit hard to find and off the beaten path but well worth it! All of the animals in this facility were rescued. For the people that work here, you can tell it is a real labor of love. All of the money brought in, goes right back into the animals. You can probably write off your admission in your taxes. Anyway... My favorite part is the cat section of the tour. Jay is the coolest cat there is and his story is so amazing. (He used to be trained to live in a suitcase before he was rescued and now has hip problems.) I forget what kind of big cat he is because I think he is a hybrid breed. He is playful and cute though. I also really enjoy the birds. So many parrots! Guaco is my favorite as he is the most talkative. I have 4 year old twins (boy & girl) and they just love all the birds. They also have a good time with the reptiles. The tour takes about an hour and if they are not busy you can ask to go back to a certain section and hang out with the animals a little bit longer. Support the Eco Station! They are good people! These animals would have been destroyed if it wasn't for all their hard work and dedication. http://www.ecostation.org/ read more

STAR Eco Station - http://www.ecostation.org/ - Museums Near Me - Culver City, California

See all

While I definitely see this as a destination for kids, I paid a visit to STAR Eco Station courtesy of my bf thinking it would be a fun day-date idea. I would definitely recommend this to any other guy that may have an animal-loving lady. I had a blast and loved seeing all the animals. I had no idea this place even existed and learning that they rescued animals and helped rehabilitate them was so amazing. Most of the mammals did not make an appearance during our visit, but we did get to see a lot of fish, reptiles, exotic birds, and an adorable hedgehog named Broccoli. A great Culver City find! read more

See all

Great afternoon of fun here with the grandkiddos! The tour guides were patient & informative. We admired their skill at explaining each rescued animal's story so that all ages could understand. We were very impressed with their knowledge! The tour was the perfect length to keep the little ones interested the whole time. What an added bonus when he got the corn snake & the tortoise out of their cages for the children to touch. We'll definitely come back & hopefully the fox will be up & around. read more

See all

The workers there were real nice. I like the way they do the lil tour an explain a lil bit of the animan an how to take care of it. My son enjoyed him self petting the snake an the bearded dragon an tht big as roach the birds they got are real nice but real load so u got young ones tht don't like load noises don't take them in there read more

STAR Eco Station - My big lil fat boi - Museums Near Me - Culver City, California