I had the absolute best time and the park rangers and staff are all friendly! There are so many birds and exhibits! I loved the landing zone where you can feed flamingoes and parakeets and there are a couple sun conures in there too! read more

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This was worth the two-hour drive from the Triangle to spend a couple of hours in a beautifully-landscaped retreat with a huge variety of birds. It's a bargain at only $14 for adult entry. I recommend getting one of the seed sticks for the Landing Zone, where a flock of colorful parakeets will eagerly perch on the stick and eat out of your hand. If you're skittish, note that they will also maybe land on your shoulder or head, or pull at your shoelaces until they realize they aren't food. But for those who are game, it's a ton of fun and the birds come in a beautiful variety of colors. All of the various sections have plenty of birds, and they're easy to see, not hidden away in the back of some enclosure. They all look healthy and comfortable and seem to have plenty of room. There are also tons of plants and lovely flowering bushes throughout the park. Some particular favorites of mine were the Wings of the Tropics and the boardwalk (sponsored by Duke Energy) where you can get an idea just how much an impact beavers have on creating essential wetlands for bird habitats. All of the various zones are close together, and there are plenty of benches and places to rest throughout, so it's not physically taxing and guests with mobility issues could still enjoy it. It's definitely off the beaten path, but it's worth the trip if you have an interest in our feathered friends. read more

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Excellent Visit; Worth the Drive!! We spent our 28th anniversary here in November and it was lovely. As we proceeded through the exhibits, I really enjoyed the scenery of the well-kept aviaries throughout this park. Employees are all educated and helpful. The parakeets in the Landing were very active, but if they don't come to you right away, don't be afraid to scoop one up to encourage it to interact and/or eat the millet stick, per my husband & not me because I am afraid of birds swooping like that haha (Buy the seed sticks at ticket counter before going into park) Highlights: The kookaburra laughed for me and the cassowary ran back and forth like a Dino raptor and they were definitely my favorite exhibits of the day! We both have mobility issues, so I wanted to provide the following info: This park is laid out in a loop with many inclines, rocky pathways, & root growth under pavement making for treacherous rolling. Using a wheelchair with small front wheels proved challenging to say the least. (large wheels are recommended) That being said, I CAN walk a bit and had to to maneuver the wheelchair through some of the trails. Also, there are many benches and picnic areas to rest along the trails, but we still had carried a fold up stool for my husband but he only had to use it once. There is a golf cart rental= 5 people for $100 I think. So that will be what we do next time likely, because this park is worth every penny! read more

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Sylvan Heights Bird Park is a regular stop of mine as I just enjoy my visits. As I am a member I can visit as much as I like too. There is ample parking in the front and a new safety measure is to walk on a mat to clean your shoes to keep the birds safe. Hand sanitizer is available too. A new section has opened called Birds of Paradise. The new aviary features colorful birds from tropical regions, such as southeast Asia, Indonesia, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. This park has a largest collection of waterfowl birds with 3000 birds. I like that the park is shaded with the trees so it doesn't get too hot on visits. Benches are also available if you want to take a break. The facility is very clean and the birds are well taken care of. The enclosures are large and the birds have plenty of space to roam. Sylvan Heights is a great place to visit if you have never been and great for return visits as each visit is unique. read more

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Wow! What an amazing place and experience! I would attend every single class, function, camp, etc. offered if I lived in NC. The variety of birds is astonishing. My 81 year old mother and my 12 year old son also had a great time. Lots of shade and well-kept. I WILL be returning. read more

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We were in Rocky Mount and decided to drive here since we've seen it on UNC TV and read good things about it. What a cool, unique place! We've been to aviaries and zoos before, but never anything this specialized. The price was reasonable and we took our time visiting all of the exhibit areas. The Landing Zone is not for the skittish, because birds will land on you whether you have food or not. They like jewelry and shiny things. Heck, one even tried to eat the button on my baseball cap. It was mostly shady and not too hot. On a Friday in September, it was not crowded either. They do practice safety measures, so that's good to know. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a unique experience in North Carolina. read more

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I cannot recommend Sylvan Heights Bird Park enough. I find any and every excuse to share about this place with folks in Greenville, visiting Greenville, and those who have nothing to even do with Greenville or eastern NC altogether. I have visited the center twice now, and each time it was a blast. There is such an eclectic mix of birds I have never seen anywhere else. I have also never been in a situation where I can see so many birds up close and take the best pictures, too. Let me say this: the last time I visited was this month (May), and, damn! Going in the Spring is the way to do it. I presume this is mating season for many of the birds, as we heard some amazing birdcalls and saw wild courtship dances and displays. You can get so close to the birds, and in some cases hold them or let them land on you. Food is offered right when you pay your price for admission, and it is worth it to purchase. The gift shop is pretty cute, and the magnets make a good addition to the refrigerator. I highly recommend taking the drive to this part of NC for the bird display. Go alone, go on a date, take a friend, have fun. read more

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Reasonably priced, off the beaten path but worth the journey. Pathways nicely maintained. Wide variety of birds. You can also feed parakeets, conures etc. which is lots of fun. They require masks for certain areas due tocovid. Arrive early when there is lots of birds activity. read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park - Parks Near Me - Scotland Neck, North Carolina

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I checked out this spot today after a recommendation from a friend. I was thoroughly impressed by how well kept and organized this park is! The park itself wasn't crowded at all even for a Saturday, we arrived at 9am right when they opened. They have a ticket booth at the front where you can get food for the birds as well. Once you enter, the park consists of a loop that winds between different enclosures with the birds. They have the enclosures labels by region, so North American birds, South American, etc. each of the areas has signs with where the birds migrate from in the wild and some background info. They even have an exhibit where you can bring the bird food on a stick you purchased and have birds land on the stick. Overall I would highly recommend this place, they have a lot of diversity with birds from all around the world. read more

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The Landing was the highlight of the place. We did see a beaver and squirrel too. We definitely enjoyed our trip out to see the birds just 10 days shy from Christmas Day. Getting in the enclosures was awesome - got to get close to the birds. We go to listen to the Keeper's little talk and had fun petting her goose, "Baroness". Perfect for kids. read more

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We made a big detour during our Florida road trip to come here. We were so happy with all the birds we saw. They looked like they had ample space to roam and were happy. The highlight was the landing zone where you can feed parakeets and flamingos. It was so much fine to watch the parakeets nibble the seeds off our sticks. Unfortunately, they had a line of people waiting so we were asked to please depart so other people rotate in. We really could have stayed there longer! read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park - Best park of the park, the landing zone is the only place where you can feed the birds - Parks Near Me - Scotland Neck, North Carolina

It was my first visit to this park. We drove just a little over 2 hrs and it was well worth the drive. It's not a place you can run through in 30 min or an hour. I was amazed and how beautiful the different aviaries were and how clean it was. The vast majority of feathered friends were very easy to access. The walk between enclosures was green and lots of benches to take breaks on. There's a small cafe where you can grab a snack or hot dog and clean restrooms before moving on to next enclosure. There is one very special place called landing zone. It's where you go into an enclosure and you can feed flamingos right out of your hand. Lots of parakeets land on you and if you bought bag of food or food sticks you can watch them eat right on the stick. They are very cute but you must be careful where you walk because we saw first hand they are curious around feetit was to me a wonderful experience and I would 100% recommend seeing this for yourself. read more

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Great for an outing with your kids. It is amazing how close you are to the birds. My daughter and I had an amazing time. We especially loved the tropical birds. read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park is a cool place and worth a visit, even if you don't live in the greater Scotland Neck metropolitan area (LOL). Actually, I had never heard of this place, or been in the area, but heard about it when visiting my parents in Virginia about an hour or so away. You can see a variety of exotic birds and even have some of them eat birdseed from your hand (parakeets). The grounds are actually pretty big and there is a nice welcome center area where you can visit the bathroom, gift shop and watch a short film on the bird park. Even though you are basically in the sticks there are some restaurants nearby in Scotland Neck and you can come and go with a sticker. The price is $11 for adults and well worth the price! read more

Great place for people of all ages, especially children. They have birds, flamingos, peacocks and other types of animals for you to see.

This place is a real hidden gem! I heard about this place when one of my coworkers mentioned it. Location wise, it's in the middle of the boonies so be warned that there aren't that many choices for food nearby. There is a Food Lion in Scotland Neck where you can purchase some picnic style food and eat it at one of the many picnic tables inside. There is one area which is under a lot of shade which is great on a hot day and you want to escape the sun. Inside the bird park, there are tons of birds separated by regions. You'll find birds like owls, swans, ducks, and even an emu! My favorite area has to be the Landing Zone. Pro tip: make sure you buy a food stick or two either when you pre-purchase your ticket or at the ticketing booth if you want a great photo op with some small birds that will flock to you if you have one at the Landing Zone. There is also a chance that the small birds might poop on you as well. The food bag for purchase is for the Flamingos and they weren't really hungry at the time. Besides the birds, there is also a very nice and clean building for the restrooms with AC! There is also a little shack where they sell snacks like pretzels and ice cream. Staff was very friendly and overall, this place is a great place to spend either the morning or the afternoon. read more

We had company in town and were looking for something new to do - my sister in law recommended the bird park. We had a great time!!! We were able to get some really beautiful pictures and my granddaughter was thrilled to collect fallen feathers. It was so hot the day we went, but we took it slow and enjoyed ourselves. I love that it wasn't too crowded also. Highly recommend read more

We had a wonderful day at the bird park! It was so interesting and some of the birds were so entertaining. This was my third trip!

Very well done. A great collection birds from around the world. It's well maintained and all the birds look very healthy. I highly recommend visiting and bring your camera. read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park - Parks Near Me - Scotland Neck, North Carolina

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This was our third time visiting and it gets better every time. Beautiful birds and you are helping them protect endangered species by visiting. Lots of photo opportunities with benches and shade all over. Places for a picnic for the family are abundant and paved paths are easy to traverse. A wonderful peaceful place to visit. read more

An awesome place to spend with the family. Very clean and put together well. I feel like the budgies were the highlight of our visit but that does not take away from all the other birds you get to see. The enclosures looked size appropriate and maintained. I would recommend. read more

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Another great place to spend the day either as a date, or with the kids. Tons of exotic birds to see and even an area that you can feed birds and have them land on you! Interactive stuff like that is always my favorite and makes this a destination worth coming too! read more

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We really love birds. How much do we love birds? Well, we're members at the Carolina Raptor Center (which got us a free admission at Sylvan Heights!), we have a bird feeder on the bedroom window and tolerate squirrels climbing the window screen at the crack of dawn simply because there's no better place to put the feeder, and the highlight of most of our day trips is finding a place where there are cool birds (see my other reviews if you don't believe me). Sylvan Heights is really out in the middle of nowhere, unless you happen to live in Scotland Neck. (No offense if you do live there; it's a lovely place.) However, it's well worth the drive, and it's remote enough that it's usually not very crowded. You have to be a special sort of person to want to drive a few hours to see some birds. We are that sort of people. This park is small but well-maintained. You can see it all in a couple of hours if you take your time. The most busiest areas are where the brightly colored birds live: the three flocks of flamingos, the scarlet ibises and macaws, the ever-popular peacock. However, I recommend spending some time with some of the birds that don't get as much love from visitors: the aviary of hummingbirds, finches, and other tiny birds; the small and perpetually annoyed-looking burrowing owl; the beautiful Himalayan monal, who gets overshadowed by its neighbor, the peacock; and my very best bird buddy, the blue-crowned pigeon, who lives in the aviary with the budgies, looks nothing like any pigeon you've ever seen, and seems to remember me when I come back. Many of the species here are rare or endangered, and the park is part of breeding programs that are attempting to save these species from extinction. There's typically an egg or two hatching in an incubator in the visitors' center, though these may not be rare species; on our last visit, they were newborn chickens. Still, it's lovely to see an egg with a little hole in it, and come back 20 minutes later to see a tiny, exhausted bird. read more

Great for a day trip. Clean facility, helpful employees, paved walkways and birds, birds, birds made this a fun outing. The Landing Zone was a favorite, but there were so many interesting and beautiful birds along our walk and a number who showed us their personalities. read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park is a great place to visit. It is well laid out, they have lots of birds, and the faculty is very friendly. The parking is free, they take cards for admission, but bird food must be purchased with cash. They have an ATM available if you need it. If you get hungry, they have a snack bar and ice cream too! They have a very nice pavilion if a large group would like to visit and from what I hear, some elementary schools visit there. read more

Another go to for homeschooling! Birds from around the world and your backyard! Great area in the back to see other local wildlife including beavers, fish, and turtles. Gift shop and entry does take credit cards, but the area to hand feed the flamingoes and buy ice cream only takes cash. read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park - Parks Near Me - Scotland Neck, North Carolina

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Love this with my children we have been going for 15 years and is just a fantastic family place

Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park is GREAT! It's like a miniature zoo. With only birds. I like the compact size of it. You can walk around without wearing yourself (or kids) out. But there is enough to keep you entertained to make it worthy of a destination visit. Amazing place for nature photographers. Check out the website for more info. read more

A great day trip, and it can be educational or relaxing. They also have great events at the park, like a Chili Cook-Off, Moonlight in the Park dinner & auction, Valentine's Day Party, etc. Better collection of beautiful waterfowl than you will find in any zoo. read more

Sylvan Heights Bird Park - Sylvan Heights - Parks Near Me - Scotland Neck, North Carolina

What a beautiful display of birds from around the world! This up and close educational park throws one delight after another at you! They even have some endangered species and a breeding program to help release some of these birds back into the wild. With a variety of natural habitat exhibits and some fun surprises, people of all ages would enjoy this park. Well worth the $10.00/person fee to get in, we spent almost 3 hours here. Just make some notes here...we took water bottles with us and we went in the spring of the year. Probably best in spring or fall when you have nice weather since you are outside. It will be hot in the summer. Also they don't sell food but you are welcome to use the picnic tables and bring in your lunch if you want...or visit one of the fine restaurants in the area! The park has a couple of new exhibits in the works that will be opening soon! We will go back!! read more

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Absolutely amazing place to visit. Fun for all ages and an experience like no other! Highly recommend!!

Wonderful place! Biggest selection of birds I've ever seen, friendly staff, well-maintained. I highly recommend this as an enjoyable outing for any age. read more

Would you believe it's in Scotland Neck, North Carolina??!! In the middle of a very quiet and rural area, with quite an unusual name to boot,comes out a world-class bird park. You have to fall in love with the place right at the entrance. There's a little incubator with some eggs that hatched, are hatching or will hatch soon. Cute as cute can be. In the continuum you come across simply hundreds of all types of birds in all sizes. Water-fowl, Australian, hummingbirds, Hawaiian Geese (Nene, pronounced naynay), eagles, cranes and so many other species that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Amenities include a rural atmosphere and a relatively short walk to see everything. Parakeet feeding area that also includes exotic birds. Picnic area and restaurant on premises.Wild bird viewing area. Hiking possibilities. Also, since it's rural, many skinks and other cute little animals running around. For the fun of it , they even have a frog exhibit entrance to the restrooms! Cheaper than most zoos with a membership possibility. read more

What a treat! It was quite a drive to this hidden gem, but worth the car ride for sure! We arrived early and was escorted on a private tour by the owners son Bent Lubbock. His patience and knowledge of all the birds in the park was amazing. My step mother had a fear of birds and his calmness and knowledge made it an enjoyable experience for her. The kids were fascinated and the grounds were immaculate. A definite recommendation for a fun day trip. The interaction with the parakeets was fun and made for a great photo op. Thank you for the fun day read more

Loved Sylvan Heights Bird Park! Lots of exotic birds and easy walking trails! Volunteers in the park walked around and shared information with guests. I was able to get lots of close-up photos of many of the birds. My only complaint is that some of the mesh cages were completely closed with no photo window. Therefore, it was impossible to get good pictures of the toucan, peacocks, eagle owls, etc. read more

Absolutely superb. A compact but comprehensive collection of global waterfowl and the friendliest staff you could imagine. As a photographer, I enjoyed using the "diamonds," and the thoughtfully managed park was a delight. I visited in the off-season, so I can only imagine what spring and summer will offer. A great place to visit and to introduce to others. read more

If you live nearby, go, go, go! If not, like us, it may not be worth a long car ride as it is a small location and a little muddy/dirty. We generally had a good time, but lapped the park 3 times as it is small. If we are ever nearby again, we'd likely swing in. read more

This bird sanctuary is truly amazing! They have over 1500 birds/waterfowl in this large park. We particularly like parrots, and they had lots of these birds such as African greys, cockatoos, macaws, and more. The park is very lush with water and beautiful plants everywhere. The admission is very reasonable, and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended! read more

Amazing! How can we just now know about this place?! A two-hour drive but so well worth it that we have been twice in two weeks! They have done everything right - the park's design is perfect for us seniors and the paths meander around putting you up close to every exhibit. The park is spotlessly clean with beautiful flowers everywhere. But the birds! Oh my gosh, the birds! So many of so many different kinds from so many parts of the world. Don't miss the Landing Zone where flamingos eat from your hand and dozens of gorgeous parakeets land on shoulders and heads while they wait their turn to eat from the seed sticks in your hands (you can buy the sticks there). Can't wait until late January/early February when we will catch the males in full color as matting season begins. So much to say - just go! Update: I just read a review that mentioned the flamingo exhibits (there are two) are small for the number of birds but there is an information sign in the larger exhibit that explains they prefer dense populations. In fact, in their breeding building, they even have lined the walks with mirrors so they will feel safer and more secure. These people know their birds! read more

To visit an exotic bird park in the middle of no-where in North Carolina was a Sunday - what else is there to do moment. However, I was happily surprised and apart from the Flamingo display that deserves more acreage, the whole experience was awe inspiring. read more