Our visit to Possumwood Acres was nothing short of extraordinary! My brother really loves owls, so…read morefor Christmas I contacted multiple wildlife centers in multiple states to find a place where he could hold one. Possumwood Acres was by far the most personable and accommodating of all the centers I contacted. We reserved a private tour of the reserve and a one-on-one with Pixie, their Barn Owl. What we got was so much more!
We arrived the day after Christmas, bringing two of our friends along. We were greeted by turkeys & guinea fowl along with friendly human faces! Tonya, my point of contact, introduced herself and was our guide for the day. She took us all around the reserve where we saw falcons, hawks, vultures, crows, geese, swans, ducks, goats, pigs, peacocks, guinea fowl, turkeys, bunnies, squirrels, kestrels, pigeons, opossums, screech owls, woodpecker, kite, ducklings, and a lovely wood duck named Snuggles. Tonya brought us up close to everything and let us pet or hold as much as we wanted and was safe for the animals.
We learned so much about all the animals, not just the species we were meeting, but about the individual animals and their stories as well. Most of them had permanent injuries, and it was really touching to hear how Tonya and the staff cared for them, giving them a home when they weren't able to have one in the wild. Tonya's passion was infectious and we wandered the reserve with her for two hours, never feeling rushed and always looking forward to the next animal she would show us.
The grand finale was a one-on-one with Pixie, their Barn Owl! My brother held Pixie on his arm as Tonya educated us on barn owls, and some of Pixie's fun peculiarities. We were all able to pet her and take as many pictures as we wanted. It. Was. Awesome.
The whole experience was very personal and interactive. It never felt like a packaged show or scripted tour. We had real interactions with the animals, not just a few pets through a fence. For a place that runs entirely on donations and is dedicated to animal rehabilitation and education, we were given the star treatment. It's crazy and so impressive how much this place accomplishes with so little. A huge thank you to Possumwood Acres for making our experience unforgettable!