The Center for Birds of Prey

I've always been into birds so can't believe it took us so long to visit your facility. It was great and I will highly recommend to friends and be back out to take advantage of some of your other activities. JRF P.S. Saw a Missippippi Kite in our neighborhood the following day!!!

My husband and I took the tour along with a group of adults and a group of children. We very much enjoyed the experience and found it to be interesting, informative, and also entertaining. It was obvious that the other adults and the children also enjoyed the experience. We were so impressed that we plan to return for another visit.

The lecture was too long and too much detail; guide covered 4 birds in one hour; no place to sit; very boring - it was like asking for the time and someone tell you how to make a watch. Flying birds was great. Cut lecture to 1/2 hour and add time to birds in flight.

Fantastic natural setting, incredible up close interaction and observation of birds of prey with excellent knowledgeable tour guides and educational program including flight demonstrations. Wide variety, more than 65 species of birds in world-class outdoor habitats. Spent 3 hours and could have spent more! We learned so much and got incredible photos...great feeling to know that admission goes toward care of the birds and the extensive rescue and rehabilitation program operated by the organization. They have been involved in every natural disaster affecting birds that has occurred in the Southeast and function as a staging area to accept and care for rescued birds....cannot give a higher recommendation for the Birds of Prey Refuge!! This was one of the highlights of our trip to the Charleston area....

This place is awesome!!! Monty the tour guide was great- the perfect mix of information and entertainment to keep both adults and kids happy. The grounds were beautiful. The birds were amazing- I really loved the owl wood. It takes about 2.5-3 hours to see the place but you can spend longer if you'd like. If I lived in the area I would definitely think about volunteering or becoming a member. Overall I would recommend a trip to the center to anyone who has an interest in wildlife/nature. I don't have kids, but the ones in our group seemed really entertained and excited to see such awesome birds up close.

The grounds were easily navigated by our 90 year-old handicapped friend, confined to an electric scooter. The program provided a guided tour and information about most of the birds in the facility and the show was amazing as handlers enabled healthy birds of prey to demonstrate their talents in a carefully monitored program. All spectator questions were answered so everyone in the group could hear. It is a facility and a show that would be of value for all ages and interests.

We had a wonderful time at the center for birds of prey, and enjoyed getting close to the birds. The flight demonstration was awesome as well. Luckily for us the weather and bug cooperated, but I'd bet that in the summer, sunscreen, water, and bug spray would be a must! Bring binoculars for a wetland close by, we saw a painted bunting!

The entire presentation was professionally presented. Recommend to both local and national audiences.

The center was great. The staff was informative and genial. Our 14 year old daughter did not want to go to see "a bunch of birds", however, after seeing the owls, she became enthusiastic. When, during the flight demonstration the Horned Owls wing actually brushed her hair on a fly by, she became ecstatic. I would recommend this everyone!

since our daughter is a big fan of owls,she really enjoyed her visit. we did too and have already told several people what a wonderful place it is to visit.

We very much enjoyed our visit. We live about 3 hours away and made a day-trip out of the visit. We have been to the area before. There were only two down sides that I would mention to anyone planning a visit. The signs for the center are not very large and can be easily missed. Our GPS wanted to take us to a different endpoint, so we had to get to the destination the old fashioned way - map and looking for signs. The property is close enough to a National Forest that the GPS insisted on directing us to the center of that property, instead of where we actually wanted to go. The only other issue that we had were the lack of real bathrooms. Only porta-lets were available at the site. If not for that, we would have rated it 5-stars. The educational aspect of the tour and the flight demonstration were really exceptional. The personnel were very knowledgable and answered everyones questions. Our son is 8 and he loves birds, especially raptors. This is one place we will definitely visit again. If you are not familiar with the weather in South Carolina, it would be best to avoid the middle of summer (July - August). We went in mid-April and the heat will soon make it uncomfortable. This is right on the coast, so most summer visitors will be there for the beaches, not the birds. The humidity can be extremely high, making it very sticky. We are planning to return in the October - December time frame. If you need a light jacket, that will be just right. They said that the birds also prefer the cooler weather and are most active during that time of year. Overall a very nice time. Expect to spend half a day at the center. Our plan is to combine a visit that includes the Aquarium in Charleston, Charlestown Landing State Park and the Center for Birds of Prey. The Aquarium is great and the State Park has a small, but very nice zoo, along with a lot of historical locations on the premises. All of these locations are within 30 minutes of each other and there a plenty of beaches around as well. Between the three of these things we plan to stay overnight and make a weekend vacation out of it.

Enjoyed all the birds but the owls were wonderful.

Stephen was our tour guide and was knowledgable, friendly, answered all questions and asked questions to stimulate thought. As a bird lover with seven feeders at home, it was a powerful demonstration of the birds of prey.

We learned a lot about the different birds we saw and really enjoyed the flight demonstration!

This was a fabulous experience. It exceeded my expectations for a few reasons. One, the diversity of birds was amazing. Two, the facility was pristine, the birds were housed in the equivalent of 5 star hotels and were obviously loved and well cared for. Three, the flight demonstration had all participants on benches in an open field surrounded by perches. Then Jen, Audry and Monty came out with birds, released them, had them flying literally 1 foot over your head in pursuit of the food they were holding in their hand. I'm a raptor fan and have never been able to be this up close and personal with my feathered friends. If I were not travelling across the U.S. in my 5th wheel trailer I would have settled in here for a few month's and become a volunteer. They have a very supportive and active volunteer program. I learned so much.