National Eagle Center

Great value for the admissions ticket of $ 8. Many things to do for young and old. The tour/​lecture hours are set but quite handy.

An educational experience for everyone! This beautiful little place is located on the south side of Lake Pepin where the water is always open, and the eagles are always circling. Inside, you can meet four injured owls and get very close to see and hear them. Staff is everwhere, always willing to help and answer questions. Don’t miss the show! They have an eagle demonstration a few times a day. It is very fun for all ages. Lots of telescopes around the facility where you can search for nests, eagles, and other creatures along the river. This is truly a gem right here in MN.

I stumbled upon the National Eagle Center when I went to stay at a B&B in Wabasha for a few nights. I thought it was outstanding. The naturalist was beyond knowledgeable and entertaining. The room was packed with children and adults and the naturalist was able to engage everyone. I thought $ 8.00 was fine when I think that I am helping to support this educational center. We need to learn why these beautiful creatures get injured and what we can do to prevent injuries.

I love going to the national eagle center as much as my son, is a small place but really fun. The best time to go is before 11am because they have a little presentation where they talk about eagles and they feed the eagles in front of you. You can also take picture with the eagle and ask as many question as you have. The stuff is very friendly. They also have some activities for the kids during summer.

My 5 star review is for Katie Rymer, an employee at the National Eagle Center. Katie’s presentation about eagles is AMAZING. Her lecture is hilarious, exciting, entertaining, and educational. Everyone in my group was captivated listening to her speak. Her program is full of energy and fun for all ages. The presentation was about 45 minutes long. Katie brought an eagle in on her arm, and we got to watch it spread it’s wings several times, and we got to watch it eat lunch (rabbit meat I think)! This is a very unique experience. It was cool to see the eagles up close.
Visiting the National Eagle Center was a wonderful experience. They have several telescope’s set up so that you can look out the window and see tons of eagles in the trees and flying around over the water right outside the National Eagle Center. They also have 4 or 5 live eagles in an open room (not cages), and you can walk right up to them. SO COOL.
If you are visiting the area, or live nearby, you have to come visit the National Eagle Center and see Katie Rymer’s Live Eagle Program talk. Katie is passionate about eagles and a very talented speaker. I highly recommend the National Eagle Center, and would definitely go back.

In the little river town of Wabasha, this museum is not very large, though it is housed in a seemingly new and modern-​designed building (i.e. not merely a house converted into a museum). I could see how people may feel deprived by the small space after paying admission. However, if you make sure your visit time coincides with one of the time slots for the live eagle program (11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm) then I think your visit should be well worth it.
The live eagle program is not only educational but also quite entertaining, at least if Scott is running the program. He cracks jokes that keep both adults and kids laughing and engaged. At the end, the bald eagle is brought into the room and fed it’s lunch. Rabbit was on the menu yesterday.
Even if you miss the live eagle program, they have an area where the eagles are on display (uncaged). It is sad to see these eagles in captivity, but they suffered injuries that have left them unable to return to the wild. A naturalist is available here to answer your questions.
The admission is $ 8. A few people below seemed to feel this was a rip off. I disagree. Again, this place is not enormous, but the up-​close experience you get with eagles is fantastic. Plus, this nominal admission is a contribution being made to keep the center running, which does lots of wonderful work.

My wife and I were down to Wabasha for a day trip from the Twin Cities. We drove down the Wisconsin side and back up the Minnesota side, stopping at Reads Landing Brewpub (Awesome!) But I digress.
First off, the admission is $ 8, a little steep for a place you walk through in about 40 minutes. They do have a cool exhibit with about 6 live bald eagles that have been rescued. It is the closest by far I have ever been to the symbol of America, very impressive. There was a volunteer in there giving us some interesting trivia about the birds.
We got there about 11:02 and there was a presentation at 11, and it was full already and we weren’t going to stick around for the next one to start in 2 hours. It was a pretty small room for a weekend. Just saying, we lost a lot of the charm of the place by missing this.
They also have a balcony off the second floor, but I think July is not prime bald eagle watching time, because we saw nothing. The recommended during the winter during the time the river doesn’t freeze over, which is why the eagles hang out there.
There is a real interesting Indian exhibit donated by an American Indian that explains all of his gear and headdresses and stuff, which runs about 12 minutes.
The gift shop is large and has some fun stuff, but I still think it really should have been no more than $ 5 for what you get.

Wonderful presentation– targeted mostly to kids. But the price of admission is quite high when you consider you can see the whole place in half an hour.

this a such a little gem in the quaint little town of Wabasha… the riverfront is absolutely breathtaking on a nice fall day — This is our national bird folks and there is not a better place to go and check them out. The staff at the center are friendly and also informative. They welcome questions and you can tell they are passionate about these majestic creatures… this is a wonderful family outing however — I found myself just going there by my lonesome because life is short and I seize any opportunity I find to live in the moment and I am glad I went…

This was a must-​visit for my husband & I as we took a short trip to southern Minnesota on an autumn day. & what a great place!
The Eagle Center is a great educational experience for people of all ages. Located on the river in downtown Wabasha, the center provides an indoor & outdoor eagle experience. The highlight of the center is an exhibit of 4 or 5 golden & bald rescue eagles who’s injuries prevent them from being released back in to the wild. They sit on their perches or in their «bathtubs», just a few feet from viewers. It’s a unique experience to be so close to such majestic birds.
The center also provides visitors with educational seminar a few times a day. These seminars allow guests to learn about eagles & their habitats, ask questions, & @ the end of the seminar, an eagle is brought in to the classroom & hand fed. Very cool.
On the second floor of the center, there are indoor & outdoor viewing stations for guests to view eagles in the wild. Bring your binoculars! :)
There are educational exhibits all over the center that provide information about the eagle’s diets, migration, mating, & lifestyle. There is also a small gift shop @ the center.
Check it out if you are in the area… it is absolutely worth the $ 8 admission.

What a great educational center! I learned so much. I also loved that we got to get so close to eagles. They are magnificent creatures. I am so happy that places like this exist to protect them.

This place is worth going to see. In one room downstairs they have several eagles that are injured beyond the point of sufficient recovery to be re-​released in the wild, and you can go in the room with these birds and see them up close. They are tethered, I think, so they can’t get too far off their perches — which is good, because their claws are very sharp looking!
There are other exhibits, including some interactive ones that my 5 year old nephew enjoyed. He figured out that his grip is about 20psi, compared to an eagle’s talon which is 400psi — he’ll need to eat a lot of wheaties to get closer to that. They also have I think 2 different rooms with videos, and lots of photographs and even a few non-​eagle artifacts. When we were there at the end of July 2012, they had on display an exhibit of arrowheads (about 150 in total?) put together by an eagle scout for his eagle scout project. It was pretty cool.
I’d definitely recommend this place if you’re interested in eagles, and like me, have never seen one up close. They are majestic birds, but you can tell they mean business — you don’t want to get too close! We only had about 30 minutes before closing and it wasn’t bad, I think you could probably do a thorough look-​through of the whole place in about and hour and a half.

This place is so cool! They rescue and rehab eagles. If the eagle is injured to the point he cannot fly or survive in the wild, they keep it here and care for it. So amazing to see these huge birds up close. They also use the center to educate people about the birds and the hazards they face.
The center is located right on the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is just across the river. there also is a large wild eagle population here and you can clearly see them flying around. Great for kids and adults!

We had never seen eagles this close. It was amazing. These really are unbelievable birds and I learned so much on our visit. We were surrounded by every age and income bracket, it was a fun and inclusive activity — once inside, it seemed like everyone had an itch to learn more about the eagles.
We lost my Mom in the gift shop for a while, but she emerged. Everything’s ok.

Absolutely amazing experience. The presentation was great. It was funny, informative, and you got to see an eagle eat.
The space is open and beautiful.

It was a pleasant drive to Wabasha from St. Paul and the Eagle Center did not disappoint. It was not outrageously awesome, but it was cool. We were there on a cool spring day, and there was not much eagle action outside, though there was one eagle across the river and when the rehabbed eagles inside got a load of that they were quite vocal about it. The viewing area to see the rehabbed eagles is nicely done, and the staff were very friendly, even to my 1 year old who kept shouting «ba»! and pointing at the eagles. A lot of the programs were either too over the head of my kids (especially the upstairs exhibits) or too simplistic for them (rubbing stations) but on the live birds and great staff made up for all that. Totally worth the trip.

The National Eagle Center is amazing!
You can watch the eagles fly overhead from the balcony, learn interesting facts & see them up close. They really did a great job designing this building. It’s a great place to check out. I would love to go back & bring my grandkids.

Museum devoted to eagles, located right on the Mississippi in downtown Wabasha, MN. The location is also right in the heart of bald eagle territory.
Lots of great information about eagles, plus live eagles which live there. All the animals are rescued, having mostly been hit by cars and unable to rehabilitate back to the wild.
The most amazing thing, though, is that from the balcony of the museum you can watch wild bald eagles soaring over the river and forests, and whenever they are nearby the resident eagles inside screech at them to defend their territory. It’s a fascinating demonstration of the bald eagles’ incredible eyesight.
Good for young and old alike. It’s a must-​see if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

The Eagle Center is the place to go for all things eagle. The best part of the visit is getting up close to bald eagles and golden eagles. They’re tethered in an enclosure that allows unobstructed view and photo ops.
The classes are scheduled throughout the day (check website or call ahead for times). The lecture is informative and includes watching an eagle eat. You may also have the opportunity to take your picture with an eagle or see an eagle take a bath.
Located next to the river for authentic eagle watching, The Eagle Center is a unique and worthwhile experience.

This is one heck of a fun thing to do, especially if you like Eagles (the bird, not the football team or whatever else). They rescue injured eagles, and rehabilitate them. The ones that cannot fly anymore stay here for ever. And we get to see them upclose and personal. There is a one-​hour lecture about eagles and birds in general (it was really useful). Also, during the lecture, they feed an eagle, and this is really interesting to watch.
Very highly recommended for adults and kids.
the gift shop had reasonably priced items.
Wabasha, MN is of course a small town… but, had decent options for food right near the Eagle center.
If you are coming from Minneapolis /​St. Paul, it is better to come through Wisconsin on 94 and drive south. This is the fastest way.
However, if you want the scenic route, then come through MN all the way.
We did both the routes…
enjoy the eagles!