I have loved every visit to this special place. Whether I am solo, with kids or on a date, I thoroughly enjoy spending time walking around this peaceful oasis! The restaurant is a real treat and the grounds are tranquil.
Not a very large place, but the birds of prey on display were hard to beat. Close up viewing (a few feet) through screened hardware cloth made viewing enjoyable. Don't miss this place...a must see. And it's FREE!
On vacation in Colo Springs and went to Pueblo looking for something to do. Decided it was too hot for the zoo so we ended up at the Nature & Raptor center. The Raptor center was small but interesting. Among other things they had some eagles and owls either permanently injured or being rehabbed. We went during the week so there was nothing special going on and no one around to "educate" us. It took us about 10 minutes to walk through and look so we headed down to the nature center. There was a play ground and a pavillion. The pavillion was being used and my kids are too old for the playground so the only thing left to do was eat at the grill. Coyote Grill was okay. Burgers are probably the best deal on their menu and their curly fries are not fries but they're good. They're homemade curly chips. It was too hot to head down the nature trail so after lunch we left. Maybe during cooler weather there would have been more to do and it would have been more fun but for the most part, it was just a 10 minute raptor viewing and a place to eat. Raptor center was free (donations) and it was $3 to park at the nature center so, not a waste of money to check it out.
You drive up to the Raptor Facility first. It's free, simple, and has some beautiful specimens. We did not attend one of their weekend shows, but they do educational presentations on the birds. A volunteer helped us to find some of the birds that were hiding as well as tell us some of the personality quirks of the birds. They are birds that cannot be released to the wild.
After that, my husband and I were not very impressed with the Nature Center. It was basically a park area with a trail and a restaurant. The memorial garden is still being set up for the spring. We didn't learn of any of the activities for the weekend until I saw a flyer in the bathroom as we were leaving. The information center/gift shop workers didn't greet us or inform us.
Wonderful place for walking, running or rding along the Arkansas River.
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