vins nature center

I have visited here on several occasions: once for an excellent retreat/conference, where speakers spoke of the type of terrain found here, such as vernal pools and the wildlife they attract, as well as of birds in their care; and a couple of times as a regular visitor to VINS. On the latter occasions, I had guests with me from Canada and from England. Fascinating to see the raptors up close! My guests particularly enjoyed the demonstrations by the staff .

What a wonderful refuge not only for the birds and other animals at VINS but for travelers wishing to reconnect with nature!A very cordial and warm staff, knowledgeable. Great exhibits and a very comfortable classroom for interactive learning.We were there for the morning class with raptors. Very informative!!Then, we walked the trails, which was fun. Snowshoe rentals only $3.00!Must see!

They give a little class with several owls hawks& falcons and a q&a... just about every hour and a half. Very interesting and they really docare for the birds.

Wonderful staff, beautiful facility, great opportunity for hands on learning. We stumbled on this driving by and the entrance looked so inviting we decided to check it out. So glad we did!! Really enjoyed our visit. If you're looking for things to do to keep the kids busy - highly recommended.

Our group really enjoyed the visit. Educational, informative and fun. The Raptor exhibit is especially worthwhile and the staff could not be nicer.

I had a wonderful experience at VINS. They really are a wonderful education facility for injured wildlife that provides first hand experiences and knowledge about raptors. You should at least catch the raptor show. Great facility and a wonderful staff.

I love VINS. I have been many times, bringing anyone from nephews to friends that are visiting. Everyone enjoys the raptor exhibit. It's not every day you get to stand just a few feet away from a snowy owl, golden eagle, and (among others) a peregrine falcon! The shows are also fun to watch and there are loops through the woods that I enjoy walking along. Sometimes they also have bird releases, where they release birds that have rehabilitated into the wild. These are also nice to watch.

We arrived a couple of hours before closing, but had a chance to observe feeding time of their large collection of birds of prey in their individual enclosures. We also watched a demonstration in their outside arena, and walked some of the scenic trails on the property. A good family attraction.

My husband and I made a point of driving an hour from Waterbury during our vacation just to visit VINS. We really enjoyed the close access to the raptors. The bald & golden eagles were especially beautiful! We stayed to watch the "Raptors Up Close" presentation which was good, and then we decided to stay for feeding time. If your goal in watching the feeding time is to watch how the raptors eat their food, you'll be disappointed. After the feeding started, we were told that the eagles usually don't eat for about an hour, and the owls of course don't eat until nighttime. It was a little anticlimactic to watch food get put on a plate or rock for them, then just to watch them ignore it. Although the 1 turkey vulture & 1 peregrine falcon did go after their food which was fun to watch. I didn't think they offered enough for the $13 per person admission, but I get that this is a rehab center and every dollar counts toward their good cause.

VINS is a great place to visit if you're in the Woodstock/ White River Jct. area. Budget at least two to three hours. There are often shows where they bring out the birds and wildlife. All the birds there are from their North American rehab and rescue center where people and organizations from ariund the continent send birds that had been injured. Many see returned to the wild but the ones that cannot are kept or sent to other wildlife centers. Great place for everyone from families to couples.

It was a rainy day so there were not many people there. They have enclosures that the keep the different birds (raptors). Each are hurt so they can't be returned to the wild. They are gorgeous birds to see up close. They also had a demonstration showing the different types of owls. The handler was friendly and knowledgeable. Took the hike around the facility and looked at the other exhibits they had. Overall would recommend going.

We were looking for something different to do and stumbled upon VINS. How fun, learning about the raptors, seeing the wonderful work that these great people do with rehabilitation was fantastic. Do yourself a favor and take the kids, go for a hike and check out the cool raptors. Do not let the $13 adult admission scare you. Once you see what your money goes to it all becomes clear. These people really do do great work. Thanks VINS

VINS provides a wonderful service through education and the rehabilitation of injured birds.The staff is EXCEPTIONAL; personable, well-informed and approachable.Three generations of our family spent a morning here that was time very well spent. The Raptor program was exhilarating and superbly well done.Please keep up your important work!

I was there for a beautiful sunny fall day with high color in the foliage and a cool temperature- the nature walk was lovely and refreshing - I especially loved seeing the beautiful birds so close. They are all injured in a way that was not possible to survive in the wild- so they are lovingly cared for here. They are the only facility of their kind and rehabilitate injured birds from all over the states. Most of the injuries these birds sustain are from cars- as we encroach on their remaining territory.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) should be on everyone’s list of places to visit! Located directly after the Quechee Gorge and Visitors Center, this facility is well worth the price of admission! In September, when we were there at least 50 newly hatched snapping turtles, no bigger than an inch, were making their way down the grassy slopes of the center towards their new life. All we can say is WOW. Then to make things even more interesting was the centers’ Live Raptor Show: This show hopes to educate the public on the plight of raptors and features a selection of their residents ‘avian ambassadors’. Today’s ambassadors were a rough legged hawk and great horned owl. It was a real treat to see these wonderful birds up close and be educated on their plight. VINS is a nonprofit, member supported environmental education, research and avian rehabilitation organization. They deserve a visit and more importantly all of our support, out of town visitors and Vermonter’s alike!