Explore Your Wild Side at Minnesota's National Wildlife Centers

Minnesota is home to three national wildlife centers, with a fourth on the way! The International Wolf Center and North American Bear Center are both in Ely, which is about a four-hour car ride away from Minneapolis-St. Paul. Wabasha is home to the National Eagle Center, which is currently being renovated, and a National Loon Center is coming to Crosslake in 2024.

The International Wolf Center

The International Wolf Center in the Superior National Forest has the largest wolf population in the lower 48 states. The center maintains a live wolf exhibit with four resident wolves. Visitors can watch them hunting, playing and sleeping from a large indoor area that looks out onto their wooded habitat.

The North American Bear Center

The North American Bear Center offers insights into the lives of the black bears that roam Minnesota's northern woods. From the center’s observation windows, visitors can watch three bears that live in a two-acre wooded enclosure. For those traveling with kids, the Cub Room uses kid-friendly activities to teach children about bears. The focus is on black bears, but there is also information on grizzlies and how they differ from black bears. There are two mounts of grizzly bears and photo exhibits on black bears and grizzly bears.

The National Eagle Center

In the southern part of the state, the National Eagle Center is a landmark destination and environmental interpretive center on the banks of the Mississippi River in Wabasha. Its mission is to connect people with eagles in nature, history and cultures. The center offers wild eagle viewing, interactive exhibits, cultural and historical displays and seasonal field trips. Live eagles are on display each day with live eagle ambassadors and naturalist educators to answer all of your eagle-related questions. The center is currently going through a renovation and temporarily closed through spring of 2022. When reopened, the expansion will offer new exhibits along with an amphitheater and outdoor program and exhibit space. 

The National Loon Center

A brand new animal preservation center is coming in 2024 with the National Loon Center, to be located in Crosslake, about a two-and-a-half-hour car ride from Minneapolis-St. Paul. The center aims to restore and protect loon breeding habitats, enhance responsible recreation and serve as a national leader in advancing loon and freshwater research and education.