Roughly 20 miles from downtown Charleston, the Center for Birds of Prey lies within the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and Francis Marion State Forest. A metal gate with a soaring eagle marks your arrival, and from there, you can tour the facility, witness a flight demonstration, or both. With flight demonstrations, birds fly untethered—eagles, hawks, kites, and the like—showcasing their individual flying and hunting techniques. On tours, you’ll see birds of prey you didn’t catch on the tour, like over a dozen species of owls from around the world.
Of course, what visitors experience is just one-third of what’s happening in these forests—there’s also the Avian Conservation Center and Avian Medical Clinic. The center, founded in 1991, has treated and rehabilitated over 15,000 fantastic flying creatures.