Teton Raptor Center

The Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming occupies a unique niche in the Jackson Hole family activity landscape. It's not a zoo, not quite a museum — it's a working wildlife rehabilitation center that also serves as an educational facility. The combination of genuine conservation mission and close-up encounters with birds of prey creates one of the most meaningful wildlife experiences available in the area for families.

The center focuses on raptors: hawks, owls, falcons, eagles, and related birds. They receive injured raptors from across the region, provide veterinary care and rehabilitation, and release birds back to the wild whenever possible. The birds that can't be released due to injuries that prevent independent survival become 'ambassador' birds — animals that live at the center permanently and are used for educational programming.

For families, the ambassador birds are the main draw. These are raptors you'll encounter at close range in a way that's simply not possible with wild birds. A red-tailed hawk on a handler's glove at arm's length.

A great horned owl turning its head to stare at your 7-year-old with those huge yellow eyes. A barn owl spreading its wings during a demonstration. The scale and beauty of these animals, experienced up close rather than through binoculars, leaves lasting impressions on kids.

The staff and volunteers at Teton Raptor Center are passionate educators — they explain the life histories, hunting strategies, and conservation challenges facing each species in ways that connect with children. Kids who leave knowing that a golden eagle can spot a rabbit from a mile away, or that great horned owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees, tend to look at the sky differently afterward.

Closed Sunday and Monday. The center is in Wilson, about 8 miles west of Jackson — a beautiful 15-minute drive along Teton Pass Highway through some stunning valley scenery.