International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota

Hat’s off to the International Owl Center!

Owls carved into a wooden bench in Houston. — Houston has embraced the International Owl Center and there is owl art throughout the town.

The International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota is a lovely day trip from the Twin Cities. The Houston area is surrounded by beautiful river bluffs. It is in the scenic Root River Valley, and is a great place for hiking as well as learning about owls.

The staff at the International Owl Center truly love owls and are enthusiastic about sharing information about owls. There knowledge about owls is amazing. Of note, the City of Houston is embracing the project and you see interesting owl artwork throughout the town.

Close of image of an owl. — Get close to owls at the International Owl Center!

The International Owl Center is a younger organization that some other counterparts you may have visited, like the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. Even so, the enthusiasm and very specific plans of the staff make it very likely they will have a beautiful facility not too far in the distant future. At the present time, they keep the owls at another location and must transfer owls to their public location each day.

The most interesting exhibit at the International Owl Center is not the owls, but the amazing artwork submitted by children. Their owl artwork competition has gone viral all over the world, and there have been literally hundreds of submissions. See some examples in the gallery below.

By the way, if you need a fun activity for kids, there are some nice activities at the International Owl Center website. The best one is the What Type of Owl are You? quiz.

Be sure to check the International Owl Center website for open days and hours before you plan your trip. The center is not open every day. Make sure you time your trip so that you can hear the presentation, which is the best part of the visit.

Admission is only $7 for adults.