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Trip Planner:   USA  /  Minnesota  /  Ely  /  North American Bear Center

North American Bear Center, Ely

4.7
#1 of 20 in Things to do in Ely
Science Museum · Specialty Museum
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Bears have been unfairly demonized for centuries. Exaggerated perceptions of danger historically led to eradication campaigns using bounties, poison, trapping, and shooting. All eight bear species around the world are now listed as vulnerable, threatened or endangered in all or portions of their ranges. Remote habitats that once insured isolation and protection are now being occupied by people, and the attitudes of these people will determine the future of those populations.
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North American Bear Center reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 5.0
720 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • My wife and I have visited here at least four times, often taking family or friend visitors to the Bear Center. Everybody finds it most interesting and great fun. The grandchildren like seeing the.....  more
    My wife and I have visited here at least four times, often taking family or friend visitors to the Bear Center. Everybody finds it most interesting and great fun. The grandchildren like seeing the.....  more »
  • This is a wonderful place to see bears up close and learn more about them. Great tour with staff that truly do a great job educating people about the bear. 
    This is a wonderful place to see bears up close and learn more about them. Great tour with staff that truly do a great job educating people about the bear.  more »
Google
  • An incredible experience! Get up close and personal with the bears including detailed information from senior bearkeeper Sharon and the varied knowledge of the passionate interns. We saw all 4 bears on our visit - Holly and Tasha were out in the habitat, and Lucky and Ted were taking peanuts from the interns while in their enclosures. Lots of excellent taxidermy of bears and other North woods wildlife, along with fossils, videos, and live specimens of salamanders, snakes, frogs, etc. The gift shop also has lots of nice clothing, toys, mugs, and so on. We will definitely be back the next time we are in Ely!
  • Didn’t know about this place but shame on me. It is a very interesting and informative venue that’s fun for the whole family. The interns who gave the presentations were fantastic. The bears were pretty chill during the tours but we learned a great deal about their habits, diets, etc. Another surprising highlight was the Northwoods Ecology room that shared fun facts about the many animals that live in the Superior National Forest near Ely. Amazingly, the NF is home to more breeding wildlife species than any other National Park or Forest. We spent just over 2 hours there and felt that was just about right.

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