Open Door Bird Sanctuary — Attraction in Town of Jacksonport

I did a private tour of Open Door Bird Sanctuary with a small group of family and friends last week. The founder, Rob (who is the executive director) led the tour and we got to take our time walking through the space and learning about the birds up close.

Open Door Bird Sanctuary is a raptor sanctuary — so owls, eagles, falcons, etc. All the birds are wild birds with some kind of injury or disability and could not safely be released back into the wild after rescue and rehabilitation. Open Door Bird Sanctuary gives them a beautiful safe haven.

The non-profit also does a lot of education onsite, in the community, and beyond with the goal of encouraging wildlife stewardship. The number of programs they did was impressive and I loved their philosophy and approach. It always centers on the well-being and free will of the birds . . . no bird is participating in educational programs if they are not about it.

But many of the birds are all about it. We got to see them up close perched on the director’s hand. And they had two merlin falcons named Arthur and Percy. Right up my alley. There was also a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a barred owl who I loved . . . and more. You can see their resident birds on the website.

It was really amazing — above my expectations and I didn’t really know what to expect in going to a bird sanctuary. But I left with a newfound respect and interest. And I’m ready to recommend anyone visiting Door County to...

If you’re an animal lover and can make the trip just south of Jacksonport, you’ll be more than glad you did! We had the most amazing private tour by a true animal expert, conservator, and storyteller. From teaching to treating the birds respectfully and individually, we knew we had found a “hidden gem”. The afternoon began in the well planned outdoor amphitheater with an introduction to and greeting from the American Kestrel, Ginger, followed by a scenic tour filled with interesting facts about the landscape as we stopped to visit each set of bird areas - “mews”. Rob established the sanctuary in 2014 in 35 acres to prevent beautiful, wild birds of prey from being euthanized. Each of its 15 has an individual rescue story of its own that Rob delights in sharing. The birds have also found a treasure in Rob, as he and his wife work tirelessly with a team of volunteers caring for these amazing creatures that, because of injury or otherwise, cannot return to the wild. Rob even let us take home a tomato or two from the “sharing garden” he and his wife planted alongside one path. So grateful to have...

8/22/25 - hands down the BEST STOP OF OUR ENTIRE VACATION and one of the best places I have EVER visited!!! You can tell the caretakers truly love what they do. We were there for 3-4 hours but the time flew by. Every 30 minutes there was a bird show, where a volunteer would bring out a different bird to show off and educate visitors. The birds are beautiful, and the volunteers are engaging & well informed. In between shows, you can walk around the sanctuary and observe the birds in their mews (exhibits). Lots of great picture opportunities. The whole thing is outside, in nature, and an absolutely wonderful educational experience. My wife loves eagles and she got to watch them feed the eagles for their daily meal of venison and 1 rat. They also did some live training with the turkey vulture, which I think is now my favorite bird after watching her show. We are not locals, but we will be coming back just to visit this place. It's so unique and wonderful. They do have a small gift shop with some fun items. Decent sized parking lot with a good amount of spots...