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| Black Bear at Dan Nicholas Park in NC © Katrena |
Dan Nicholas Park, located off Bringle Ferry Road near High Rock Lake and Salisbury, North Carolina offers a nice variety of activities for families. One of my family's favorite destinations in the Rowan County park is the bear den in the Wildlife Adventures area.
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| Wildlife Adventures at Dan Nicholas Park © Katrena |
For a very modest fee (adults are $1.00 and children under age 10 are 50 cents with babies under 1 year free at the time this article was published), folks can see turtles, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, owls, eagles, deer, and black bears. The bear habitat is decorated to look like a rock quarry with three observation decks. A large hook hangs above some large rocks in the center of the habitat, and every once in a while you might see Ruff, the larger male bear, playing with the hook.
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| See Bears in Rowan County NC © Katrena |
The upper deck houses an owl that is usually perched to the right or to the left of the observation window which provides a nice view of the bears if they are on the rocks in the center. The center viewing window allows guests to see the bears if they are partially hidden in the cave area across the way. Folks can also walk through a man-made cave and view the bears at water level, which is particularly fun if the bears are in the water near the window.
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| Wildlife at Rowan County Parks and Recreation © Katrena |
The bears tend to be more active in early morning and in the evenings. If the weather is hot, they might be lounging and not moving very much, but they might become much more animated if it rains. They also have a sprinkler system above the hanging hook, and I hear they love to be sprayed with water from that as well.
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| Bear Feeding Time at Dan Nicholas © Katrena |
If you visit the Wildlife Adventures area, get your arm stamped and you can return to the area throughout the day. They often offer feeding times on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. during summer months. I was surprised to learn that some of their favorite foods are grapes and berries. On the day I took this picture, Ruff was chowing down on a watermelon rind.
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| Observe Bears in Piedmont © Katrena |
I remember when the park had two bears named Danny and Nicky, and they lived in a small cage with a sort of swimming pool in the middle. This oblong cage now houses several birds, such as a hawk and turkey vulture. Both of the current bears came from Santa's Land in Cherokee, North Carolina.
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| Get Close to Full Grown Bear © Katrena |
My kids particularly enjoyed one visit with the bears while we were camping at the park. It had just finished raining. The crowds had cleared. We were delighted to discover that the bears were putting on quite a show. Ruff was playing with the hook, and Honey swam down to the window and parked herself in front of the girls. I would imagine that's the closest we would ever get to a black bear that size!
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| Learn About Black Bears in Rowan County Park © Katrena |
This wildlife area has lots of educational signs detailing various interesting facts about the types of animals housed in this area at Dan Nicholas, and many of the staff members can answer lots of questions about the individual animals.
Find more of Katrena's articles such as:
Check out additional family travel ideas at
Travel NC With Kids and
Love 2 Travel With Kids.
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