We fell in love with the WNC Nature Center’s hellbender at first sight. Swimming in the coolest aquarium ever, the hellbender keeper was just feeding him so we watched in awe as he ate his one meal of the week. Seeing a hellbender up close and personal, inspired Dale to carve a sculpture “Hellbenders Rock”. 

Dale checking out a hellbender

You can also see their red wolf pair which are part of the national breeding program to save our American red wolf from extinction. One of the things we especially like is an opportunity to observe grey wolves, red wolves and coyotes all in one place. If you look closely, you can really see the differences between the 3 species.

Art is evident throughout the zoo. Sculptures of all sizes are everywhere you look. We are honored they have a limited edition casting of Dale’s red wolf sculpture, “Just Settling In”  to help bring awareness to these critically endangered canids. 

Add in all kinds of raptors including turkey vultures, owls and hawks and it is a nature lovers paradise. And as an added bonus, there are lots of native plants along the walkways.

We support the Nature Center as a corporate sponsor and are proud to have such a world class conservation facility right in our backyard. And if you visit, don’t forget to check out the hellbender!