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Eco Station
Categories: Museums, Local Flavor [Edit]
Neighborhood: Culver City10101 Jefferson Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 842-8060
Children's Earth Day 4/25/10
Very large annual attendance.
Eco friendly booth space available.
Email inquiries to marlaw@starinc.org
- Hours:
Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Eco Station
If you ever wanted to visit an episode of "3-2-1 Contact" (kids charmingly and unaccountably assigned with a serious scientific mission), you may enjoy this little side excursion as much as we did.
On a recent Sunday, tapped out of ideas, we did a quick Google search for "things to do in L.A." and found this.
You will see:
- Lovable giant cats that were once people's pets (who live in rooms that look like kids' rooms)
- Kooky-looking rescued lizards
- Loud tropical birds
- A cute li'l gift shop with pictures of badgers on things
Really there are only about 4 rooms, but the "tour" (they happen every half hour) lasts a good 45-50 minutes.
We wish it could have lasted even longer, but we really enjoyed it. It's a very nice vibe.
Bottom line: If you *really* love animals, you will have fun visiting here and seeing the exotic animals and hearing their stories.
The place also looks nice: sort of a mystic Aztec jungle vibe.
I feel bad giving this place a low review because of what they do for kids and exotic animals. For young school children, this would probably be an awesome field trip. You get to see some cool birds, fish, exotic cats and pet some reptiles....all on a small private tour.
The reason I am knocking it down a few stars is the place was just kind of trashy and half-assed. I guess, maybe it's hard to get funding for this kind of program, but clean it up a bit. I also suppose, I am being selfish and thinking of my entertainment value when it's really more of a rescue and education center. Like I said at the beginning, I feel bad giving them a low rating, but that's what is appropriate for this place.
The super friendly toucan was my favorite. She just wanted a friend to hang out with.
This place is so cool. A little bit hard to find and off the beaten path but well worth it! All of the animals in this facility were rescued. For the people that work here, you can tell it is a real labor of love. All of the money brought in, goes right back into the animals. You can probably write off your admission in your taxes. Anyway...
My favorite part is the cat section of the tour. Jay is the coolest cat there is and his story is so amazing. (He used to be trained to live in a suitcase before he was rescued and now has hip problems.) I forget what kind of big cat he is because I think he is a hybrid breed. He is playful and cute though.
I also really enjoy the birds. So many parrots! Guaco is my favorite as he is the most talkative. I have 4 year old twins (boy & girl) and they just love all the birds. They also have a good time with the reptiles.
The tour takes about an hour and if they are not busy you can ask to go back to a certain section and hang out with the animals a little bit longer.
Support the Eco Station! They are good people! These animals would have been destroyed if it wasn't for all their hard work and dedication. http://www.ecostation.org/
Specialties
We're amazing at teaching about the myriad of environment issues that impact regular folk! Issue revolving around the illegal importation and smuggling of exotic animals, why clean air is important, waterways including La Ballona Creek, volunteerism and making a real difference, partnerships with entities that have no public venue to teach through and being so flexible that we look to re-create the local environmental world by tackling new and relevant issues NOW, not when they become popular and trendy.
We are receivers for animals seized by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other governmental agencies.
History
Established in 2000
Originally started in a garage by Erick Bozzi Jr., moved to a small Culver City location on Sepulveda between 1998-2000 and now located in the light industrial area on Jefferson, the STAR ECO Station continues to grow as it meets the never ending needs of housing non-indigenous, smuggled animals that would have otherwise been destroyed.
