I love visiting this place and try to make a visit every year. I have been several times at this point and I always have so much fun! For starters, it is a great place to bring people of all ages (as long as they aren't afraid of birds). You get to feed the birds, talk to them, dance with them, take photos with them, and feed the koi fish in the koi pond! I have always made my reservation online the night before I wanted to go and had no issues booking. I do recommend going earlier in the day when it is a little less busy and the birds are hungry! I believe the fee has gone up the last couple years but right now it is sitting at $10 per person which is still not very expensive at all in my opinion. You can also stay as long as you'd like. The volunteers are very kind and welcoming and are very knowledgeable about the birds. It is great to speak with them to learn more. Pro tip- I do feel that the sanctuary can get a little windy and cold so make sure to bring a light jacket and some water just in case! read more

Small sanctuary doing good work for surrendered and abandoned birds. Some of the newer birds seemed a little stressed, but you can tell the people working there really care about them and treat them well. We stopped by later in the afternoon as a spur of the moment thing, so some of the birds were already ready to head in and there were fewer out. You can walk around and offer them food, which was a nice experience. I'd probably suggest going closer to midday. There are still plenty of birds to see, which is sad in a way, but it also shows why a place like this matters. read more

Cute intimate sanctuary. - yes they do have a bathroom you can use in the back shed - this concerned me since so many reviews mentioned that the didn't and I have the worlds smallest bladder - gives as much food as you want to feed the birds and fish. most of them are pretty full already (we came late morning) so will either squawk at you or ignore you. They're cute though! Some can talk and dance with you Staff is very knowledgeable, great with kids (I have a 6 year old kid on the spectrum who responded well with the birds and staff) Only biggest and only con of this place is the parking. There's probably maybe less than 10 parking spots in a very narrow alleyway. read more

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Well, this is so special. The connection to these free birds is so unique. You only have a 20 minute window but you will enjoy every step. You have have a small fruit bowl to share. Our student docent Cole, had a lot of knowledge to share. A LOT of bird personalities here. One danced for me. No touching , and they do ask for it. But NO NO. This will always be a stop in Del Mar when i'm in Town. We both loved it. read more

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A nice sanctuary that take cares of birds that owners no longer can care for. Some of the birds are available for adoption. You can make a reservation online at their website. It is $10 in advance or $15 for same day reservation. They have a few dedicated parking spots. You have 20 minutes with the birds but they allowed us to stay longer since it wasn't as busy. The worker who helped us was the best! He showed us videos of the birds doing tricks, answered any questions we had, explained each of the birds name, history, and personality, and occasionally bring out the birds closer for us to look at. How it works: - Ring the bell at the entrance - Shoes and hands must be disinfected before you are able to see the birds. They have a pad you step on to clean your shoe and hand sanitizer for your hands - A metal bowl with food inside is given to you - Touching, grabbing, or petting the birds is not allowed - Hold your bowl close to the birds. They will start grabbing food. If they're not hungry, they will either ignore you or bite the bowl. - The birds are allowed to climb on your bowl - Birds in cage can also be fed and brought out if there is no lock hanging on their cage - You are also given a bowl of food for the koi fish at the end read more

Free Flight - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Amazing! The staff are so passionate about them. Something we loved was how attentive they were and knowledgeable about the birds! My boyfriend says, "Five stars. I like birds." read more

If you like birds, you will LOVE this sanctuary. I took my sister-in-law and her family here because she is an animal lover, but her love for birds is especially deep. You need a reservation ahead of time and it $8 per person (if you're not a member). You can pay online on their website and reserve a day and time slot that works for you. Upon arrival you will be asked if you have a reservation. All attendees in your group must be present for entry. Then you are instructed to clean your shoes (close toed shoes recommended) and there is hand sanitizer available. The employees give you a bowl with food to feed the bird along with important detailed instructions. There's also a beautiful koi pond and so many plants. It's quite peaceful. But don't let these beautiful furry friends fool you. A lot of them are LOUD and have so much personality. Overall we had a great experience - hence my five star rating. The employees and members were friendly and I learned a lot!! I'd totally come back. There's plenty of parking, but I can see it getting packed on weekends. read more

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I was looking for activities to do in the area and came across Free Flight. After doing some quick research, it seemed like a fun idea so I scheduled a visit. I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it! - PARKING - There are a few dedicated spots right outside the enclosure. Be mindful of any signs that dictate if they're saved for different businesses. - SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - It was easy to schedule and pay in advance through their online portal. Adults are $8 each. When we arrived, the gate is locked so a worker comes to check you in. After you go in, they'll sanitize your hands and make you scrub your shoes. A staff member will walk you through general rules, how to feed the birds, and some fun quirks a few of them have. Only members are allowed to hold the birds, but I was glad we could still feed them! - EXPERIENCE - Although it's not a huge space, I was definitely shocked at how many birds were just out and about! They do have a few that are in cages - the ones with locks you're not allowed to open, but otherwise you can try and feed the birds in unlocked cages. Some will also hop onto your food bowl! The staff came around and told us a few facts, and showed us a few tricks the birds could do. We kept walking around in circles to greet and interact with the birds, and ended up staying for about 45 minutes. We were also allowed to feed the koi fish! - OVERALL - A great sanctuary where you can tell the staff cares for all the birds. A fun experience for a low price, but you can also donate more! read more

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This place is amazing! I have gone 3 times now. The volunteers are very nice and friendly. It's just a different experience then anything I have ever done. It's only $8 to enter and I think that's a fair price for the experience. We typically spend about 45 min to an hour each time we go. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Showed up at 3:20 and drove an hour in traffic to come see the birds with my kids and was turned away by a very rude/ sarcastic worker even though they close at 4:00. Very disappointed in the staff who could have accommodated my family and didn't. read more

Free Flight - Sign - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

My husband Keanen and I absolutely love this place (and I can't believe the audacity of the one-star reviews). We're members and have been here twice now, and all of the volunteers have been so kind and so helpful. Given their resources, I think they're doing an incredible job with keeping these sweet birds happy and healthy. We'd come more often but we live in San Clemente. I love the mission behind this place and would highly recommend getting a membership! read more

Had a fun visit. A bit pricey($30 for 2 of us bc it was day of and not advance reservations) but it would have been nice to have heard about how they began, how they get the parrots etc. no story shared about them read more

Got to feed lots of birds and koi fishes. My son spent quite some time here. Stopped by here on the way to SD. He had a blast. All the animals looked well taken care of. Very clean place. read more

We found out about this bird sanctuary in Del Mar and knew we had to go. I was expecting all the birds to be in cages, but most of them were out and about! We were given food bowls to feed the birds which was so sweet. A couple of them liked to climb on the bowl which was even more up close and personal. Some of the birds had big personalities which was fun. The workers/volunteers knew so much about birds in general and also the birds that were at the sanctuary. They knew how each bird acted, interacted with men/women/children and how they were overall and their mannerisms. It was only $8 to get in which is great when getting an animal encounter as other encounters can tend to be pricey. I would recommend to come here and check it out! If you're a member, you are able to hold the birds. read more

Had an amazing experience!! This was my first time back since 2019 and I wanted to take my boyfriend here since I had such a good experience a couple years ago. I didn't get the persons name with the purple hair, but she was absolutely amazing and was very inviting. this is a very good place to take kids and very interactive with the birds. If you're planning on coming here I would 100% recommend it it's a good place to support. read more

Free Flight - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

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I went for a hike in La Jolla the day before and prior to heading back to LA I decided to spend a little time in the area and in looking for something to do I came across Free Flight, i love parrots so as soon as I saw pics , I made reservations and headed there. The place was smaller than I expected however, there were so many beautiful parrots that were donated or being cared for, my favorite was the yellow one named baby that was actually born there. I also got two feed them, it was such a great experience. I will definitely revisit the next time. I'm in the area read more

What a special place -- we visited for the first time and enjoyed getting to meet and feed several amazing birds. The African Crowned Crane was a special treat .... Will definitely come back every so often to enjoy unique experience and support the birds! read more

My family and I loved this place so much! It was a great stop during our stay in Del Mar. Definitely make reservations on their website beforehand for $8 per person. We were able to see and feed a variety of birds including parrots, macaws, and cockatoos. They were beautiful and we were even able to hold one as it perched on our feeding bucket. All the workers were kind and knowledgeable and knew all the birds' names and histories. We also fed the koi fish in their pond near the entrance. The whole thing took about an hour for us. Overall great experience for kids and adults alike! It's worth visiting if you're in the area. Parking: free in lot, with limited spaces read more

This place is a hidden gem. It was so much fun. I can't believe I lived in San Diego for 20+ years and never knew about this place. I can't tell you how many times I cycled right past this place without knowing what it was. Watching KUSI news and I saw a report about it and decided I had to stop by. You need to make a reservation, keep that in mind before just stopping by. These birds had such amazing personalities, it was hilarious to interact with them. They give you food in a bowl to feed them. I noticed they prefer the blueberries and cantaloupe. They also have a fish pond with Koi fish ( hoping I spelled them correctly ). Go online and book a reservation. $8 / person is more than worth it. read more

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The one and only place 'that I know' you can experience exotic birds up close and personal. Great staff! We have fun when we visit Sd area.. read more

Beautiful birds, we loved our visit and plan on going again soon Plenty of birds to feed, not crowded at all if you go to the first reservation hour. read more

Free Flight - Totally worth visiting, very friendly staff:) - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

We love the birds there so much. It's been an awakening of a childhood passion. I was gifted a membership and that turned into volunteering. I may be biased for this place, but it is such a wonderful sanctuary. The birds are so intelligent and fun to engage with. There are so many knowledgeable people here that just make this an incredible environment. I highly recommend visiting this place for a more intimate experience with the lovely birds. read more

This is such a nice spot to take the kids, a date or even yourself! Reservations are required but it was so easy to do so. The staff was very nice and helpful throughout the whole experience. They check you in, you step into a shoe soap cleaner before going in. They give a quick rundown of the area, what to do what not to do and then you're on your way! We went later in the afternoon so many of the birds were not hungry. Definitely look forward to coming back earlier for some more action! read more

U have to make a reservation to come here. It's easy to reschedule and there's a lot of availability. the staff is friendly. When u come in, u step in a tray that has some sort of liquid on a mat so the birds don't get disease. U have to wear close toed shoes. Then sanitizer is sprayed on your hands. You can't touch the birds unless you're a member, but you can feed them. You can also feed the koi fish. I came at 130 pm and there was only one bird who was hungry. I recommend coming in the morning. You can only feed the birds that are out on a branch or in a cage without a lock on it. Be careful because one of the birds was kind of aggressive and agitated. It wasn't in a cage and if you try to feed it, the bird tries to take the feeding bowl and throw it. it's a tiny place, but you can get real close to the birds. Some talk and say, "hi there", "what are u doing" and "peek a boo". Don't come expecting some kind of lecture or educational program. You are basically on your own with the birds. I enjoyed it though! read more

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Reservations are easy to make to coordinate a visit to Free Flight! The staff are friendly, informative and knowledgeable. The opportunity to feed the birds makes the experience even more enjoyable as it provides a way to interact with most all of them! read more

Free Flight - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Took our 6 year old here recently during the week in June. We didn't have reservations but were able to make some the same day. If you make reservations ahead of time, at least a day prior, I believe it's slightly cheaper. It was $45 for us to visit and you can visit as long as you wish though it is very small and we spent maybe an hour here, but we took our time. We could've been done much sooner. The birds are so cute and I appreciated the employees letting us know how to stay safe, and helping when we needed it. I wish we could learn more about the birds' specific background stories but they don't always know exactly where they came from or what their life was like prior to coming to the sanctuary. They do adopt out some of their resident birds, I'm told it's a bit of a process, which makes sense as a lot of these birds used to be pets that people abandoned. If you're looking to have a close up experience with rescued animals, I recommend Free Flight. There's also no public restroom but they did let us use their restroom, it's just not very accessible if you need accommodations, just a heads up. read more

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Awesome experience! Please donate a little extra, if you are able, as these birds deserve all the treats! The caretakers are so kind to the birds and are very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend doing this if you are in the SoCal or Del Mar area. Some birds mimic you! read more

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First time visitor to see all the beautiful birds at this sanctuary. Visit is only by reservation and it is $8 per person. We were greeted by a friendly staff member who provided a brief intro about not touching the birds but that we are allowed to feed them as we were provided with a small food bowl. Many of the birds already seemed full but some took nibbles here and there. Many are sitting outside of their cages on wooden perches. Some were vocal and spoke a little and some were quiet and peaceful: Amazons, Cockatoos, Macaws, Conures, and more! Overall a fun experience for all. Please note there is no bathroom on the grounds. There is a small parking lot in the front. Location is right past the Del Mar Fairgrounds. read more

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If you love birds you will love visiting the Free Flight exotic bird sanctuary. They have many different types of birds, and most of them are friendly. Reservations are required and can be made on their website. Once you arrive you get a cup of veggie/fruit to feed the birds. The staff there are very friendly and very knowledgeable. It's always fun to visit. read more

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This was our second visit here. Everyone is nice and it's fun to talk to and feed the birds. It's not a huge place so you can spend about an hour and have plenty of time to spend with the birds. It's great that they are there taking care of the birds. They also have a koi pond and you can feed them also. read more

Free Flight in Del Mar is a wonderful place to visit and feed some very sweet and funny rescue birds. The highlight of their day is when people come to see them. Must reserve your spot as it fills up quickly. I highly recommend Free Flight for the whole family! read more

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I heard about this place from a friend of mine. It is $8 per person and you have to make a reservation. The staff are amazing! They're all super nice! Once you get there, you have to show them your email confirmation for your reservation. They make you step through a shoe bath and sanitize your hands right after. They start by introducing themselves and then giving you some info about the birds. We were then given bowls or fruits and veggies to offer to the birds. Our kids absolutely loved it here! The birds are pretty well behaved -- although I will say when they're full, they'll let you know by pushing the bowl away. They also have a Koi Pond; we were given pellets to feed the fish! The fish were ginormous! One of the birds really stood out to me, he was such a friendly little guy. I wanted to take him home with me! I forgot his name but I'll be sure to insert a pic! All in all, we might come back again in the future! read more

Free Flight - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Such a cool experience! Iv never been that close up with exotic birds like this and being able to feed them was lots of fun. One of the birds even went on my arm ! They also have big koi fish you can feed as well. Cool little activity in SD ! read more

My family and I had a wonderful time visiting Free Flight. The sanctuary is smaller than I expected but it's still nice and all under big trees. We spent about an hour there. So many beautiful birds for us to feed and some even talked to us. Ticket was $8 per person and it was worth it. We made some donations before leaving that day. Definitely recommend this place if you're in Del Mar area. read more

Free Flight - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

I never knew birds had such personality! This is such a charming little place. You must make a reservation online before visiting, otherwise you will be turned away at the gate. We had no problem finding parking. You are not able to touch the birds, but you can feed them at no extra charge once inside. You are also able to feed some very big beautiful Koy fish! This is a highly recommended memorable experience! read more

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This place was so cute! $8 admission and you must set a reservation online. Once arriving we were greeted and were told to sanitize our hands. The place is actually a lot smaller than I was expecting, I was expecting tons of birds and a lot of walking but it wasn't like that at all. It'll only take 20 seconds to walk around the whole place. So take your time in between birds, there is no time limit here. The birds were all so cute, a few really big parrots and small ones a well. There was also a beautiful koi pond. We were given a bowl of food to feed the birds, there was a few birds we were not allowed to feed. Since the place was so small the majority of the birds were already full, so we left with still plenty of bird food. A main downside for me was we were not allowed to touch or hold the birds. All of the pictures I've seen of this place had people holding them. So that was a big disappointment. The birds were fun to feed otherwise, a few of them even spoke to us. Saying "hello" and "how you doing?", one bird even made a cell phone ringing noise. It was super cute. Overall this was a fun place if you're looking to do something new and meet some chatty birds! read more

Free Flight - Animal Shelters Near Me - Del Mar, California

This was a fun little experience for my son and I. I remember coming here in HS to see the birds. This place is an exotic bird sanctuary, and from what I've been told, many of the birds have been abandoned and no longer wanted by their previous owners. I'm glad there is a place like this for them to go too. They also board birds for owners going out of town. We came on a slow day! I originally set an appointment online for me and my 4 yr old. We were able to feed the birds when we got there. Although, you cannot touch or play with the birds, we were able to get up close and feed them, which was super exciting for my kiddo. The workers are very knowledgeable on each bird and their personalities. We also got to feed the Koi fish in the small pond. Overall, a fun experience! read more

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This place was so special! You can see the care they put into each bird and they were so informative. And the birdies definitely will be back to visit. read more

We took two of our grand kids to see the birds. They had a great time feeding and watching the birds. Grandma and grandpa also had a great time. It is a very good reason to visit Del Mar. We found the teen docents to be knowledgeable and friendly. read more

We regularly visit Free Flight when vacationing in San Diego. It's a small place but more than enough to experience the amazing and beautiful birds in their care. The birds out in the enclosure were all friendly and eager to perch for food. There are a few that are in cages that either prefer to be there or are just not having a good day. Generally if the cage is unlocked, you can interact with the bird. But most are out and about. There's a talented red macaw that would whistle back at my kids. He was so adorable, especially when he bobbed his head and danced. And don't forget to take a minute to admire the koi pond. The fish are huge! The cost for admission is reasonable and more than justified by the great work in taking care of these birds and in providing them with a safe, nurturing environment. It's always a great day when visiting Free Flight. read more

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