Wings of the World

Heath Hawkins

You may be wondering what Wings of the World is? I really did not know what to expect when I arrived for a visit in September of 2005. From the brochure and title, I knew there would be birds, but beyond that I was clueless.

This attraction is located in Branson West. You leave Branson in the direction of Silver Dollar City and just keep going. From Branson it was only about a 10-15 minute drive. When you get close there are signs to help find your way. Wings of the World is actually located at the Talking Rocks Caverns.

When we climbed out of the car it was obvious that we were there. We could hear the not-so-distant call of the birds on the hill above us.

We picked up our tickets inside the office and we were directed to the trail that leads to the birds. Our first impressions were very good. At the start of the trail there was a large outdoor theatre that seemed to be set for a show of some form.

We passed the theatre and started up the hill to see the birds. The birds were beautiful! There were cages and cages of exotic birds. Many I had never seen before. There were toucans, parakeets, finches, macaws and many others.

Many of the birds were obviously very intelligent. Some of them even talked to us as we surveyed them in their cage.

The sanctuary is all outside and the birds are in huge cages right along the trail. You were encouraged to look as close as you would like, but avoid putting your fingers in the cage. I guess some of them will bite. I have to admit I was tempted. Some of them were so beautiful. I wanted to try to pet them.

The trail through the park was very nice. It was landscaped with plants, stone, waterfalls and bamboo. You almost felt like you were walking through a park on a tropical island.

We had a great time strolling around. But I must admit that we were disappointed with several things. Let me say that the employees tending to the birds were great. They offered to answer questions and in general they were very helpful. But we would like to have had some sort of brochure with more information about the birds.

Each cage had a sign with the name of the bird on it, but that was about it. We wanted more information at our disposal without having to ask about every bird. That would have required a personal tour, and that is not how the park is set up.

We realized from the outdoor theatre that there must be some type of show, but we had no ides what kind. With no brochure or posting about show times, we had to ask. We discovered that there would be an educational show at 2:00 p.m., so we found a comfortable bench in the shade and waited around for the show.

The educational show was very informative and interesting. The presenters were also the bird handlers and they gave lots of insight into the birds. We found out where they were from as well as other insightful information. The show lasted of about 30 minutes and offered a close up look at the exotic birds and a time to ask questions.

I noticed that there were still other items on the stage of the theatre. They looked like magic props, but there was not magic in the show we saw. No mention was made of another show, but I did ask at the front desk on the way out. They said there was a magic show around 4:00 p.m. Again, without a brochure or posting about the show, we had not idea what was going on.

I do not want to give a wrong impression. Candi and I did enjoy Wings of the World. We do not have children and could stroll through at our own pace. If we wanted to stop to sit on a bench and just relax with the sights and sounds, we could. With kids, I am not sure you would be able to do that. The kids would love the birds, but it would not take long for you to see all of them, then the kids would be ready to leave.

We arrived at a little before 1:00 p.m. By 1:30 we had seen all the birds and were looking for a shady spot to sit and wait for the education show at 2:00 p.m. We received complimentary tickets, so we did enjoy our visit. I did see that the tickets were about $11 for adults. I am not sure I would have felt I received my full monies worth it I had paid that much to get in.

I would suggest that if you plan to visit Wings if the World, call ahead about the show schedule and plan a visit around the show times. There are other things to do at the location. There is a very nice miniature golf course, you can pan for gemstones, tour Talking Rocks Caverns or browse the unique gift shop. Keep in mind, except for the gift shop everything does cost extra, but you can save money by purchasing combo tickets.

Wings of the World is located just off Hwy 13 in Branson West at the Talking Rocks Caverns. Just head out of Branson toward Silver Dollar City and keeping going until you get to the stop light in Branson West. It is just a few miles past SDC. Wings of the Worlds is open from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. For more information visit http://www.talkingrockscavern.com/onthesurface.php or call the sanctuary at (800) 600-CAVE. Tell them that Heath from the Branson Critic Online sent you.

What do you think? Your opinion is your opinion. Let me know at hhawkins@waynesville.k12.mo.us