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December 2023 by Bill Kusmit
Wow, this is a great little place. Leashed pets are welcome. There are cool rock formations and limestone glades. You can walk down over a stream, and there is a pipe in a bridge to check out. It's not very big however but there is a dog park near by to tucker out your pooch. I have not been inside, but they even have a wildlife emergency rooms. It is probably really cool for kiddo.
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September 2023 by Jennifer Silvey
Lakeside Nature Center is a wonderful place to spend a few hours exploring nature and our group had a great time. The kiddos picked up the scavenger hunt pages and we helped them find the animals and answer the questions as we made our way through the space and the exhibits. There truly is something for everyone. After we went through the indoor experience, we went outside and completed one of the nature hikes. Next time we go we will do the hike portion first and then the indoor portion after. The trails are very well maintained, the facilities are exceptionally clean, and I have zero complaints. This space is super accessible and we will absolutely be returning here.They have a wonderful outside covered picnic area, you can rent an indoor space for parties, and they also provided scheduled tours. There is also a wildlife sanctuary here. Please do go check Lakeside Nature Center out!
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July 2023 by Tara LaMonte
There was a pair of Eastern Phoebes who made a home in my courtyard. They have nested there for the past three springs and summers.Oddly, this summer (2023), the parents pushed their babies out of the nest before they were able to fly. They still had their eyes closed.Out of the six babies, only one survived. My husband wanted to put the baby back in the next nightand I said NO. If Mama and Daddy had already pushed babies out (in batches, btw), they have a high likelihood of doing the same.Their nest was about 10"-12" high, and our courtyard has wood planks, so it wasn't a soft landing. The baby that made it had more feathers and was holding on for dear life.I had an appointment that morning in OP, but it was a quick one, and I brought baby Phoebe inside with me where medical staff put her box under a lamp and put a blanket over it.Once I left there, I went into Lakeside, and they immediately rushed the baby bird to the back for medical treatment.The woman I spoke with at the front was AMAZING. She was very knowledgeable about birds and was able to narrow down some hypotheses of why Mama and Daddy pushed their babies out of their nest.This was not my first or even second visit to Missouri wildlife rescue. I brought a baby bird for my elderly neighbor, a starling fledgling, another bird an evil child stepped on at Menard's, ON PURPOSE, and other birds that have flown into windows. I've taken two Canada Geese as well.A woman who was there one time I was had found an opossum hit in the road. She got out to inspect her pouch (opossum are marsupials, like kangaroos and koalas) and found a litter of babies. Lakeside took them, too.Besides their Wildlife Rescue, they have a nature center that is free. My kids have done many educational programs there. There are animals that live there who were rehabbed but too injured to be re-released into the wild. There are hiking trails as well. More "off the beaten path" but I've hiked there with small children and it wasn't that bad. You just have to watch them closely on the cliffs.All-around great educational experience, native gardens that feed wild bees (the true pollinators), and wildlife rescue. We are fortunate to have them. They are a nonprofit organization and are always in need of donations. This is an org that does so much for the community. I LOVE THEM!!!
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May 2023 by Jake Phillips
Visited KC from the UK, and decided to visit here for a couple of hours. Its a lovely little nature centre. A nice little selection of animals on show. With all the learning materials on offer I felt like it was more aimed towards children and school visits. The walks around the centre were lovely, especially on the sunny day we picked to visit. All the animals looked well look after.
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May 2023 by Adrienne Lovely
Well this is a lovely community space, perfect for everyone. Very peaceful inside with fun activities and a very cozy area for the kids to sit by the windows, see the animals outside, and do activities. There's a conference room, and a very nice covered BBQ patio. We especially enjoyed the nature hike! I found it easier going and more open than the Cave Springs hiking trail ?... With all the rock formations it makes for a very interesting walk about.I highly recommend going to explore this wonderful site, it's FREE! Go get in those steps! ?
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May 2023 by Fred Hoeppner
I like the architectural design. It's wide open with no walls, feels really open. Tall windows across the back display a wildlife area. Lots of local animals rehabbing from injuries waiting to be reintroduced to the wild. Great educational displays featuring the animals.Playground: Play area inside for the little's
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March 2023 by Cass Cass
Very well maintained, trails to walk and of course you can learn and see different displays. Free admission.
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January 2023 by Sara D.
We went on a weekday and it was not crowded. Our 1 year old was able to walk around and especially enjoyed the touch table with things like animal pelts, feathers and replicas of bones. My husband and I were impressed with the variety of animals we could see indoors (it was freezing outside so we couldn't do the trails), ranging from the bald eagle to bunnies, turtles, squirrels and snakes. Our daughter also liked the play area with puzzles, toy kitchen and books. It is a nice free activity to enjoy during the week.
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December 2022 by Stitches11
My family and I had a great time here. The nature center is clean, the animals/creatures on display look like they're well taken care of, and the employees were very nice. The bald eagle was my kid's favorite. We hiked all of the little trails on the grounds and enjoyed a nice lunch in the picnic area. I would definitely recommend visiting!
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September 2022 by Sibley Honeybee
We went here because we found an injured bird in our yard and took it to the wildlife hospital. The kids really enjoyed the free nature center and all the animals were amazing. It was a great impromptu field trip!
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September 2022 by LMF
My family and I had a great time here. The nature center is clean, the animals/creatures on display look like they're well taken care of, and the employees were very nice. The bald eagle was my kid's favorite. We hiked all of the little trails on the grounds and enjoyed a nice lunch in the picnic area. I would definitely recommend visiting!
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August 2022 by Leslie F.
My family and I had a great time here. The nature center is clean, the animals/creatures on display look like they're well taken care of, and the employees were very nice. The bald eagle was my kid's favorite. We hiked all of the little trails on the grounds and enjoyed a nice lunch in the picnic area. I would definitely recommend visiting!
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August 2022 by Chrissy Rochelle
The center is apart of a building that stood empty for a while. They've done a really good job of containing the various creatures ( birds, snakes, insects, turtles etc), both inside the building and outside.It's a short walk-around through the different cages/ containment areas etc but still very interesting. Think museum type displays with educational write ups. Kids will especially enjoy the "touching allowed" items. There are, however, many areas where that is obviously not allowed.This is free entry.Parking was easy as right outside entrance.Great, fun, educational little visit, for all ages.
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August 2022 by Morgan J.
This was really nice! I liked the indoor area a lot and also the outdoor bird viewing area. I was expecting longer trails, there's one short one that's clearly marked. I think there are longer trails you just need to look on an app like All Trails to find them. Overall a great spot!
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July 2022 by Angel Hagen
Thank you for taking in the baby bunny we found! We took the opportunity to check out the nature center and it was great!What a great facility! Go visit and donate if you can!
