Things to do / Travel Guide
The Missouri and Arkansas region has many exciting zoos throughout, and you may find the large concentration in the St. Louis area overwhelming (in a good way).
St. Louis, Missouri
Since most of us don't get the chance to interact too closely with butterflies every day, it's worth your while to pay a visit to The Butterfly House, where a 28-foot tall butterfly sculpture surrounded by seasonal gardens greets you at the entrance. Once inside you'll be able to observe as many as 60 butterfly species and over 150 tropical plant species. Watch a short film on butterfly behaviors and anatomy, or attend one of the regularly-scheduled classes in storytelling and making crafts.
Grant's Farm is home to over 1,000 animals, including zebras and black buck antelope. There are educational and entertaining animal shows, and you can even visit Clydesdale mares, stallions, and foals (which you might recognize from Budweiser beer ads). You'll also be happy to know that admission is free!
Have a pet at home? If so, you won't want to miss Purina Farms, where educational displays and videos help visitors better understand their pets and what they eat. Regularly scheduled obedience shows and grooming demonstrations capture the essence of the relationship people have with their pets. Children can also play with Purina's own dogs and cats, milk a cow, or scamper in the hayloft.
You'll have a slightly different, but just as enjoyable, experience at the Wild Canid Survival & Research Center, where visitors learn about wolves and observe them in their natural settings.
For a more traditional animal experience, there's the Saint Louis Zoo. This is a great place for the kids as, in addition to the usual animal exhibits, there's the wonderful Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel featuring 64 colorful hand-carved wooden animals. Also popular at the zoo is the First Bank Zooline Railroad, which offers a 20-minute narrated tour weaving through tunnels and animal exhibits. There's also a wonderful petting zoo, where kids can treat a lorikeet to a cup of nectar, pet bunnies and goats, and meet brilliantly-colored frogs.
Kansas City, Missouri
The Kansas City Zoo also has a section just for children called The Kidzone where there's an animal feeding area, pony rides, a discovery barn, and a play area. You can tour the zoo on foot, by tram, or even by boat! Also for your viewing pleasure are IMAX films and many shows: a bird show, a reptile show, a sea lion show, and lorikeet feedings, all await you and your family.
Springfield, Missouri
The Dickerson Park Zoo, in Springfield, Missouri, features both animals from around the world and those local to Missouri that visitors can see from a boardwalk overlooking a black bear/coyote yard, a red fox exhibit, and a white-tailed deer/wild turkey yard. In addition to these offerings there's much, much more to see at this exciting and diverse zoo; you'll have to come and check it out for yourself.
The American National Fish & Wildlife Museum, also in Springfield, Missouri, celebrates its mission to educate, inform, and entertain visitors concerning the value of fish and wildlife by letting visitors take themselves on self-guided indoor and outdoor tours where they see over 225 species in natural habitats. You'll encounter many amazing animals, including the American bald eagle, as you explore streams, a forest, and caves.
Little Rock, Arkansas
As for Arkansas' animal offerings, the Little Rock Zoo has many special treats, including a red panda exhibit and eagle flight pens. The Kiwanis Kid's Corner is a place where children can play and see animal presentations.
Zoos and Aquariums in Kansas City, St. Louis, Branson and the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas
Zoos-Aquariums
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