Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: animals (20) nature (11) great (11) wild (9) visit (8) trails (8) baby (8) bring (8) bird (8) nice (7)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Jake P. 10 months ago on Google • 153 reviews
    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.
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 im z. 10 months ago on Google
    KC's wild animal rescue center and several miles of nature trails all at one location. A wonderful place to get those steps in.
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Stitches11 1 year ago on Google • 47 reviews
    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!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mike H. 2 years ago on Google • 711 reviews
    Tim Winn was our awesome guide. He took us through trails and provided great information on what we saw. Beautiful day. Great butterfly garden and wetland. Inside snakes, squirrels, turtles, fish and large birds like bald eagles, owls, vulture and hawks including perigine. Loved it. Spent 2.5 hours. Highly recommend.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sarah H. 2 years ago on Google
    Such a great, free, educational activity! My husband and I really enjoyed it and we had a fun short hike through the paths in the back. We are from out of town and felt it was well worth stopping to look.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Teri C. 2 years ago on Google
    This was a fun and exciting place to take my nieces and nephews, we all had a great time! Free and air conditioned, a nice spot to go on a hot day. It was fun learning and looking at all the animals and birds.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Jen A. 1 year ago on Google
    We had fun walking through the Nature Center and then had even more fun hiking around outside.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sherie G. 1 year ago on Google
    Great nature trails outside and fun interesting specimens on display. Bald eagle and others, snakes, etc. Great place for learning too
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Bill K. 3 months ago on Google • 76 reviews New
    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.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Angel H. 1 year ago on Google
    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!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Cass C. 1 year ago on Google
    Very well maintained, trails to walk and of course you can learn and see different displays. Free admission.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Irina v. 1 year ago on Google
    BE AWARE!!!! This review about wild animal hospital. They do kill an injured animals, and they will not let you have it back to safe it!!!! I bring a yang Canadian geese with a broken leg, and at registration they told me that I can call and check on my geese and how it is doing and when it get better I can even bring the bird back to the lake it came from. Then when they took the geese from me the lady told me that the injury of the leg is really bad and they most likely will utilize the bird, because it won't survive in the wild life with one leg. Then I talk to my friends who have a pond and willing to keep that geese and want to safe it from killing, but when I call the hospital in two hours after they told me that they are not giving any animals you bring to that place back even you want to safe them. I was asking what happened with the geese I bring and they said that they CAN'T tell me that information. So they lye to me at the first place at regeneration telling me I can check on my animal and I can bring it to the place where it came from after it get better. Don't bring an injured animals here, unless you want them to be killed. They won't keep them because they have not enough space for everyone, and they don't give them back even if you have opportunities to safe that animal.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Paula 3 years ago on Google
    Wonderful place to bring the kids for an adventure. There's a wide variety of critters for the kids to enjoy. The animals were all in clean tanks and seemed happy. Staff was friendly and helpful. We went on a walk/hike on the Fox Hollow Trail afterwards which is right outside the main entrance. Highly recommend!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Katrina C. 4 years ago on Google
    Very educational! Great seating area for kids to have a puppet show and play with puzzles. A wonderful touch and feel area to see antlers and furs up close. Nice to see so many animals and the wildlife conservation efforts right here in the metro.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Adrienne L. 10 months ago on Google • 114 reviews
    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! 💥
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jennifer S. 6 months ago on Google • 59 reviews
    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!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jennifer H. 2 years ago on Google
    Brought my 2 year old nephew to see the animals. It's prefect for the little ones. He enjoyed it.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lauren C. 1 year ago on Google
    We came for story time. The presenter did a great job, even though there were a lot more kids than expected. We loved seeing the animals! We’ll definitely be back soon.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michael J. 1 year ago on Google
    Very helpful and knowledgeable staff for animal rescue and rehabilitation. They will try and leave animals in the wild whenever feasible, but if you are on the Missouri side and find abandoned baby bunnies, raccoons, or a bird with an injured wing they know what to do and rehabilitate and release a lot of wild life on site. They also have some interesting displays showing wild life recovering and the like.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Fred H. 1 year ago on Google • 130 reviews
    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.

  • 5/5 Caitlyn K. 10 months ago on Google
    This was a really fun place to bring my toddler. We looked at the animals and then took a short hike. It was a fun way to spend an hour.

  • 4/5 Tori C. 11 months ago on Google
    Nice nature center. There are some big birds, a coyote, lots of snakes, other reptiles, and some small rodents to see. Of course there is a nice trail too.

  • 5/5 Sidney F. 9 months ago on Google
    Lakeside Nature Center is an amazing organization. They took in an injured baby brown bat that we found under our tree. We checked out their facility and it was wonderful. Definitely visit this place if you can or donate, they are amazing! We need more places like this in our world!

  • 5/5 Sibley H. 1 year ago on Google
    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!

  • 4/5 Chrissy R. 1 year ago on Google
    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.

  • 5/5 Tara L. 8 months ago on Google
    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!!!

  • 5/5 Dennis M. 2 years ago on Google
    Great place to visit! Some of the trail signs and benches need to be repaired and replaced. Enjoyed our trip here

  • 5/5 Alisa W. 4 weeks ago on Google • 1 review New
    This is one of my family's favorite places to visit in the city. There are a lot of animals to look at inside the building, a nice area to bird watch, and some trails with rock formations. It's usually pretty quiet too and clean. The staff is friendly. The birds of prey are really something to see as is the gigantic snapping turtle and mole.


Call (816) 513-8960 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed
  • Activities
    • ✓️ Hiking
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot

Trends



Last updated:

Similar Tourist attractions nearby

Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium image
1
Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo
Zoo in Swope Park with zookeepers offering animal interaction & informative chats.
4.60 (17.9K reviews)
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art image
2
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Art museum
Art collection spanning 5,000 years in neoclassical & modern galleries, plus a sculpture garden.
4.80 (12.9K reviews)
Union Station Kansas City image
3
Union Station Kansas City
Historical landmark
Grand, historic train station with permanent & temporary exhibits, a planetarium & a science center.
4.70 (9.3K reviews)
National WWI Museum and Memorial image
4
National WWI Museum and Memorial
War museum
The nation's only public museum dedicated to WWI, with a large collection of photos, weapons & more.
4.90 (7.6K reviews)
Great Wolf Lodge Water Park | Kansas City image
5
Great Wolf Lodge Water Park | Kansas City
Water park
Informal suites with kitchenettes in a relaxed resort offering dining, an arcade & a water park.
4.20 (6.3K reviews)
Last updated:
()