Spring has sprung in the Midwest and with it has come all the ticks, tornadoes, and gnats. It’s a beautiful time and place to be alive, folks. More seriously, the weather has been lovely and despite the previously mentioned annoyances, life is good. The kids recently enjoyed a week off of school for spring break and, although we didn’t go on any crazy family vacation, we did try to get out of the house and explore a little. We ventured to Stanton, Missouri (about an hour away) to visit Wild Animal Adventure Park.
Wild Animal Adventure Park in Stanton, Missouri
We’ve driven past Wild Animal Adventure Park COUNTLESS times, but it took us this long to actually visit. Of course, the price was a little off-putting – not because it’s horribly expensive, but because just about everything with five kids feels pricey. But spring break seemed like as good a time as ever, so we hopped in the car and ventured out for a day of animal encounters. And, let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
The variety of animals at Wild Animal Adventure Park is pretty incredible – especially considering that it is a relatively small campus. They’ve got farm animals, reptiles, SHARKS (yes, sharks), horseshoe crabs, Dr. fish, birds, TIGERS, a cougar (which was staring into my soul and was honestly terrifying), ligers (lion/tiger hybrids), wolves, and so much more!
The kids, of course, LOVED the petting zoo (because who doesn’t) and the animals all seemed healthy and happy and lively. The derpy miniature horse was a favorite (seriously, why are their eyes like that!?) and loved getting his little snout rubbed. After the petting zoo, we headed over to the Jurassic Adventure Mini Golf – which we possibly had to pay for, but didn’t (more info on that at the bottom of the post) – and the kids played the 9 holes they had, all while enjoying the dinosaur-themed atmosphere. (Which is just a fancy way of saying: There were lots of fake dinosaurs and dinosaur bones and it was pretty rad.)
What really set this park apart from places like the St Louis Zoo, is how CLOSE you can get to all of the animals. Obviously, there are safety measures in place, but you can get close enough to the big cats that there are warnings posted about getting sprayed by them. (Yes, we saw them spray, and YES, you can get close enough that you could be in the line of fire!)
I can’t remember a time when I have been able to get as close to wild animals as we could here. Even the porcupines were close enough that I could have reached out and touched them (which I didn’t do, for obvious reasons). All that to say, it was really cool and a great way to spend a chilly day.
In addition to a pretty darn amazing outside area, the inside area didn’t disappoint. They had reptiles of all kinds (mostly snakes, but many other creatures as well), as well as some very chatty birds that talked at us every time we walked past. The highlight of the reptiles for us was the rattlesnakes – one was evidently very threatened by H on the other side of the glass, so it shook its rattle and coiled up. Obviously, we were in no danger, but we could hear the rattle through the glass and it was honestly incredible. Maybe I’m just lame and lead a boring life, but it was cool.
All-in-all we loved our time at Wild Animal Adventure Park. Even our 13-year-old who is starting to enter the “too cool for everything” phase enjoyed it. She spent some of her own money ($6, to be exact) to go into the Dingo enclosure and that was the highlight of her day. If you’re looking for a fun day near Fort Leonard Wood, don’t miss out on this unique park!
’til next time…
Ash
Things to know about Wild Animal Adventure Park
Planning Ahead: Outside food is allowed in the park, but should only be eaten in the designated picnic area. The picnic area has tables, as well as a playground, life-sized chess and Connect Four, as well as hopscotch and other things to keep the little ones entertained.
Directions & Parking: Wild Animal Adventure Park is located at 2719 North Service Road East in Stanton, Missouri. It’s about an hour away from Fort Leonard Wood. There is a large dirt parking lot that is free to park in during your time at the park.
Cost:
Adults (ages 12+) – $14.95
Children (ages 3-11) – $10.95
Children (under 3) – FREE
*Prices subject to change. They are accurate at the time of this posting. $2.00 military discount available for service member and one guest. For other discounts and pricing information, visit the Wild Animal Adventure Park website.
Hours:
Open *daily from 10:00am – 5:00pm
*Check the Wild Animal Adventure Park Calendar for hours on specific days and closures.
Extras: Wild Animal Adventure Park offers a variety of hands-on experiences for an extra fee. These fees range from $3.00 to $10.00 for each participant. Call the front desk (or ask upon arrival) for pricing for specific extras.
-Feeding petting zoo animals
-Touch and feed sharks
-Play with dingoes (ages 5 and up)
-Feed and hold Alligators
-Play with Lemurs (ages 12 and up) – at the time of our visit, one of the lemurs had recently given birth, so the lemur encounter was unavailable.
Minigolf: Online it states that for $3.00 more, you can play minigolf at their Dinosaur-themed minigolf course. During our visit, we were unaware of the fee, and the balls and clubs were set out, with no attendant present. The kids played through the course (and we were not the only ones playing), all without us realizing there was a fee. Oops. Perhaps they were short staffed that day and waived the fee. Or perhaps we were supposed to pay at the front. There was no information anywhere that I could see.
Amenities: There are bathrooms located inside the building, just past the main entrance. At the time of our visit, they were not the cleanest, but they got the job done.
Accessibility: It was never explicitly stated or posted whether strollers and wheelchairs are or are not allowed. We did not see any in use at the park during our visit, and the terrain can be difficult at times. If you have hoping to bring in a stroller or a wheelchair, I recommend calling ahead at 573-927-5151.
