Anita B Gorman Discovery Center

This is definitely a hidden gem in this city for kids. My friend and I brought our preschool-​aged children along with our infants for the afternoon. We explored inside (and there’s a lot to see!!) then headed outside to explore the area. We found a great area just to sit in relax while we watched the older kids play.
The only negative is that the staff wasn’t super friendly and I kind of felt like we weren’t supposed to be there. I’m sure it’s a different situation when there with a group but we definitely enjoyed our time there and will be back!

After 3 great field trips here over the years I have to say I am a big fan. We have been for Pre K, elementary, and now middle school and their programs are fun, interesting, and educational for all age groups. They have an annual Homeschool day I’m sorry to have missed. Next year for sure!
The Discovery Center is an oasis in the middle of the city. As hunting and fishing kind of folks we really love learning about conservation efforts and being thoughtful about our actions. We want hunting and fishing in Missouri to be just as fun for generations to come as it has been for us! BUT even if you are not hunting and fishing types the Discovery Center will open your eyes to so much about our State’s natural plant and wild life. I highly recommend a visit, with or without the kids.

Awesome place!!! Great learning venue to find out about nature, conservation, responsible hunting, fishing, and enjoying wildlife. It is housed in a LEED Platinum facility that has geothermal and solar energy as well as a living machine to treat their waste water!!! Outdoors they have several types of exhibit gardens showing homeowners how they can creat a woodland, native prairie, or pollinator garden. Highly recommend this for families and definitely for people into sustainability and green!

This is a very agreeable «Conservation Discovery Center.» They have some nice trails that meander through a wetland area, a woodland area, and a native prairie area. That said, the site is quite small, so go here expecting a «nice little retreat» not an «expansive hike through unspoiled terrain.» For its size, it is superb! The actual Discovery Center is neat, too. There are taxidermed animals, live animals (herpetofauna) and some neat displays (about Louis and Clark, different kinds of wood and their uses, and several other things), as well as a delightful reading nook/​library for young children. There are also classrooms where a variety of different lessons/​activities take place; however, it is not clear whether those are reserved for school groups, or if community members may participate in scheduled lessons/​activities. Even though I’m giving it 5 stars, I find it vexing that there is no conspicuously posted information about this.

This is more than one of those hippie hang-​outs; more than a place where you learn how to basketweave with native grasses. The surrounding area has an amazing landscape with pond gardens, special plants which are native to the area and so they can stand the 100 degree days here. There are even little duckies and their ducklings doing their duck things in the ponds. And there is a shelter area where you can stop and relax; it’s a little spartan, but it’s quaint. The trails around the building are relaxing, and I’m sure if you wanted to you could go ‘off the beaten path’ and explore the area on your own. These trail areas are pretty expansive, and you can really feel like you’re in a different place, without the risk of actually getting lost anywhere. My next plan is to actually go inside the building, which is suppose to be one of those ecologically friendly building, where they get their heating and cooling not from a/​c units, but from underground tubes of water. What will they think of next?