Riverside Wildlife Center

Well, we happened to get a Monday off and have been meaning to check this place out so I headed out to Stanton, MO with my daughter and a friend.
This place is located at the Meramac Cavern exit… you pass over the highway and just a little ways down the road you’ll see the sign for this little roadside wildlife center.
The place does look rough… this is to be noted for sure… but hell… who doesn’t like a little adventure?
You will first enter the «gift shop» or maybe a shop of curiosities is more apt. All sorts of gator heads, skull of every kind (even a hippo skull!), dried turtle shells, carved wooden animals, teeth in jars, beaded jewelry etc…
This place is a bit dark, and needs a bit of airing out… but that was part of it’s charm for us. The people who work here were VERY, VERY friendly. After looking around a bit, we were appointed a tour guide (Khelsey) and we headed out to the back of the building.
There were a few fancy breeds of chickens first and we saw sheep and an emu and then the REAL DEAL…2 GATORS! One was lounging on the deck and we got to touch her tail. She didn’t mind a bit and was glad to just sun bathe there. There was also another one lounging on the mud in their pond.
We turned the corner and saw 2 beautiful TIGERS! They were so content looking and soaking in the sun. Both looked healthy and happy. Khelsey offered them chicken parts to bring them closer and even got the male to stretch up on the fence to show how tall he was. (see photo)
We then got to see bob cats, foxes, and even a wolf dog!
We went to the other end where a beautiful male lion lived. His name is Leo and he was just sunbathing as well. He was a bit on the lack-​a– daisy side and didn’t really want to come over until his favorite person came out and he ran right up to him and was rubbing all over the fence. You could really tell he loved him.
We headed back inside and were taken to the interior reptile room where we saw snakes, tarantulas, monitors, frogs, HUGE turtles, and more alligators. There were also parrots and lemurs.
We got to hold a python and baby alligators and frogs. It was really cool.
These people truly love their job and helping these animals (most of which are rescues) and love sharing their knowledge with others. This place is a must see if you love adventures and seeing cool animals up close. I’d say go early so it’s not too hot out and BRING A CAMERA!!!
I took a TON of photos if you’d like to see what you’re missing.
BTW — it’s $ 10.00 for the guided tour but all of these people work as VOLUNTEERS! The money goes to help the animals and keep this place going. There are also tip jars as you leave for your guide.

Is it dirty? Yes.
Is it smelly? Hells yes.
Does that matter? NOPE!
This place was awesome! My girlfriends and I went on a mini-​road trip last week down to Spfd from STL and had to stop here. The reviews were great and we couldn’t pass up a chance to hold baby alligators! Could you?
Mark was our tour guide and he was stellar. He walked us through the outdoor animal yard which had a few fairly unimpressive chickens and roosters, but then we moved over to the tigers and lion. We were probably about 5 feet away from them which is closer than I can guarantee you’ll ever get at any zoo. Mark was knowledgeable about the animals and how they came to acquire them as well as how they take care of them. Don’t forget to tip and donate since they do work mostly on that. It is a $ 10 fee for the tour, but it’s well worth it.
We went inside to look at the alligators, snakes, and other reptiles. We got to hold a python and baby alligators.
A must see if you happen to find yourself in Stanton, MO!

I’m usually skeptical of these types of places because they have an air of the same exotic pet wackos that caused the python problem in the everglades, and the lady that had her face forcibly removed by a chimp. To that end, the tour guide went out of his way to say how «friendly» the animals were with him. But to the credit of the center, the big cats do not interact directly with handlers.
I will say that the enclosures could use some size increase for the betterment of the animals’ emotional health, but the tour was great & personal, and the animals appeared to be healthy.
I recommend a visit — it’s a unique experience.

I LOVE this place. Me and my then fiancée stumbled onto this place on our way to the caverns. I thought it looked like something intresting, as I thought it was just a shop. As we were returning from our cave tour, my husband wasn’t so sure about the place, and I said it can’t be that bad.
It was amazing we went on a tour, with a very knowledgable guide. The tour lasted over an hour. Me and my husband went back a year later, and i am planning another trip to STL and am going back again.
This place is all nonprofit; the people that work their are ALL volunteers! They only get paid in tips.
My husband wanted to take our kids to the STL zoo, i said they would get more out of the experience if we took them here, and we are. I’ve seen different things every time we have gone, i can’t say enough good things about this place.
I strongly suggest you go.

Rating this place anything less than 5 stars is simply a mistake.
I «stumbled» upon this park as I was driving toward Meramec Caverns.
And candidly? I would put Riverside Reptile Ranch on ANYONE’s most important «bucket list» items as a place they MUST VISIT in the United States. (IF…you are interested in being close to exotic wild animals. «Reptile Ranch» name does not begin to present their true identity. Unless, of course you call tigers (2), a lion, an Emu, Silver foxes, 2 wolves, a common fox, a bobcat, wild turkeys, exotic goats, A rare chicken that lays «COLORED EGGS», and a variety of monkeys and many others that I forgot. No, its not just «reptiles».
Also? Any comment about «poorly cared for animals» is «insulting to both myself, and the owners /​employees of this business!
I’ve witnessed the love and care given to every single species in this place, so «Mr. California» must have simply judged the book by its cover. And, by the way? JG, You owe these guys 10 bucks.
Anyway, when you arrive, and enter the front door, it may seem like a «weird» place. And yes, there may be some dust on the collection of unique skeletons and other bizarre items, but after you «EXPERIENCE» the tour, and come within inches of animals and species that you’ve only seen on TV, you will understand WHY you MUST check this place out.
They have a snapping turtle that is speculated to be at least 125 years old… maybe much older! (Wish I took a photo. It was like 3 feet wide by 4 feet long!!!
And have you ever petted a hedgehog? I think not. And you certainly would get to do that at any zoo!
Or hold an alligator? I mean really??? A bad review? Are you kidding me?
Maybe, «Mr. California», the entry fee should be more like $ 100.00 per person (instead of $ 10.00 per person) Then, Bill and Lynn just might have the extra money to clean up the junk or mess. (Yet, I hope they change NOTHING!)
An UNBELIEVABLE experience for sure. Thanks so much. (And a special thanks to Gary for the great tour he conducted) :)
Lastly. I have about 50 more photos to view, but they would not load. So, if you click on my profile, and click on photos, they are all there to view. Please spend a couple minutes checking them out. :)
Jeff.

This place had the stench of poorly cared for animals. In the filthy «gift shop» full of junk, the attendant forgot that he should get admission money from the customers BEFORE he starts insulting them. Saved us a few bucks.

This place is now called ‘Riverside Wildlife Center’ which fits better a bit more.
We were driving to meramec caverns when we drove past this place. We made a u-​turn and decided to check what this place was all about. Our disapointment was big when we noticed it was closed. But the friendly big guys outside were happy to open the place up for us and give us a personal tour of the zoo. End of the day we saw the guy pet a lion, feed aligators and do a lot of other crazy stuff. We ourselves touched a grown alligator, got a snake on our shoulders (not the small ones either) and we got to hold a baby alligator (about 2 ft long). My wife was very affraid of snakes and they helped her a bit with that, they made her overcome her fear with a lot of patience and talking but eventually she let them put a snake on her. When we got into a tattooshop in OKC she decided to get a snake surounding the route 66 logo on her arm. This was a great experience and we have nothing but love for the guys working here!

Have you always wanted to go where the Alligators roam? Where Lions and Tigers live side-​by-​side? Then look no further than this little roadside «zoo» situated just before Meramec Caverns. The staff is really, really friendly — my tour guide even asked me if I wanted to hold the alligator — he was only about four feet long, and not happy (yup, he was hissing at me) — I declined. This was not a Louisiana swamp tour… I’m wasn’t about to mingle with a Missouri (captive) ‘gator!
Stop off at this little place if you want an up-​close experience and to see some exotic animals (lots of reptiles). Only downfall? It’s not very expansive (which seems a bit cruel), there are flies everywhere, and the indoor adventure literally stinks (but it’s where they keep all the snakes and ‘gators).

My fellow travelers and I were faced with a choice: drop 20 bucks on a tour of Meramec Caverns, or explore the intriguing Riverside Reptile Ranch we had passed further on up the road for only a quarter of a price. We’re college students, so the decision was obvious. Now, Riverside looks rather dubious from the road, but it’s the kind of place that promises to be memorable, at the very least. We were delighted to find that this miniature zoo in the heart of Missouri was every bit as sketchy inside as it appeared from the outside.
Upon entering the front «gift shop», a slightly unsettling collection of dust-​covered alligator skulls, snakeskins, and bowie knives (which I highly doubt anyone ever purchases), you shell out $ 5 for a guided tour of the ranch. For its location, the zoo houses a rather impressive variety of animals, reptile and non-​reptile alike, including several wild cats, lemurs, exotic birds, turtles, snakes, and spiders; unlike a typical zoo, however, the burly, camo-​wearing guides are more than willing to aggravate the animals a little to put on a show (although that may have been more for our benefit-​I have a feeling they don’t get many college girls out there).
Highlights of the tour included the alligator pond-​or were they crocodiles? Our tour guide informed us of a newly arrived gator that was larger and surlier than the rest, but who declined to surface from the murky water. As the rest of the alligators we could see seemed fairly large and surly themselves, we nervously huddled as far back from the edge of the deck as we could, positive that the lurking gator was about to explode through the boards in a hillbilly rendition of Lake Placid. If you’re fair-​haired, you might even get to be nuzzled by Leo, the blonde loving lion, as was my one lucky friend (through a ten foot chain link fence, of course). This same lucky friend also had the good fortune of getting to hold a baby alligator, which promptly peed all over her in a rather explosive fashion.
Riverside Reptile Ranch was one of the highlights of our road trip, and a story which has been retold many, many times since, so I just had to rep it on Unilocal.That said, if you’re ever unfortunate to be passing through central MO and have a sudden desire to drape a boa constrictor over your shoulders, this is the place to do it. And make sure to visit the gift shop on your way out.