Prairie State Park Visitor Center

"Visited here last summer. The chap in the visitor centre was very knowledgeable and friendly and the exhibits were interesting. We didn't get up close to the Bison but we had some peaceful walks along the trails."

"Nice display of everything that you can see while you're walking around the trails. Knowledgeable employees and clean restrooms along with literature and Retail."

"This place is fantastic, with extremely knowledgeable staff. The building has a snake and turtles/fish, with a lot of history and prairie info, but it’s smaller than some of the other nature centers in SWMO. Working, clean bathrooms. Take binoculars! They really help see the bison. If you get a chance, try to go to one of their events (calendar on Facebook) or schedule a guided hike. It’s informative and an excellent place to learn about one of our rapidly declining ecosystems. There’s a small camping/picnic area on site, away from the bison. There’s also other wild animals, plenty of birds and insects, and occasional deer. Since it’s a prairie, there’s not a lot of shade on the trails, so you may also want sunscreen or some other protection if you walk around."

"I asked the ranger about the variety of plants in the park and she gave me a list 7 pages long describing each plant and when they bloom."

"What a neat place!!! Loved seeing all the wildlife and the Bison! Rebecca that was working at the visitors center was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. She took her time with us and explained a lot to us and had great recommendations. The day we had visited it had rained a lot in the morning so we didn't get to see the picnic area due to the creek being up and we could pass through the water. The only suggestion I have is there could be better signage of things. We just happened to turn down the road that the visitors center was on, but there was no sign telling us were it was. We will definitely return again and hopefully get to use the picnic area and go one some of the trails."