Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery — Attraction in Branson

I have been coming to this hatchery since I was a kid. I was excited to bring my two year old son here to see the fish. Everything was great, we had just gotten there and were walking around the inside of the building looking at all of the animals they have inside. My son, as I said is TWO YEARS OLD. Just turned two actually. Anyways, as we were looking at the snakes, I was telling him "snakes will bite you, don't pick up snakes." (We live in the country and frequently see copperheads) I am trying to instill in him that we do not under any circumstances pick up snakes. Especially since he is not old enough at this point to know the difference between venomous and non venomous.

This guy, who works at the hatchery comes out of the back room and is like..."whoa, whoa, why are you teaching children that snakes are bad"?? So I say, "we frequently see copperheads and I don't want him picking them up". He proceeds to say "don't teach him snakes are bad, snakes don't want to hurt us. They are harmless if they are left alone". I said, "okay, thank you. " trying to end the conversation. He keeps on!! I said. "Well, he is only two, he doesn't understand that yet." He says "you aren't giving him enough credit" says TO MY son "snakes aren't bad, they won't hurt you if you don't mess with them. See mom, it's that simple." I left here infuriated. I am very mild tempered but felt it was completely out of line for him to interrupt the way I have chosen to parent my child in this area. Especially in a public place. Uncalled for.

You know what?? Obviously he doesn't have a two year old that picks up every critter that moves. Because if he did, he would not argue with me about it at all. Anyone that's had a child understands this. I don't want my son to get bitten because of me giving a big line about how snakes aren't bad, blah blah. Yeah, tell him that when they are trying to save his life from trying to touch the sweet things....

So, I came here with my family and extended family with included 5 kids and 3 parents. As much as I really wanted to like this place, we all found a little boring. After about 20 minutes, all the kids were ready to go. The hatchery did have educational elements, but they were not curated and only consisted of 1 or two small kiosks and very small main visitors center. Mask mandates were not being enforced in case that matters to you)

There was a small aquarium but it was only about 9 feet-ish (approx) in viewing length so adults and children were all in very close proximity to view it.

After about 7-8 minutes, we were done seeing everything that was of interest in the small visitors center, so we went outside to see the actual hatcheries. Once we walked outside, were greeted with a beautiful view of a dam and the some caged fences pool where the trout are raised from minos to larger fish.

Other than reading some scattered informational plaques and paying 25 cents to feed trout, there was literally nothing else to do. I think a curated tour would have awesome.

I love the fact that this hatchery tries to educate kids and adults on raising trout, I just wish there has been more to see or do.

With that said, visiting here is all free, so I’m not complaining in any way, I’m just giving you my opinion on our experience here. Your experience here might differ then mine so definitely...

Easily one of the greatest free attractions in Branson. We really enjoyed seeing the hatchery.

We had not been prior to their redesign but the building was beautiful and clean. There is a decent size parking lot along with clean restrooms and helpful staff. There is not entry fee but there is fish food for purchase outside by the trout raceways for 25 cents (cash to coin machines located inside). We spent about an hour there and we took our time.

When you walk in you can see a few animals they have on display along with some fun facts about native species and the trout hatchery process. There is also a short 8 minute video they would play upon request that walks you through the history of the facility and what they do. Outside there is a large area with lots of trout. We spent about a dollar in fish food and had plenty of fun feeding the trout. We had been fishing for trout earlier in the day so it was super cool to see how the trout were raised and what the trout fee goes towards.

Near by there are public access to the shore of the lake (half mile or less walk depending on where you park) and they sell fishing licenses in the building. It a a nice walk to see the lake closer or go fishing (although there are special rules for fishing in the area but the front desk is happy to explain if you need help).

Would recommend if your in the area and looking to kill an hour for a...