Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary — Attraction in Liberty

Like most of the good reviews. I will say this place has great "potential" but clearly in need of new leadership because the issues reported are not even a funding issue. Trail signs? Local highschool woodshop will make them for free.

We attended for the Halloween fairytale forest event.

Tickets: they must be purchased online but you're not given a ticket simply proof of purchase. Because their using a terribly organized system and we purchased tickets day of we were not on the printed list (no proof of purchase isn't enough) we had to go to inside to managers desk for him to personally confirm our tickets. Next the walk- outside of the first 5feet it is not lit and nature is not managed at all. (sure you could say that's part of he atmosphere but if felt unsafe and we witness multiple people trip). Flashlights should have been provided- cheap dim filtered ones with even a sanctuary logo would have sofficed and care taken to the trail physically before night walks. During- the "fantasy forest" name comes from actors spread out on the walk (3) that are in animal costumes and give educational stories. These actors were cute/great. I do wish they gave candy to encourage kids to stop. Pumkins- there are 130pumkins and maybe 20%... Don't look like they were rushed and made by a child with arthritis. If these are made by children then represent them with signage (school name). If adults? Do better. Put effort. Have some deserving detailed ones on a pedestal to stop and appreciate.

At the end of the trail we were greeted by a candy bag and ask for donations from a nice worker. The man in charge came over interrupting the staff talking to us saying "so we will do the owl fly is at 8:00-815, if anyone wants it make sure you get $10"...clearly adamant about getting extra money and the worker just looked at him and said "it's 7:55.... I'll do what I can" and he ran off to cause more chaos leaving the worker to nervously ask us to go to the owl show.

If the end goal(which should be) is to bring more people to the nature sanctuary outside of events then the owl fly should be free and that's when donations are asked for if it's "spectacular".

In the end of felt like a terribly money grab and I simply felt sorry for the workers that who may be donating their time for the...

Ms. Sue and Ms. Marsha were so very kind and great during our homeschool field trip. Both ladies were gentle in their approach with the kids with the animals and took the time to listen to the children and gave the children confidence with the animals. They really did an excellent job since some of the kids were nervous about some of the animals. The short walk outside was the prefect amount of time for the weather today! The information was detailed and informative. All the kids enjoyed seeing cold blooded critters and everyone came away knowing more than when they arrived. These ladies get 5 STARS! However, after our program was over the kids were exploring the nature center and looking at the animals, snakes, fish, and rabbit. My 12 year old asked if she could hold the rabbit. Mr. Sandy's reply was unkind and rather harsh. He told her that she didn't know how to hold the rabbit the way he holds the rabbit or pick it up. He went on to tell her she could come up and clean the rabbit's cage once a week and then after a time he would show her the way HE holds the rabbit and he would TRAIN her on how HE picks up and holds the rabbit. A simple 'no, we don't let anyone hold the rabbits' would have been enough. Or he could have offered to hold the rabbit and let her pet it, like with the other animals they had been allowed to pet. This embarrassed her, and it hurt her feelings to be talked to in such a manor. No child should ever be talked down to like that. She was humiliated in front of her friends. She doesn't have any desire or interest to return to this place. We will not be back for this...

Nothing but love for Martha Lafite.

Our family has attended summer camps for years at MLTNS. The camps have always been exceptional for kids. It is really hard to find outdoor camps for kids that are strictly focused on nature vs church/scout camps. Kids today need camps like MLTNS more than ever because of society and parent's choices with screen time. This place is awesome for getting kids outside, learning to love and understand nature, interacting with other children, and experiencing all of this in such a wonderful place. The team there does an excellent job working with kids, running week long camps, single day camps, and activities all year. The indoor exhibits are great as well.

Some reviews were negative about signage, or trail conditions. Yes, some areas need some love but this is is not a Mo Dep of Conservation ran facilty with dedicated state funds and staff. They are doing the best they can with limited funds, with a ton of work to be done on site by just a few and could always use some volunteers to give back.

Our family loves MLTNS. Keep up the great work you are doing for the community. This place is fantastic and we are lucky to have opportunities like this for the...