Our family recently vacationed in good old Branson, Missouri, USA. Of course, we partook of some main attractions – The Butterfly Palace, Dolly Parton’s Stampede and for the first time ever … Hurts Donut Company (which is in itself, an attraction in my book). We also decided to head on down the road to see the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, figuring that the children would enjoy feeding the trout there.
We really got our money’s worth and more at this place. Entry is free, but if you’re a Missourian, you’ve paid for this place through taxes already since it is under the auspices of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The “more” part includes an outstanding Conservation Education Center that featured lots of exhibits, including a two-headed snake, which my grandson found fascinating.
Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery
Set on 155 acres, the hatchery is well worth a visit, especially since it’s the biggest trout hatchery operated by the MDC in Missouri, producing between 350,000 and 400,000 pounds of trout, including rainbows and browns, each year. It is the only hatchery owned by MDC that raises both rainbow and brown trout. At least 80% of these fish get transported to nearby Lake Taneycomo. The rest go to some of the other trout management areas.
We arrived a few minutes before the opening hour (9 a.m.), and stood ready at the gate to view the outdoor fish holding tanks. You may purchase fish food in two locations from quarter-fed machines. I’d recommend taking a small bag or cup along to catch the food, unless you want to hold it in your hands. The grandkids really enjoyed feeding the fish at multiple places, and quickly learned that the fish had become quite accustomed to being fed by tourists. The grandkids would count down and throw the food in together, and watch the frenzied feeding by the fish for a few seconds. Signage throughout the site educates visitors on the practices in place at the hatchery for successful fish raising. Hatchery tours are available, too.
You will see mostly rainbows onsite, because according to an employee there, the browns don’t like the heat at all, and don’t fare as well as the rainbows in the tanks with the full sunlight. Therefore, they kept many of the browns under cover and indoors.
The Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery and Conservation Education Center
After a good walk around, and a chat with a friendly employee whose job it was to retrieve dead trout in a net, we meandered into the nearby Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Education Center. The new center, which opened in 2024, is at least 2.5 times as big as the old one, and contains a 7,500-gallon aquarium with some real lunkers swimming around. It also features exhibits of local wildlife, including turtles, reptiles and … something you don’t see every day – a two headed black western rat snake, named Tiger and Lily! It also offers an educational video that shows the story of how trout are raised nearby in the hatchery.
The Two-Headed Snake
The snake crawled from under someone’s deck in Stone County back in 2017, and the family decided to donate it to the MDC. An interesting story at KOLR Springfield, by Bill Tatum, September 23, 2025, states that the heads of the polycephalous (two-headed) snake have to take turns eating and that one head has to swallow before the other one can eat, since they share an esophagus. Another issue, and the main reason for the snake to remain in captivity, is that it would have problems slipping into cracks and crevices in the wild with that two-headed approach, and would be an easy target for predators. In fact, the Center held a birthday party for the snake last year, including crafts, photo opportunities and a snake theme for its guests.
What Else You Can Do Here
While onsite, you may enjoy 2.3 miles of trails, and one of them provides fishing access – so you may carry along your rod, reel and tackle. The site holds two picnic areas, available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and a concrete boat ramp that provides access to Lake Taneycomo. You can put in a canoe or kayak here, too, and float down to MDC’s Cooper Creek Access.
The drive to the hatchery is beautiful and you’ll get to see the lake and the dam. The hatchery and Conservation Education Center are located six miles southwest of Branson on Highway 165. All in all, it’s wonderful to be able to get outdoors and learn more about conservation efforts regarding trout and other wildlife in Missouri. It makes for a nice break from the paid-attraction scene in Branson.
Learn more about the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Education Center.
