Great little park for free. Spent many a day at this park when my kids were younger and it was…read moretheir favorite park. Lots of trails and a cute pond. Several play areas. This park is connected to the Greenway Trail system

This is such a great hidden gem in Springfield. My children love going to the butterfly house and…read moreall the different playgrounds and children's areas. It's also a great place to see people with their dogs are flying kites. Such a wonderful nature area and the people working there are always so kind.

The community center is closed but you can play at the playground and they also have frisbee golf 9…read morehole. But no bathroom. So go before you come.

Perfect place for long runs, I love the Galloway town area and the rivers on the way. If you like…read moreto run then you need to try this place

It's really nice to and hang out and look at the caves and water! Just never go at night!read more

I love this Springfield park perhaps most of all. I love to trot down here for a good run, and…read moreevery time I do, I feel like I see something new. I see birthday parties; I see families, couples, people walking their dogs; I see LARPers (look it up); I see potlucks; I see high school science projects; I see track teams; I see lone runners. This is a great place to see the Springfield community at their happiest and most relaxed. Not to mention it offers an impressive amount of amenities: a few tennis courts, a full playground, BBQ pits, a sprinking of permament art installations, and a very nice, covered communal area. This is a very old park, and the practicality of it paired with all the old stone work and giant Oak trees makes for a unique place to stop and unwind alone or with your favorite people/pets. A few other reasons why Phelps rocks: it's in a gorgeous, well-established neighborhood full of interesting and well-maintaned forever homes and it's right next to the beloved art museum. It also has a righteously awesome butterfly garden (you'll see it if you look in the direction of the museum from the park itself), and walking through it in the summer is legitimately like walking in a dream. It's quite lovely. One word of advice I can provide is that this park is also historically a not-so-good place to visit after nightfall, as most Springfield parks are. Get your recreational fix in before sunset and call it a day, unless you're with a group.

Phelp's Grove Park is always a winning park to hang out at, and I was most recently there for Yoga…read morein the Park. How perfect is Phelp's for that kind of thing? There is a concrete pad that fits dozens of people for the event. It was really perfect and I absolutely enjoyed myself and the Yoga. As for the rest of the park, there's a lot of room to run around and have fun for both kids and dogs, there are tennis courts and picnic spots, and you just really can't go wrong with an art museum bordering one side.

Cute little gardens. Not sure worth the entry fee. We usually go for Christmas light viewing in…read moreDecember. The nathaniel Greene Park attached to it is free and full of walking trails and green spaces for picnics and a few playgrounds.

Small but super nice Japanese garden. Normally $6/adult but they accepted our reciprocal Missouri…read moreBotanical Garden membership which is a nice perk. A lot of the paths seem to have a drainage problem from the heavy overnight rains, but a small issue considering how nice the garden is. Very relaxing and pretty empty for a nice Saturday midday visit!

Such a great park with so many options for children, however they call their pickle ball courts…read moretennis courts. This came to a saddening surprise when I pulled up with tennis balls and rackets to find just a pickle ball court. Otherwise they have many double rimmed basketball courts and have something for everyone!

A concrete jungle, with etched pictures in some of the artworks that tell some of the tale of the…read morecity of Springfield. A lot of boxy shapes here and things to climb on but that doesn't mean that you should have your kids doing so. Concrete is hard, yo. It's interesting to see some of the old photographs and learn a bit about this wonderful city. They apparently have outdoor concerts here which would be interesting. [Review 643 of 2024 - 335 in Missouri - 21674 overall]

This park was Nice and clean! Went here for National Night Out! Parking was not a problem and it…read morewas easy to get in and out.

A nice atmosphere with peaceful landscaping in the community for true bliss portrayed smarter to…read moreattend animal maintenance

This is a small but enjoyable zoo. If you'd like to take a few hours to walk around and see a nice…read morevariety of wildlife, I recommend this zoo. Most of the zoo is easily walkable, pretty flat. There are also many benches scattered about for rest. Thus, it's very friendly to people of all ages and abilities.  A section leading to the elephant and bears has some hills and requires effort to walk, so if you'd like to avoid that, just skip those animals. The zoo has many peacocks that roam the grounds. You will have many opportunities to see them on buildings, fences or simply reading or walking, frequently with their feathers in full display. The train is best for children, as it simply goes in a circle around some water--it's not a tour of the zoo.