Somber memorial in a park…read more The Memorial was erected in honor of of the citizens who perished during the tragic tornado that ripped through Joplin MO on the evening of May 22, 2011. The category EF-5 rated multiple-vortex twister devastated Joplin and killed 158 people. All their names were inscribed alphabetically by last name on the plaque. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947 causing billions in damages. The tornado was a mile-wide wall of black swirling wind... I couldn't even imagine. It's so sad. There were 1,150 injuries caused by the tornado as well. Next to the memorial is a fountain enclosed by a white fence. It was a little tricky to find it but near the children's park parking lot you have to go down a small slope and you will see the small memorial. It wasn't immediately visible to the eye as we were driving to look for it. Review #1950

My Alltime MLB Player The "Commerce Comet" Mickey Charles Mantle!!!…read moreYes I added this to my Bucket List and Now I have done it Folks!!! Wow Small time Boy makes it to Big Ole New York City and becomes a Baseball Legend. Just think it started here in Tiny Commerce Oklahoma!!!

Stopped here on our way out of town. It's a fun place to stop and realize you're in different…read morestates at one time (the girls thought that was super cool). Definitely worth a stop! Only reason I gave it 4 stars is because you almost don't realize it's there and not much signage.

I've been in two states at the same time before. That's easy. I've been in the east and the west at…read morethe Royal Observatory in London https://www.yelp.de/biz/royal-observatory-greenwich?hrid=1QtILqtPjHye7oSXzIIR_w. I've not been in four states at the same time I didn't make it to the four corners https://www.yelp.com/biz/four-corners-monument-teec-nos-pos?uid=hWDybu_KvYLSdEFzGrniTw but now I can say that I've been in THREE states at the same time! Located where the Oklahoma Turnpike crosses over into Missouri and that's conveniently next to Kansas as well. It's ten minutes to get off the highway, drive around the roundabout and then go about a half mile down a dirt road. Circle around at the end and park near the big stone tower. Oklahoma and Missouri and Kansas. Pretty neat and worth the detour. Note that the road and the marker are not illuminated at night. [Review 16287 overall - 109 in Missouri - 1793 of 2021.]

Roaring river is a great place! they have bathrooms electric access a Hatchery that YOU CAN SEE!!!…read moreif you love fishing it's definitely for you accessible docks and swimming area nice scenery and cheapish

Super clean! Great hike even with kids ages 3-9! The caves were cool, stream was fun as well!read more

My wife knew that Bonnie and Clyde spent time here in Joplin. What she didn't know was that the…read moreactual place is still standing. So we stopped by to check it out! They were here for nearly two weeks in 1933, resting and planning. It ended in a violent shootout where two police officers were killed. In the quick escape, the crime due left behind personal belongings, including a camera with undeveloped film that later provided iconic images of Bonnie and Clyde. The apartment was built around 1927 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Yes, it's a real place and real people live here so be respectful of the private property. Still, you can walk around the front of the exterior. [Review 370 of 2025 - 429 in Missouri - 23932 overall]

We found the apartment was a little hard to find but a great place to find a part of our history…read moreand was nice to have the house on the National Register, we didn't go in but the building looks to be in good shape .

We LOVE little museums like this! Lots of great mineral displays. Really nice. Upstairs are some…read moremodels of mining history - what my daughter and I were completely enthralled with were vintage panoramic group photos of the miners. Literally could have spent hours here, though for the record we are super nerds. Then, there's another wing of the museum that is all about Joplin history. But as a bonus this also includes the National Cookie Cutter Museum! Who knew? Loved it here. Staff was super friendly and helpful. I think admission was $5, a great bargain!

What a fun little pit stop we made here! This museum isn't just about Minerals and Rocks. We did…read moreenjoy that part and even learned several new things. However it also has a cookie cutter museum inside which is adorable! Bonus you get to take a cookie cutter home for free! So many fun things to look at and it's only $5. You could stay for hours! Highly recommend!

Beautiful place. Local Landmark and point of interest. A great place to walk or ride a bike…read more Usually a lot of wildlife including ducks, geese and occasionally a bald eagle can be seen in the area.

Wandering across western Kansas, I happened upon this incredible piece of machinery. Operated from…read more1963-1974, this is still the largest electric shovel in the world with a 90 cubic yard bucket. Pictures don't do the size of this any justice. They even let you climb inside, wander through, and sit in the operator's chair. There is a nice little museum with lots of great information. I had no idea there was (and still is) a very large coal field running under the middle of the country. A great piece of history, well preserved and worth a detour if you are in the area.

I knew this thing was going to be big but it wasn't until I spotted it soaring over the treeline…read morethat I understood. Oh, and it's a little below grade. Big brutus is a Bucyrus-Erie model 1850B electric shovel. Yes, electric. Massive powerlines would be fed into this monster so that it could clear "overburden" and make it possible for other, smaller devices to mine the coal. At 160 feet high and weighing 11 million pounds, the draw makes 15,000 horsepower and could lift 150 tons of coal. It is therefore the largest existing electric shovel on the planet. Open for climbing (the boom is since closed because of insurance limitations), you can go inside the operator's cabin, walk around the interior body and take selfies in the massive shovel or next to one of the huge crawler tracks. Look out over the lake in front of it - Big Brutus cleared all of that in its heyday before it finally shut down due to environmental concerns. The attached museum has other mementoes telling the story of local mining and there is a movie that shows the machine in action. [Review 19773 overall - 40 in Kansas - 745 of 2023.]

What a gem in little ole Ottawa county Oklahoma! If you've never been on a tour of the Coleman…read moreTheatre, it's a must see! I can't believe this was my first time. The history is fantastic! It's stunning inside. I hope to come back and see some kind of production in the future. They give excellent tours. Definitely check this out if you're cruising Route 66!

Absolutely Gorgeous!…read more This theater was built in one year by businessman George Coleman Sr. because he wanted vaudville to come to Miami, OK. That's pronounced "My-am-uh" The outside is notable. The inside is palacial. Gifted to the city by the decendant of the original owner, the city thought to knock it down. It was in need of restoration and the city did not have the funds. Local citizens banded together to save this theater from demolition doing repairs themselves, a little at a time as the money trickled in. Boy has that labor of love been worth it! The original 1928 Wurlitzer organ was sold after the advent of modern movies when it was no long necessary for live music to accompany films. During the restoration process a stranger overheard a conversation about locating the origial organ to reinstall it at the theater. This stranger knew who owned that organ! After much fundraising, the original organ is back in it's place. The theater has remained open through the years for vaudville, stars of stage and screen performed here, movies from silent era to today, community theater group performances and they host the local elementary school Christmas concerts. Volunteer docents give tours of the lobby and theater to visitors. There is no fee, but they accept donations toward continued restoration. Definitely worth a visit.

My friend and I were visiting the Neosho area this past weekend and took the time to drive out to…read morethe George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, MO. We are SO glad that we did! It is an amazing place, and we had a magical experience. I thought I knew about George Washington Carver, but there was so much that I learned during our time at the National Monument. Special thanks to the park rangers who were on duty during our visit: Matthew, who greeted us as we entered and answered our many questions about what to see and do (and gave excellent directions and recommendations!); Emily, a devoted entomologist who gave us a deep appreciation for jumping spiders (including one we encountered later in our visit!); and Katie, who led us in the activity in the laboratory (thank you for your infinite patience with all of us as we worked with the materials!). We took the walking trail out to the pond on the property and were enchanted by the stone markers with quotes from Carver placed strategically along the path. He was quite the sage, with so many wise observations of his time and fellow humans. The walking path winds through beautiful woods, and there are bridges crossing the two branches of the stream that flows through the area. There are also interpretive plaques placed along the path with vignettes from Carver's boyhood (these are echoed in the Visitor Center). The path is largely accessible, but there are areas around the pond that are dirt trails through the brush, so those with limited mobility may wish to talk with the National Park Rangers on-site for their recommendations. The Visitor Center is open and welcoming, with the main exhibits on the first floor; laboratory, young people's exploration areas, and the schoolroom replica on the second floor; and further exhibits on the lower level. We participated in an activity in the laboratory making peanut milk, and (even though we were probably the oldest people in the room) it was really fun! There is a picnic area adjacent to the parking lot, shaded by trees and surrounded by open grass. We saw several families enjoying a picnic lunch as the kids romped through the open areas. By the time we'd hiked the walking trail, browsed the exhibits in the Visitor Center, participated in the laboratory activity, and shared a picnic lunch, we were surprised to discover that we'd spent almost three hours at the monument. It was such an enchanting place that we honestly didn't notice the time passing! If a visitor is pressed for time, the area could be toured in about an hour and a half, but we recommend setting aside the time to experience everything the National Monument has to offer. It is exceptionally well-designed, and we left with a deep appreciation of George Washington Carver as a scientist, educator, and humanitarian. Many, many thanks to the National Park Service for providing such a lovely place to visit, at no cost, and for the wonderful park rangers who made it such a great experience!

Very interesting national park site! I didn't know that much about George Washington Carver going…read morein and feel like I learned a lot, well done. Great layout and easy to hit all the exhibits. There's a lovely 3/4 trail as well but due to the weather we weren't able to complete that. The ranger was super nice!! Lots of interactive activities for kids, too. It's free to get in, with a small gift shop, Well worth a stop if you're in the area.