Whether you are an experienced bird watcher or just beginning,this is definitely a place you want…read moreto visit . This huge nature preserve with visitors center offers bird exhibits as well as educational programs. We spoke to one of the employees who told us where to go to see various birds. You can walk the trails or drive around as there are numerous pull offs for picture taking. Plenty of parking as well as public restrooms and picnic tables. There is no admission fee but a small donation is suggested.

Do you love bird watching? If not, after a visit to Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, it may be…read moreyour new interest and hobby. There's 3,700 acres of diverse conversation land and 1,200 of wetlands, making it perfect for all types of birds. 60% of North American migrating bird species use the Mississippi River Flyway and they do it with no TSA or Flight Controllers. On any given day, you'll have a chance to see a variety of waterfowls including; Pelicans, Swans, Geese and Ducks. You'll also get a glimpse of, Herons, Egrets and Ring Necked Gulls. During the colder months, like January and February, you will definitely get to see an American Bald Eagle. In addition of bird watching, you can enjoy one of the many trails for hiking and biking. The staff from Audubon Center and the US Army Corps of Engineers are on site and can ask any questions you may have. I recommend that you get out and not only explore nature, but enjoy it too.

We had such a great time at Stark Caverns! Brielly was a great tour guide and made the whole…read moreexperience fun and educational. The caves were beautiful and we got some really great pictures. We learned a lot throughout the tour and it was a great experience for the whole family. We especially loved the complete darkness experience and the black light portion of the tour. Those were definitely some of our favorite parts. Overall, it was a really fun tour and we are so glad we went. I would definitely recommend Stark Caverns for families!

Genuinely cool cave. There are algae fossils in there from when Missouri was underwater millions of…read moreyears ago, which is a wild thing to stand next to. Sadly our guide Macy was less "passionate cave enthusiast" and more "reciting a script she's said a thousand times and stopped listening to herself." I still don't know how this part of Missouri used to be an ocean based on the tour. She gave the exact same intro four separate times. Not because groups were bumping into each other, just straight up robot mode, probably from also trying to work in the photo package pitch every single time. Ask a follow up question and you'd get a shrug dressed up as an answer. A kid asked about a mineral and got a confident "nope, not that" immediately followed by "I'm not really a gem expert," which, ma'am, pick one. Nobody could tell us where all the clay that used to be in the cave went (there's a lot of water now after the excavation), how the bootleggers pulled off their operation, or whether the cave's ever taken earthquake damage. Also they sell alcohol at the gift shop right before you head into a dark cave, which feels like a liability seminar waiting to happen. What indigenous tribe did the skeleton remains belong to? How did you know it was an indigenous person(s)? What is the difference between an arrowhead and a spear, and when did those relics be given to be on display? She said the stairs were built by child labor because there are child sized handprints in the concrete, but provided no evidence of truth or why. Was it his 18 kids? No one knows. At least it was cool inside while the weather was hot outside. The cave has a story to tell. Macy just wasn't the one telling it. Would recommend the cave, would not recommend Macy. She already told us she's had a bad Yelp review, and I'm sad to say I understand why.

Want to know more about the history of Grafton? If so, this is the place to start learning. They…read morecan also give you advice on where to shop, dine and drink in Grafton. You'll see the GVC on the right side of the road as you enter Grafton coming from Alton. Stop in, chat with the staff and learn how to keep it LOCAL.

Pere Marquette is the place to experience the beauty of fall foliage. The rich colors of; orange,…read moreyellow and red on all the trees makes it a sight to behold. Enjoy the colors by walking/hiking the many trails. You can get real adventurous and go horseback riding. Or be like me and sit on the deck at the lodge and enjoy a bottle of wine while enjoying the beauty of nature. No matter the season, you cannot go wrong exploring the 8000 acres of Pere Marquette State Park.

Nice park with great scenery. Been up here for Eagle Watching while a kid. They had a giant human…read moresized chess board in the lodge, not sure if it still exists.

My wife and I went to hike / walk on the lakeside trail. The path is nice and quiet. There were a…read morefew others on the trail but otherwise was peaceful for us. It took us 1 1/2 hours to complete the trail. Looks like you can fish on the dock or by boat at the boat ramp. There is a swimming cove for the other side of the entrance. The trail is quite easy and is clean of debris. I would like to come back in the late summer/ fall to see the tree leaves!

I'm impressed by how huge this place extends to-rivers and forests and trails and everything. It's…read moredefinitely a nice getaway for nature, to go for a stroll and such. So why am I giving this place three stars? The camping service here is a little........rather......special. The cabins were of filth, and the showers there are mucky and there is rust, splotches of?? random muck everywhere in every corner of the bathroom. Not to mention the ants everywhere plus other bugs. Not even during night time. Don't even think about testing the theory yourself, just stay away from the camping experience. Other than that, I would reccomend this park to those who want a nice afternoon maybe enjoying the cool breeze, staring at flowers and other wildlife outside or go biking. It's pretty beautiful!

Love this little Welcome Center, has a nice little section of Goods for sale on side, it reminds me…read moreof an old general store. The other side is full of Town information and section on history of Temples. The Operator of the Welcome Center, Steve is a wealth of knowledge, about Mormon history and the town of Nauvoo, most important though he is a Christian Disciple, advocating for our Savior Jesus Christ!! A Christian Center in Nauvoo, for those who don't understand how Incredible this is, take a trip to The Nauvoo Welcome Center and see for yourself!

Love all of the Missouri State Parks!! They're easy to access and have so much to see. As an…read moreoutdoorsy person, and wildlife photographer, I can take out my camera and shoot all day!

We went to the Cuivre River state park today to celebrate the gorgeous (albeit unusually) cool…read moreweather for July in Missouri. As it was our first time here, we stopped by the ranger's station to pick up a map and inquire about the location of a couple good swimming holes. A nice lady told me about the Lincoln lake trail which has a swimming beach and a boat dock. She also clued me in to the Big Sugar Creek which is smaller, and more for wading. When we stopped by the swimming beach, it was pretty crowded. Really nice beach, though, with landscaped grass all around the sand too. We opted to cruise over the lake trail until we found a more secluded spot. You won't find the buzz of speedboats here, only on-board motors can be used on boats. Nice old people like to fish here, and it is very quiet. Next time we'll probably check out the river itself, and I'll update my review then.

I grew up coming here and it's one of my favorite places to bring people from out of town. The…read moretrails are super well kept, there is lots of different pad options for longer shorter walks, and you get a fabulous view of the Mississippi river from not very far into a walk The parking is pretty easy. They have a large gravel lot you can park in. I mostly come here for hiking trails, but when I was a kid, I came here for summer camps and it was always blast. I know they do fun events for kids, like a Halloween event, and those are super cute. If you're looking for a great hike, I would recommend coming here

This place is great for kids. They have summer camp each year for young kids. My daughter did the…read morepre-k week long day camp two years in a row. They also have a lot of weekend group hikes and camps for kids.