The BEST outfitter we've dealt with! Knowledgeable! Friendly! AND reasonable prices!!!…read more Perfect... Big River's not a fast river, but we had an AWESOME time!

I LOVE Washington State Park. I haven't been in quite some time so my boyfriend and I packed up our…read more4 kids and stayed in the cabins for a few days. From the minute we arrived to the moment we left we were met with hospitality, kindness, helpfulness and all done with a SMILE. I believe the man that runs the place is named Earl. Earl... YOU ROCK. The lifeguards at the pool were wonderful with one of my kids who was scared to go down the water slide. The lifeguard volunteered to go down it with her until she was comfortable with it. MO FUN PARKS and the people who run it truly enjoy their jobs. My family and I can't WAIT to go back and are already planning a fall season trip to the cabins!! See you all soon!!

A large park with lots of thugs to do, ranging from soccer/baseball, to walking and hiking trails,…read moreand even multiple playgrounds. The hiking trail is somewhat poorly defined though, and I ended up in someone's driveway at one point.

Hillsboro city park is rarely crowded. Always a good hiking spot, even though it could be longer…read more The kids enjoy all the space. I enjoy that it offers several places to play and hang out, even in a small town.

Ste. Genevieve National Historic Park loosely reminds me of Harpers Ferry, in the sense that it's…read morenot just one spot - it's an entire town where you can completely surround yourself in the history of the era by strolling the streets and looking at the historic buildings. It is the oldest permanent settlement in Missouri, originally French-owned post-Colonial contact, and it became part of the US as a portion of the Louisiana Purchase. There is some unique architecture to be seen, via a mix of National Park Service, local services, and some privately held properties. The Welcome Center is a must stop when you get into town, as this is the combined location where both the representatives of the National Park Service and local tourism are situated. They can answer questions and get you situated. It's also where you can watch the park film, see some exhibits, including a large and impressive diorama of the town in 1832, and find the gift shop and clean restrooms. The rangers also pointed us towards the location of a fun hands-on boat building activity with a ranger on the porch of one of the historic buildings that the NPS administers. It also has a nice parking lot available.

Disclaimer: This is more of a review of the fantastic people who staff the NPS and represent Ste…read more Genevieve, but contains good info for any interested in visiting or watching the Parked at Home talks about this national park. I'm a Providence transplant but after 25 years living in RI, I figured I knew a decent amount of the history around town and neighboring cities. I did not expect to learn so much about our own little Ocean State when tuning in to listen to a chat about what we have in common with a national park all the way out in Missouri. Before we get into any details, the hosts deserve so much credit for doing this, and they do a fantastic job presenting material that might be an educational lesson but felt more laid back. Although I didn't actually hear "Hey! we think this is neat, you probably will too", that's the atmosphere I feel. When people are passionate about something, it shows through in the energy they use when they get to share the things they care about. Our first host, Andrew, sets up the Blackstone river / Slatersville / Woonsocket history of New England mill life and Claire from Ste. Genevieve slides in to share history, parallels, and modern perspectives from out in Missouri. Andrew then jumps back in to connect a few more of the similarities with Rhode Island's immigrant roots and how they shaped modern institutions and the people they influenced. For being 1000 miles apart, the farming and mining lives of these early Americans were remarkably similar. A warning about a tough topic for kids, slavery is touched upon in a couple of spots. As critical and important as it is for me to hear and discuss with my own kiddo, it may be best for other parents to be prepared if making this a family listening experience. One thing I don't think I ever really visualized was the shifting nature of territories during this history. Claire offers a couple of maps that really gives a sense of how different influences shaped these regions and how it carries over into modern settlements. One of the things that I thought could have made the presentation a little more rich would be more images. Both hosts do offer shots of people and historic buildings, but with little info identifying them or their significance, I had hoped to see more in detail. We live in an age where we can explore any place from our couch, so to be fair, I suppose this is why they want us to get off the couch and go visit! Sort of related, for any of you Rhode Islanders out there with French Canadian roots, I definitely recommend checking out the Woonsocket museum Andrew references. And an inside tip from a food guy: Head to Ye Old English for lunch after, fish and chips is what they do. All told, good listen and unexpectedly entertaining, worth checking out others in the series if you are a history buff or scouting the next place to take the family for summer vacation. Blackstone NPS has its own YouTube channel with past parked at home talks, all about the same hour in length, and you can find this one here. I'll be tuned in to hear next week's live one on Thursday, can't ask questions from a pre-recorded video! Get an easy link from their socials or head to https://www.nps.gov/nature/parkedathomeseries.htm to sign up and learn more.

What a lovely little park! It's very well maintained. I spent the afternoon here with my 3 year old…read moreniece, who loved their playground perfect for ages 2-5. Ground was covered in recycled tire treads, and the play equipment was just her size. There were a few benches, a pavilion with picnic table, and porta potty nearby in the area where she played. There are also some fun and unique features: - there is a small but picturesque waterfall (a bridal party was taking photos while we were there) - there is a mini Statue of Liberty, how fun and patriotic! - there was also a war memorial with some remembrance benches Of course, there were also some typical park attractions like a (very hilly) walking path; gazebo; pavilions with picnic tables and grills; koi pond; basketball hoop; and shady, grassy spaces to enjoy and be one with nature. This is a small park, and park was either street side or in one of two very small lots. This is not a busy spot. If you come here, it's to enjoy some quiet time with a grandchild (or niece or kids!), have a small friend and family gathering, and relax in DeSoto's small town hospitality. They take good care of their parks!

My favorite De Soto park. A beautiful, small, hidden gem of a park. It's a little off the main…read morethoroughfare so not usually as crowded as Walter Park. The pavilion and landscaping are very nice. Highly recommended.

Picnic areas, three lakes for fishing, kayaking. A dog park available. A 2 1/4 mile paved trail…read morefor a walk or run. Three parking areas. A tribute area to veterans. Play area for kids and pickleball court.

This is a beautiful park with several fishing lakes, beautiful grounds and Pavillions…read more Unfortunately the OVER WEIGHT Park Attendant is EXTREMELY rude and on a Power Trip. And comes at people like it's HIS PROPERTY, when he thinks there is a problem. Talking down to GROWN MEN, twice his age!! I recommend visiting this park...as long as you avoid Tiny!

Paved trail. Office available. Open hike areas. Nice easy walking trail. Have a dog park …read more Very accessible from parking lot.

Located about 40 minutes from St. Louis City, you will find Kress Farm Garden Preserve. The drive…read moreis easy and fast (since it's all highway driving). There are a few signs when you turnoff the highway to let you know you are going the correct direction. The entrance is marked with an iron gate. When the gate is open, they are open. No dogs allowed since this is a Nature Preserve. When you drive through the compound, you will pass a pavilion and then reach the parking lot. There are several accessible parking spots first, then parking spots for additional vehicles. One of the employees (possible owner) greeted us in the parking lot, offered directions to the trailhead, and asked how we heard about their place. Very welcoming! Visitors can borrow walking sticks from the pavilion and return before leaving the property. They have several hiking trails that all begin at the same point. We hiked their Blue Trail since we wanted to see the caves on the property. The paths are all very well marked with colored plaques on the trees. The paths are cleared of excess grass, roots, weeds, which makes for a very pleasant hike. This trail went through a cypress forest, which smells like Christmas. After about half mile hike though the woods, there's an offshoot from the main path down to the cliff caves. There are 3 shallow caves to explore. The offshoot to the caves it a bit strenuous. Leave your stroller at the top of the hill. The offshoot added another .2 miles to the hike. They also have plant and vegetable sales on the weekends. Be sure to check out their Instagram @kressfarmgardenpreserve and website for up to date events. Bluebird trail: 2 miles Yellow trail: 3/4 mile Red trail: 1.2 miles White Trail 2.0 miles Blue Trail 1.0 miles

Not gunna lie kinda of sad that I'm writing this review, because it's such an unknown gem. Its not…read moreover flowing with hikers. This place is spacious when it comes to human contact. The trails are all well marked along all pathways, and color coded to the chosen trail. Benches to rest along the way on, or read.... as this bookworm did. It preserved by its keepers. Who manage it very diligently. They have gardens, nurseries, a cute little shop with bird houses and jellies and jams to purchase. They provide walking sticks for the trails as well. This place is truly grand. Thank you for a wonderful day.

This is a 1.3 mile hike up the side of the bluff. It is rated an extreme hike, once you get past…read morethe 50 plus stairs, you have to stop at the top and look out on the view. It is so pretty it keeps making you want to press on to see more. It was a great hike to the top, the path was very easy to follow. Coming down was a little extreme, pretty steep hiking back down. Great view, great workout and great way to spend an hour.