I had found these two ancient bridges, a throwback to a simpler time, years ago on a historic…read morebridge website. Realizing that they were the same ones I had seen pictures that a friend had posed his Shelby Mustangs on I had to go. The first visit was probably a decade ago and I brought brought my kids. We drive over the fiirst, but walked out onto the second as my truck exceeded the 3 ton weight limit. We threw rocks at the ice below and had a great time. Today was a warmer day and my wife and I finally got to go. Same thing as before walked onto the second as the weight limit is still the same. Being near 70° it was a great day to go for a walk.

When you have an extra hour or so in the Lake of the Ozarks, check out the Swinging Bridges. This…read moreis a completely free activity for all ages. Make sure to take pictures as well as a video. Your friends and family will not believe you traveled over these unusual bridges. The larger of the two bridges is known at the Grand Auglaize Swinging Bridge. It is a metal wire suspension bridge built in 1922 by Joseph A. Dice. The length of the structure is 500 feet. The main length span (wooden plank section) is 414 feet long. One of the scary factors is the Bridge is only 12 feet wide. The second smaller bridge is known at the Mill Creek Bridge. It was built in 1925 and is 135 feet in length. This Bridge is 11.1 feet wide. Take time out and explore these truly "hidden" treasures.

This is one of the best parks in Missouri! The lodge is interesting but not particularly…read moreoutstanding. But the park itself is very nice with very many trees and really nice places to have picnics. There is also a basic gym area for the children and those who have decided not to grow up completely. We are losing our places to just be out in the trees and fresh air and just relax! This is one of the best places left.

Unfortunately I did not get to tour the Lodge, since reservations must be made 24 hours in advance…read moreand I didn't do my proper research until the night before driving to Sedalia. The Lodge is quite striking from Highway 65 and the view of central Missouri is beautiful from the patio. I'm pretty sure that the experience would be so much enjoyable if I had been able to enter the mansion instead of just reading about it's interesting history. Even if you don't have a reservation go check out the view and what little you can see; it's only about a 3 minute drive off of US65. A cool and unique addition to the Missouri state parks system.

Always so nice going for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. My kids and dog have always enjoyed it…read morethere also. The natural arch is there if you go the right direction. Haha

This was a fun outing. We spent two or three hours here on this hike with kids 3-6, parents, and…read moregrandparents and we all were able to walk the trail. However, it is steep and narrow in places and you do go down quite a distance to the creek and you have to ascend back to the parking lot. It might be too much if you're not sure-footed. There no bathroom facilities, (at least in April) so stop at the gas station a few miles before. The bridge itself is large and we were able to walk under it to the other side. The creek was very low while we were there. The water was very clear, you could easily see the bottom of the river bed. Since the creek was low, there was a lot of exposed river rock that the kids thoroughly enjoyed picking up and throwing into the water. They had a fantastic time and slept all the way back home in the car.

A free gallery of local history and Missouri fine art from the past is inside the historical…read moresociety on campus, and there is also art displayed on the walls in the halls. I learned that Brad Pitt went to Mizzou! It is a small collection, but it works well together, with multiple pieces by the same artists. Stop by if you are on campus. It is in the same building as the library, but with a different entrance.

I have enjoyed having this art gallery/library/archive in my backyard, but I never really used it…read more I mean, it was only for folks researching their geneology or something, right? Well, when it came time that I needed to do some digging around for local Missouri lore related to square dancing, I did a little checking on their website and as Emeril says, BAM!, they cooked up exactly what I needed. The best part was, it was free. I mean, I guess my taxes are paying for it, but the folks who work there are really helpful, they actually seem like they want to assist me, and they had all this equipment for me to use when I needed to listen to some cassette tapes and even some reel-to-reel audio. Of course, there were some weird things I had to get used to. No pens. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zed. But I could carry around electromagnets, no problem? Anyhow, that being said, I had to get used to other archivist rules (keep everything that was in a folder, actually keep it in the folder). But since they deal with one-of-a-kind stuff, and they don't want to lose anything, this makes sense. I wish I had a reason to delve into their archives earlier, now this place is on my list whenever I have any inkling to learn something about Missouri history.

This is so cool! A working Stonehenge, plus other features of tracking sun and eclipses. Truly an…read moreamazing engineering feat. Would love to come back at the equinoxes.

RollaMO-USA continues to be an amazing/growing/thriving community which I've known most of my…read morelife--I was born here almost seven decades ago! It is the seat of Phelps County, and is located halfway between St. Louis and Springfield on old 66/current I-44. I recently returned for the 50th reunion of my class of 1974, Rolla High School. Besides being an important train stop in the 19th century, it was also where a premier mining school--Missouri School of Mines (MSM), which later became University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR), and is now Missouri Science & Technology (MS&T)--continues as one of the most cutting edge schools in the nation if not the World. In fact, there is a substantial international student body in attendance coming from all corners of the globe. One aspect of the internationalism is another replication of the still beguiling/scientific Stonehenge; the original, of course, is in England and rather dwarfs this imitation. However, that original is literally unapproachable without paying the required entrance fee, and one can still NOT make actual contact with those bewildering stones due to artificial barricades! Here in Rolla, on the Northwest edge of campus on Business I-44/Bishop Avenue/old 66 (adjacent parking lot on St. Patrick Lane) is a historical mini-monolith that is FREE and super-accessible! When I attending the reunion in mid-October 2024, my "FrankenBike" was my mode of transport, classes were not in session on Saturday and I had it all to myself, very up close & personal. It was great, definitely is on my coveted "¡Wheel of Approval!" list.

Uh yes! If you happen to be in Arrow Rock for any amount of time, definitely stop by the…read moreinformation center which is also a pretty incredible little museum of artifacts from the town's rich native american roots and beginnings as a salt manufacturing site. I loved it. We plan on returning to this town for some festivals and in-season tours soon.

Are you interested in seeing one of the largest Burr Oak trees in the US? You can see a stellar and…read moremassive Burr Oak tree on the outskirts of Columbia called the McBaine Burr Oak Tree. This spot is wonderful for picnics and for getting family photos. The tree is right next to one of the Katy Trail entry points and Eagles Bluff Conservation area. This is truly a massive tree that you should check out next time you are in the area!

An architectural relic and scenic walkway over the Osage River; the Joe Dice Swinging Bridge is a…read morecool little pit-stop when visiting the Truman Lake area. Originally a vehicle toll bridge, it has been converted into a pedestrian walkway connecting downtown Warsaw to a park on the opposite side. Adjacent to 7 hi-way, it is easy to find.

Big nest is a bonus! Nice bridge and walkways/paths. Warsaw MO - go hit the dam as well.read more

Located on the Historic Route 66, there Devil's Elbow Bridge brings in tourist and road trips…read morelooking for history and scenic sights. It is located practically in the middle of nowhere, over the big Piney River, and offers a great photo opportunity. Heads up: lots of winding, hilly roads to get there so not for those easily car sick. It's a steel truss beside that was built in 1923 and the bluff views surrounding it are one of Missouri's 7 Scenic Wonders.