My grandson enjoyed his experience so much at Curious Minds. It was his first time to experience…read moreit! The facility is very clean and well put together! All children should get to visit this place!!

Great center for kids of all ages! We will be back. Ages, 10, 9, 2! Wish we lived closer!read more

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!

Always a fantastic place in Joplin to visit. Always something new to see or someone new to meet…read more I'm always greeted very kindly with the staff and volunteers. The whole facility is very clean and up-to-date. And the classes they offer are always changing and offering a pretty good variety for everyone.

Great place to see a variety of art and is always having new exhibits. They also have art classes…read morefor any age. My kids love Creation Station every Tuesday!

Wow! If you are a person who loves Precious Moments…read morefigurines, you will be filled with amazement when you see this. Also, if you are a person who has always felt a little creeped out by Precious Moments figurines, you probably will also be filled with amazement. Highly recommended this site for anyone who has feelings of any kind about Precious Moments. A little hard to find. Free (donations accepted). There is a gift shop - it was closed for inventory when we went, so that saved us money, I'm sure. The young ladies who were in the chapel to welcome us were so, so nice. It is really something special...something precious, in fact.

This was a major bucket list item of me and I finally got here! I am not a religious person but…read morethis was beautiful and moving. My mom, who passed away in 2018, was a Precious Moments collector so it was really interesting to learn about them. I will say the one disappointing thing was that the museum was closed. I knew this going in however; as I believe it was stated on their website. The staff is nice and extremely knowledgeable. They were all so helpful. This place is completely free which is always nice. I would definitely come back and would recommend.

So, perhaps I'm a bit biased because we have the coolest Kid Museum at my home in Washington State…read more(Everett, to be precise), but my family found the Museum to be kind of meh. But, the front desk lady was dellightful and extremely personable. The thing that really stood out in epic-ocity was the bee exhibit. My granddaughter absolutely loved it. Everything else was kinda lackluster. However, honorable mention definitely goes to the Bed of Nails exhibit. It was a true bed of nails, with a pillow provided for comfort!! In conclusion, if you happen to be in Springfield, MO, give this place a visit. Otherwise, don't bother making a special trip, you could be disappointed.

Such a neat place. Every interaction with staff was positive! Yes some attractions could be updated…read moreor use some work, but overall this place is amazing. So many things for all ages.

Great way to spend an hour one of the reasonable prices attractions in the area. Lots of dinosaurs…read moreand stats and explanations to see the kittys that follow you on your journey makes it really fun too. They also have a theater with a couple videos of dinosaurs.

This place is for LITTLE KIDS. Let's temper our expectations with the price per person that you're…read morepaying. It's basically a warehouse with scale models of a ton of dinosaurs. There's a room that plays a dinosaur documentary from BBC and has a few replicas of skulls and eggs. That's it. That's the museum. It's a spot where little kids can see replicas of dinosaurs and be a little rowdy while they check out the animals. There's nothing interactive here so if you read no placards, sure you might be able to run through it in 5 minutes. I didn't even read all the placards or watch the entire documentary but my husband and I were still here for an hour. There is a small gift shop filled with toys, but again, this is not a world class museum, it's a little spot where you can get out of the bad weather, bring your small child and not have to worry about them being too loud in a museum. Visited December 2024

Just adding a few more photos from our trip to use ber village. Was an outstanding time. The…read morerestaurant had a fire right before our visit and it still looks like it's closed. We were trying to get back for the holiday lights but just not in the cards this year. Great value, excellent people.

We made a trip from CA to visit our long time friends who recently moved to the area…read more The food was freshly prepared. And very good. We had fried zucchini and calamari as an appetizer, the Ruben sandwich and fish and chips then the banana dessert with walnut ice cream. The waitress Tealy (sp?) was awesome. Very personable and attentive. We will definitely come back again.

Visited the aquarium at Bass Pro in Springfield, MO and was really impressed. It's much larger and…read moremore thoughtfully designed than I expected. The exhibits are immersive and well-themed, moving from local Ozark freshwater habitats to larger ocean environments, with clear educational signage throughout. The underwater tunnels and shipwreck exhibit were highlights, and the freshwater sections featuring native fish species were especially interesting. You can tell there's a strong conservation focus behind the displays, not just entertainment. Plan to spend a couple of hours to see everything comfortably. It's well maintained, clean, and suitable for both adults and kids. Definitely worth the stop if you're in Springfield or passing through.

Pretty much anything Johnny Morris does, he does it well.........and this place is no exception!…read more Made the trek to see the Aquarium, and this place is so much more than that. The whole experience is well planned, well laid out, and stuff for everyone to see.......It took a few minutes for our eyes to adjust to the darkness inside, but that was to be expected. Definitely worth making the trip here, and definitely a fantastic experience.

This was a nice break with a playground (three stories!) and walking paths as we explored Joplin…read more Cunningham Park was originally known as Cunningham Grove and was donated to the city by Thomas W. Cunningham, who was the mayor of Joplin at the time. Cunningham was a significant figure in Joplin's development, contributing to various sectors such as banking, mining, and philanthropy. In 1897, Cunningham donated eight acres of land to the city for use as a public park. The deed was officially dated on July 5, 1898, and the park was dedicated in the early 1900s1. Cunningham Park became the first park in the Joplin Parks System. Over the years, the park has seen many enhancements, including the addition of a fountain, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and picnic areas. The park was also a central location for community gatherings and celebrations1. Unfortunately, the park was destroyed by an EF-5 tornado in 2011, but the community came together to rebuild it. Today, Cunningham Park stands as a symbol of resilience and community spirit. We were here to walk around the park and to see The Miracle of The Human Spirit monument. [Review 2323 of 2024 - 392 in Missouri - 23337 overall]

Cunningham Park is a vast oasis of everything a city park should be. Sporting fields, trails, lots…read moreof playgrounds with nice equipment, water features, picnic and gathering facilities and a world class memorial garden. The Memorial garden is what caused me to visit and pay respect to those 161 Joplin residents that lost their lives to one of the worst tornadoes in American history. The garden consists of natural rock, sculptures, fountains, informational signage and a vast array of beautiful plants and flowers that are well maintained. The park was in the direct path of the tornado and offers great vantage points to see what was, what remains and what was rebuilt in the vicinity. My visit was during a slight rain shower with approaching storm clouds; which only added to the somber and reflective visit. A must see for anyone traveling in the vicinity of Joplin.