My partner and I drove out here from Ballwin, about 1.5 hours away, with our dog when it was nice…read moreoutside one day. I wasn't expecting much, but wow, was it worth the drive! The water in the sanctuary area is soooo blue. I couldn't believe my eyes. We walked along that part first, then walked past the hatchery. It was so cool to see the trout in different stages of life. Dogs aren't allowed to swim in the sanctuary or hatchery, and since we have a lab who's obsessed with the water, we kept walking to reach a spot where she could at least touch it. Lots of people were fishing, so we kept walking until we found a spot where she could splash around. As you can see from the photo, she had a wonderful time. We kept her leash on and I'd recommend others do the same. We didn't want her to get caught on a fishing line or scare any fish away that people were trying to catch. We paid $5 to get into the park as we were driving in, and we were able to pay with a credit card. There was plenty of parking even though it was the weekend. Definitely recommend for a day trip from the STL area!

From Manchester, MO I can be trout fishing in 90 minutes. I wanted to make one more trip before the…read moretrout fishing season closes on October 31. First time catching a bluegill at this park. The leaves were falling continuously from the trees which made the experience more beautiful. We had a blast.

We were looking for a way to beat the heat, and decided on going to Stark Caverns. I hopped online…read moreto purchase tickets, and saw that we would need to purchase one for my 18-month old grandson also. Unfortunately, there were not enough available tickets for all three adults and him. I called out to the Caverns to explain the issue and ask if it would be okay. Matt, who answered the phone, said it would be no problem and to just go ahead and purchase the adult tickets. Upon arrival there was ample parking and it was a beautiful place. We headed into the gift shop and checked in for our tour and checked out all of their wares. Gracie led our tour of the caverns. She was so knowledgeable and just a sweet girl. The tour was a great way to spend part of the afternoon. Everyone in our tour group (ages 1-40+) really seemed to enjoy it! If you have some time to spare, you don't want to miss this family friendly, educational, tour.

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.

A small beach but very very well known to the surfing crowd and jolly plesant all round. They have…read morelifegaurds on duty for the summer months (not sure about the winter (I'd say it is blinkin freezen!). If you are of the camping and caravaning breed then you'll be happy to know there is a camp site right beside the beach, we just drove down for the day but the site looked clean and well catered for. Bring a packed lunch, dont, what ever you do, go to the Park Inn for so much as a glass of water!

5 stars because it is still here. There are picnic tables and a good sized parking area. It is…read moresituated in the median, in between the west and eastbound lanes. Interestingly, perhaps 30 or 50 miles east on I-44 is a rest stop also in the median. Access to westbound traffic only. But, I think the speed limit on I-44 is 70mph and at that speed it feels just unnatural to slow down in the fast lane to exit the highway! Anyway, the roadside park doesn't have that concern since the speed limit is in the 40's. It is a nice space with large trees and picnic tables. There is no fence around it so not a good place to take small kids who like to run to the edge of things. Just a few miles west is historic Waynesville and Roubidoux Springs - both places worth visiting.

Had a great time here!…read more Five friends and I went on an amazing hike and caught some great views! Took lots of pictures of the wonderful nature and wildlife! Would definitely recommend these trails!

We decided to venture out to a really cool state park while we are staying near Lebanon. There is…read moreno admission fee and you can park right next to the castle if you are mobility challenge, but we parked at a lower level and hiked up. I'll paved walkway, not a bad walk at all. I added the picture of the story of the Kansas City businessman that decided to purchase 5000 acres and build a castle here back in the early 1900s. You can read the story on that particular photo. The ruins seem well maintained, you are not allowed to walk in them, but you can get pretty close and take photographs. There are also several viewing platforms around the area, which gives you some pretty cool views of lake of the Ozarks. They do have pit toilet Bathrooms available. Beautiful place and can highly recommend for a historical visit as well as spending some time in nature.

Very pricey for what you get. After a big fee to get in everything costs. Tables are $55 minimum…read more You have to pay for life vests which are required in certain areas. Very rocky, very hilly. The bathrooms are porta-potties which is nasty. Just believe the price is steep for what you get.

SO AMAZING SO FUN! Great team and great people…read moreMusic was 10/10 Definitely worth the money I want to live here!

What an amazing way to spend my sisters birthday weekend! We had rented a house on the Lake of the…read moreOzarks and it was an amazing decision! We had the most amazing time with the most amazing views! The lake was beautiful and refreshing. The views were just breathtaking. We rented a boat for the day and had just an amazing time. I highly recommend coming out here for a nice long weekend with friends and to just enjoy the lake!

The Lake of the Ozarks was a very fun time. The lakes are very spacious so you can really have an…read moreadventure boating on them. Take a look a look at the map of them to see for yourself, we spent two hours and didn't come close to seeing all of it. Makes for not so boring scenery. The food was great around town, better than I expected. It wasn't too touristy, has an easy going environment. Driving around to each part isn't bad at all, all drives are pretty smooth. I would love to go back and explore some more areas, had a real fun time for my first time here.

Amazing, love this place so much we go here every summer. so fun, and I suggest going here.read more

My friend and I have gone to this pool several times this summer. The young men and women they have…read morehired to be their lifeguards truly take their job seriously. On one visit we witnessed a lifeguard during her break and on her own take a couple of bottles of water to an elderly gentleman waiting for his great grandchildren. It was very hot that day, it was not her job to do this but she did a try Hunan kindness. Today, we were in the pool and the group of lifeguards gave a little boy who is a regular at the pool a lifeguard t-shirt, and let him carry a lifeguard float around. The little guy just beamed with pride and happiness. Again they didn't have to do this, it wasn't in their job description, but they made a young boy very happy. He probably won't ever forget this day. You have an amazing group of young people working at your pool. You should be very proud!!

Wow it has been a decade since I went back to Bennett spring state park. This place looks the same…read moreoverall, which is good. Who doesn't want fresh air and a break from the hustle and bustle of the major city. This place has great fishing. You can see plenty of people trout fishing and all the trouts swimming in the clear water. Nature at its finest. If you are ever near Lebanon Mo, I definitely recommend to visit this great place if you are a nature lover.

Do not come here for tent camping. These campgrounds are not hospitable for tent stakes. We bent 5…read morestakes and spent two hours trying to find a spot that would work at our sight (310). The ground is full of rocks and gravel. We saw some people that were able to pitch their tents, but they were few and far between. I'd say it was 95% RVs, 5% tents. Additionally, come to find out that our sight was right under electrical lines, which is not safe to sleep under, and on a curve with no barrier protection. So your choices are sleep under the lines or worry that an irresponsible driver is going to run you over. We talked to the supervisor on duty who gave us the option to switch to a different sight that they keep open for these situations or get a refund on one of the two days we reserved (there were no other sights available here or any other local campgrounds). Checking out the alternative sight, we found that is was basically all gravel with a small patch covered in leaves. Who knows what was under them but it wouldn't have been big enough for our tent. We sat for a moment to decide what we wanted to do and a woman in an RV next to us came over and we find out her friend had reserved the sight but couldn't make it so she cancelled. So the sup fibbed in telling us they keep one sight open. In the end, we had to turn around and drive the 3.5 hours home. They need to update their site to advise if a sight is not pitch-able for tent camping. Oh also, there were way too many people fishing. Apparently this place is crazy popular and there's a fisherman every 5 ft or so. Does not make for a good time.