Cute little gardens. Not sure worth the entry fee. We usually go for Christmas light viewing in…read moreDecember. The nathaniel Greene Park attached to it is free and full of walking trails and green spaces for picnics and a few playgrounds.

Small but super nice Japanese garden. Normally $6/adult but they accepted our reciprocal Missouri…read moreBotanical Garden membership which is a nice perk. A lot of the paths seem to have a drainage problem from the heavy overnight rains, but a small issue considering how nice the garden is. Very relaxing and pretty empty for a nice Saturday midday visit!

For our family reunion picnic my mom selected Doling Park family center which was pretty brilliant…read more We were inside a large air conditioned facility with a kitchen, nice clean bathrooms, attendants on duty who happily pitched in to help with group photos. The park is really big with plenty of outdoor activities. Doling Park is a Springfield gem. I would definitely keep Doling Park Family Center in mind for future activities.

Love this gym! Not only the great equipment "way better than the one on Republic", but also a few…read moreof the girls in child care. Some of the girls there go above, and beyond. Playing, and entertaining the children, and it's free! There's never usually a wait for machines, place is clean, and no "muscle head's." Awesome court to play anything you like from basketball, volleyball even badminton!.. They have a lot of free aerobic classes, and a fantastic pool area. I would give this place 5 star's, but what's holding me back , is they use paper towels for cleaning instead of cloth, and their vending machine doesn't have lot's of healthy options. Other than that. I love this place!

I had such a lovely time hiking here! Beautiful nature and great trails! Just know that summertime…read morebrings a plethora of ticks. Prepare dutifully, friends.

We reserved a 50 amp electric only camp site (the ones with water hookups were already reserved)…read morefor two nights at the Pittsburg campground. We initially ended up at the Hermitage campground (after dark pulling a 38' fifth wheel) and couldn't find out spot. There was a park ranger that was driving around and lead us to the Pittsburg site and we were thankful for his assistance. Filling the fifth wheel with water was easy as the water supply was located in a large area near the entry. Check in was a breeze as it was done with your mobile. I do wish the campsite itself was longer and had more parking. The site barely fit the fifth wheel and truck on the paved area and there's no parking in the grass, so we had to park our second vehicle near the entrance with available parking. Backing in a fifth wheel in a pitch-black campsite is always fun, but thankfully it only took 1 try. The site had a covered picnic table and lots of shade which was nice. Out site was a bit far from the bathhouse so it was a trek to shower/use facilities. We used the camper most of the time, but without water hookup, tried to use the water in the tank more sparingly for dishes and cooking. There was a nice little playground area with equipment for the kiddos. The beach was nice sized and some had trees so you didn't burn up in the sun. If you hit the beach, bring water shoes because it's very rocky and they are sharp. For $25 a night, I was satisfied with the campground and enjoyed the time with my family.

A natural mineral spring park hidden along S C Hwy. Now known as Fair Haven Spring or Fairhaven…read moreSprings, but was also formerly known as Connelly Spring. Historically, this was once a Mineral Spring Spa location with hotel accommodation and baths that took advantage of the springs in the early 1900s when Mineral Springs gained popularity as resort destinations. Now it is a small Community park, maintained just lightly enough that you can walk through it and still partake of the natural mineral springs that have been carved out with bathing steps. A little piece of history to be found in what feels like the middle of nowhere. Bring your own cup to try the mineral springs, or just cup your hands for a sip and face splash.

Cute little park near North Park Mall in northern Joplin. Small, flat trails for getting steps in…read moreand taking the pupper for a walk. There is a picnic area and playground - definitely give off the feeling of a nice family-friend park.

This is a great park. It has swings and two play sizes of playground equipment, one for the little…read morekids and one for the bigger kids. They have Outdoor grills and a covered area for birthday orator and get togethers. We have had a couple kids birthday parties there and it was great. They do have restrooms but like any outdoor park, they are not very clean. They also have a long walking path, a tennis court, and a large backstop for softball or baseball or just pitching practice. It's located right behind Toys-r-us but you have to take 4th street to get there so there is not much traffic. It's all FREE and pet friendly. Truly a great place to spend time with your family on a nice day.

I love this Springfield park perhaps most of all. I love to trot down here for a good run, and…read moreevery time I do, I feel like I see something new. I see birthday parties; I see families, couples, people walking their dogs; I see LARPers (look it up); I see potlucks; I see high school science projects; I see track teams; I see lone runners. This is a great place to see the Springfield community at their happiest and most relaxed. Not to mention it offers an impressive amount of amenities: a few tennis courts, a full playground, BBQ pits, a sprinking of permament art installations, and a very nice, covered communal area. This is a very old park, and the practicality of it paired with all the old stone work and giant Oak trees makes for a unique place to stop and unwind alone or with your favorite people/pets. A few other reasons why Phelps rocks: it's in a gorgeous, well-established neighborhood full of interesting and well-maintaned forever homes and it's right next to the beloved art museum. It also has a righteously awesome butterfly garden (you'll see it if you look in the direction of the museum from the park itself), and walking through it in the summer is legitimately like walking in a dream. It's quite lovely. One word of advice I can provide is that this park is also historically a not-so-good place to visit after nightfall, as most Springfield parks are. Get your recreational fix in before sunset and call it a day, unless you're with a group.

Phelp's Grove Park is always a winning park to hang out at, and I was most recently there for Yoga…read morein the Park. How perfect is Phelp's for that kind of thing? There is a concrete pad that fits dozens of people for the event. It was really perfect and I absolutely enjoyed myself and the Yoga. As for the rest of the park, there's a lot of room to run around and have fun for both kids and dogs, there are tennis courts and picnic spots, and you just really can't go wrong with an art museum bordering one side.

Cute little farm park. Fun little playground for kids approx 5-10 yoa. You can pet goats and cows…read moreand pigs (if they are cooperative in their pens). They have space to rent for parties (ac provided) but be prepared for barnyard smells. Lots of festivals thru the year hut Halloween is the big one where you can pick a pumpkin from the patch. Fishing available only for kids at a certain age so check their website. Free to get into park. Plenty of parking.

The pricing is like a bad carnival. Tickets for every attraction and random ticket count per each…read moreone. Nothing special and overpriced.

Perfect place for long runs, I love the Galloway town area and the rivers on the way. If you like…read moreto run then you need to try this place

Fun little park with rocks to climb. Sadly the cave was closed but we were still able to climb…read morearound above it. It looked like there were some small trails too but we did not follow them

I lived in Kansas City for several years, and this was my favorite weekend trip. It's a great…read moreplace to appreciate the beauty of the dwindling natural prairie, and the roaming buffalo are a treat this far east. It's not a huge park, you could hike the entire thing in one day. The "campground" is a tiny two sites & vault toilet, but this often means you have the place to yourself. If you don't want to rough it and/or prefer to sample some great fried chicken, Pittsburg, KS, is a short drive away.

Off the beaten path definitely describes this State Park located not far from the Kansas border. I…read morestumbled across Prairie State Park while storm chasing and loved the solitude it provided. There is nothing quite like standing in the middle of a tall grass prairie with supercell thunderstorms all around you and you can see the gusts of wind move the grass in giant waves. While many of you will not visit in the middle of a storm chase, it's definitely a beautiful place. The small but info packed visitors center has limited days of operation, check the website before heading out there if you want to go inside it. And yes they have a herd of buffalo that sometimes you can see. Sometimes it seems the prairie swallows them up. But if you get to see them it just seems like an ideal setting for the experience. They have trails that are worth a walk. Bring your own water, don't assume you will find any at the visitors center. Naturally, 4 Stars.

Very nice state historical site with picnic area, restroom, and groomed half-mile courage trail…read moreloop through the field. Open sunrise to sunset, with plenty of reading material about the Battle of Island Mound and Toothman Property.