Missouri Parks and Outdoor Spaces
5/23/16
Ha Ha Tonka State Park Camdenton MO
I grew up in Camdenton so I have been to Ha Ha Tonka numerous times, even before it became a state park in 1978, and it is one of our favorite Missouri State Parks. This park is 3,700 acres on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks about five miles south of Camdenton. The park's most notable feature is the castle ruins, modeled after European castles of the 16th century, completed in the late 20s and burned in 1942. The park also features caves, sinkholes, and bluffs overlooking the lake. It is a prominent example of karst topography, which is geological formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock. A 70-acre portion of the park was designated the Ha Ha Tonka Karst Natural Area in 1981. Today, I visited with my mom and my son and his family. First we visited the castle and there was fencing around the ruins in many places due to falling rocks so there were only a few places where you could walk right up to the ruins. We walked around the ruins and out to the overlook above the lake then walked down to the water tower. Part of the group walked down the over 300 steps from the water tower to the spring while the rest of us moved the vehicles. The spring is my favorite spot in the park and is Missouri's 12th largest spring. We also walked around the island up to the balancing rock in this area. Our last stop today was the Natural Bridge/Coliseum area. We spent about 3 1/2 hours and walked over 4 miles. There were several other visitors today. We try to visit here at least once a year and I recommend this park!
Friday, May 27, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Missouri Parks and Outdoor Spaces
5/21/16
Roubidoux Springs Laughlin Park Waynesville MO
We had never visited this spring in Waynesville before. It ranked as #16 of Missouri springs and is a second magnitude freshwater spring with a daily flow of 37 million gallons. The spring discharges from the base of a rock ledge that has been capped by a large concrete wall, built to hold the road that passes over the spring. Spring water flows a very short distance before adding its waters to the Roubidoux Creek. A city park with trails and a board walk is around the spring. This was a stop on the Trail of Tears and there are several informational signs about the Trail of Tears. The large concrete wall detracted from the beauty of the area but was interesting to visit with the spring visible bubbling up from below the ledge. We parked at the first parking area and walked along the creek to the spring. There were several people here. The cave is a scuba diving site for certified cave divers but we didn't see any divers today. We spent about 20 minutes and walked 1/2 mile.
Meramec State Park 670 Fisher Cave Drive, Sullivan, MO 63080
This is another Missouri State Park we have never visited. It covers nearly 7,000 acres along the Meramec River and is about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis According to the website, the park was acquired by the state in 1927, then saw active development by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1933 and 1935. At that time, trails were laid out and numerous buildings constructed including a dining hall, recreation hall, concession building, and shelters.[6] Three surviving CCC-era structures were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985: the Meramec State Park Lookout House/Observation Tower,[7] the Meramec State Park Pump House,[8] and the Meramec State Park Shelter House.[9] In 1991, the Meramec State Park Beach Area Historic District was also added to the list.[10]The park has diverse ecosystems such as hardwood forests and glades. There are over 40 caves located throughout the park, the geology of which is a mixture of limestone and dolomite. The most famous is Fisher Cave, located near the campgrounds.
We were actually a little disappointed in this park. We enjoyed some of the historic buildings but the two trails we hiked were not pretty at all. The River Trail was a narrow, muddy trail that led through the woods with trees across the trail and so overgrown that you had to push through high grass. The trail did not travel along the river, rather led straight down to it and there was no view to speak of. We also traveled part of the Bluff View trail which was slightly better. The river was muddy and not very picturesque and with views of bluffs in a few places. We did not see the ironworks or the beach. There were a lot of people camping and a few people fishing. We picnicked here for lunch, drove through the park and looked at the river and hiked on two trails. We spent about 1 1/2 hours here total and spent 30 minutes hiking 1 mile. I'm sure we missed some things, but are not especially eager to go back.
5/21/16
Roubidoux Springs Laughlin Park Waynesville MO
We had never visited this spring in Waynesville before. It ranked as #16 of Missouri springs and is a second magnitude freshwater spring with a daily flow of 37 million gallons. The spring discharges from the base of a rock ledge that has been capped by a large concrete wall, built to hold the road that passes over the spring. Spring water flows a very short distance before adding its waters to the Roubidoux Creek. A city park with trails and a board walk is around the spring. This was a stop on the Trail of Tears and there are several informational signs about the Trail of Tears. The large concrete wall detracted from the beauty of the area but was interesting to visit with the spring visible bubbling up from below the ledge. We parked at the first parking area and walked along the creek to the spring. There were several people here. The cave is a scuba diving site for certified cave divers but we didn't see any divers today. We spent about 20 minutes and walked 1/2 mile.
Meramec State Park 670 Fisher Cave Drive, Sullivan, MO 63080
This is another Missouri State Park we have never visited. It covers nearly 7,000 acres along the Meramec River and is about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis According to the website, the park was acquired by the state in 1927, then saw active development by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1933 and 1935. At that time, trails were laid out and numerous buildings constructed including a dining hall, recreation hall, concession building, and shelters.[6] Three surviving CCC-era structures were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985: the Meramec State Park Lookout House/Observation Tower,[7] the Meramec State Park Pump House,[8] and the Meramec State Park Shelter House.[9] In 1991, the Meramec State Park Beach Area Historic District was also added to the list.[10]The park has diverse ecosystems such as hardwood forests and glades. There are over 40 caves located throughout the park, the geology of which is a mixture of limestone and dolomite. The most famous is Fisher Cave, located near the campgrounds.
We were actually a little disappointed in this park. We enjoyed some of the historic buildings but the two trails we hiked were not pretty at all. The River Trail was a narrow, muddy trail that led through the woods with trees across the trail and so overgrown that you had to push through high grass. The trail did not travel along the river, rather led straight down to it and there was no view to speak of. We also traveled part of the Bluff View trail which was slightly better. The river was muddy and not very picturesque and with views of bluffs in a few places. We did not see the ironworks or the beach. There were a lot of people camping and a few people fishing. We picnicked here for lunch, drove through the park and looked at the river and hiked on two trails. We spent about 1 1/2 hours here total and spent 30 minutes hiking 1 mile. I'm sure we missed some things, but are not especially eager to go back.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Missouri Parks and Outdoor Space
5/14/16
Roaring River State Park 12716 Farm Road 2239, Cassville, MO
We have visited a large percentage of Missouri's state parks but we had never been to this one. This park is over 4,000 acres and is 8 miles south of Cassville in Barry County, 1 1/2 hours southwest of Springfield. The area was formerly a resort community and was established as a state park in 1928 and is one of Missouri's oldest state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps/CCC and the Works Progress Administration/WPA workers helped develop the park in the 1930s and many of the structures and trails they built are still in use. There is a lot of striking stone work in the historic lodge and other buildings, walls and steps, and fish hatchery.
This park has a fish hatchery which produces rainbow trout and fishing is one of the most popular activities. Today was the annual Kids' Fishing Day with many activities and live Bluegrass music. There are seven hiking trails, a nature center, a swimming pool, campgrounds, cabins and a modern inn. On Friday nights in the summer they have concerts at the amphitheater.
Roaring River Spring is the 20th largest Spring in Missouri with an average output of 26 million gallons of water a day. The spring is at the base of a limestone cliff and there is cavern beneath the spring. There is a smaller spring at the top of the cliff that creates a small waterfall that falls into the main spring.
We hiked three of the seven trails, walked along the river, explored the fish hatchery and historic buildings, and visited the spring. This was a beautiful park with a lot of diverse and interesting geologic features and we really enjoyed our visit. We spent four hours and walked about 6 1/2 miles. We picnicked by the river before we left. I highly recommend a visit to this Missouri State Park.
5/14/16
Roaring River State Park 12716 Farm Road 2239, Cassville, MO
We have visited a large percentage of Missouri's state parks but we had never been to this one. This park is over 4,000 acres and is 8 miles south of Cassville in Barry County, 1 1/2 hours southwest of Springfield. The area was formerly a resort community and was established as a state park in 1928 and is one of Missouri's oldest state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps/CCC and the Works Progress Administration/WPA workers helped develop the park in the 1930s and many of the structures and trails they built are still in use. There is a lot of striking stone work in the historic lodge and other buildings, walls and steps, and fish hatchery.
This park has a fish hatchery which produces rainbow trout and fishing is one of the most popular activities. Today was the annual Kids' Fishing Day with many activities and live Bluegrass music. There are seven hiking trails, a nature center, a swimming pool, campgrounds, cabins and a modern inn. On Friday nights in the summer they have concerts at the amphitheater.
Roaring River Spring is the 20th largest Spring in Missouri with an average output of 26 million gallons of water a day. The spring is at the base of a limestone cliff and there is cavern beneath the spring. There is a smaller spring at the top of the cliff that creates a small waterfall that falls into the main spring.
We hiked three of the seven trails, walked along the river, explored the fish hatchery and historic buildings, and visited the spring. This was a beautiful park with a lot of diverse and interesting geologic features and we really enjoyed our visit. We spent four hours and walked about 6 1/2 miles. We picnicked by the river before we left. I highly recommend a visit to this Missouri State Park.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces
5/7/16
Today we visited the seven remaining facilities on our list, went back to George Washington Carver Park, walked on another segment of Ward Branch Greenway, and stopped at couple of fire station fitness tracks.
#96. O'Reilly-Tefft Gym 1408 E. Pythian
This was my first time at this location but Charlie had played volleyball here before. Interesting note: the description of this facility on the Springfield-Greene Park Board website is actually for the Oak Grove Community Center instead. This facility has a gym and a community room. The staff member said there were some open play times through out the week but most of the time the facility is rented for activities such as square dancing and youth/adult sports. We walked in and looked around. There was youth basketball practice going on this morning.
#97. Weller School-Park 1630 N. Weller
This school-park is in northeast Springfield and is listed as having five acres but there really isn't a park separate from the school playground. We had never been here before and we parked at the school and walked around the grounds for a few minutes. There were the usual swings and slides on the playground. The website doesn't list this park as having any amenities.
#98. McGregor School-Park 1200 W. State
This 2 acre school-park is in west central Springfield and we had never been here before. The park is behind the school and the only parking is on the street or in the school parking lot. There is one slide structure, swings, a basketball court and a soccer field. There is a track and additional playground equipment on the school grounds. We parked on the street and walked around for just a few minutes.
#9.(continued) George Washington Carver Park 800 S. Belview
We attempted to visit this park back on 3/20, the first day of our park journey. Today we parked on Belview Ave. and had to duck under a wire to get into the park from here but there was a well-worn path. We then walked down a rutted service road through woods and it initially didn't seem like we were in a park at all but then it opened out into this surprising large mowed, open area surrounded by trees. It is mowed all the way up to the entrance on Grand St. but there is no parking on Grand at all. The area is really very nice and would be a great place to walk a dog or to just walk around. There are no amenities but someone has hung a tire swing from tree. I was pleasantly surprised at nice this ended up being and I am glad we came back. We spent 25 minutes and walked 8/10 miles.
#99. Cherokee School-Park 5241 S. Holland
This school park is in south Springfield and we had never been here before. The address is on Holland but there is no access to the park at this address. There is a sidewalk about a block away on Holland that leads to the school grounds and there is access just around the corner from Holland on Canterbury. There is not an obviously separate park and there is no playground equipment since this is a middle school. There is a long and short track, soccer and football goals and long jump, discus and shot put practice areas. The website doesn't list an acreage for this park and does list a playground but there was no typical playground equipment. We spent 15 minutes and walked 0.65 mile.
#100. Wanda Gray School-Park 2101 W. Farm Rd. 182
We had never been to this 19 acre southwest Springfield school-park before. There is a green space with picnic tables to the east of the school but the only playground equipment is on the school grounds. There is a track around the school and there is also a trailhead for one segment of the Ward Branch Greenway trail. We walked on the greenway trail and completely around the school spending about 40 minutes and walked 1 1/3 miles.
#11.(continued)Ward Branch Linear Trail/Ward Branch Greenway
We walked on the other end of the segment at Rivercut Park on 4/9 and tonight we walked about a 1/2 mile starting at Wanda Gray.
#101. McBride School-Park 3200 W. Farm Rd 78
We had also never been to this 20 acre school-park on the southwest side of town and it was actually surprising in scope. There was a picnic pavilion with restrooms and a drinking fountain, one slide/play structure, soccer fields, an amphitheater, a disc golf course and extensive trails. The adjacent school playground has additional playground equipment. We walked around for about 20 minutes covering 6/10 mile.
David Harrison School Park 3055 West Kildee Lane
This is not on the list of 102 Springfield-Greene County Park Board facilities but is listed as a school-park on the parks facility map in the Park Bench. We pulled into the parking lot and just looked around briefly. This southwest Springfield school is less than a mile from McBride School-Park and there is only the school grounds here with the usual playground equipment.
#102. Horace Mann School-Park 3745 S. Broadway
This 2 acre school-park is in south central Springfield and this was our first time here. There is a pavilion, tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball fields, and swings/slides/picnic tables on the school grounds. We walked 1/4 mile spending less than 10 minutes.
Fire Stations #6 and #9
There are 12 neighborhood fire stations in Springfield and five of them are listed as having walking tracks. We had visited Fire Station #11 on S. Fremont previously and there was 1/4 mile track with 15 Parcourse fitness stations. We stopped at Fire Station # 6 at 2620 W. Battlefield tonight. The track here was just an 1/8 mile track with no fitness stations.We walked the track only spending about 5 minutes. Next we stopped at Station #9 at 450 W. Walnut Lawn which also had a 1/8 mile walking track. We didn't walk the track because there was limited parking and part of the track appeared to be just the sidewalk.
We have now visited all 102 facilities listed on the Springfield-Greene County Park Board website. My best guess is that we had been to 46 of them before. I think this was a worthwhile undertaking. I revisited some old favorites, went to some places we had always meant to visit, and discovered some new places. We want to visit two museums we missed, Doling Museum and the Springfield Softball Hall of Fame Museum and I would like to go back to the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden. We also to hope to make it to the Sequiota Cave tour next year. If I was asked to recommend some parks, I would start with Nathaneal Greene Park and all the facilities at that location. There are a lot of diverse activities there for all ages including playgrounds, the lake, gardens, the homestead and school building, the butterfly house, and walking and biking paths. This is an old favorite of ours. A new favorite is Ritter Springs Park which is just delightful with the lake, river and bluff area, the nice playground, walking trails, and connector paths to other trails in the area. We had never visited this park but always wanted to. A new discovery was Valley Watermill Park. We really didn't know anything about this park and it was really nice with the lake, spring, and the trails.
I want to cover the facility list briefly. There was a list of 102 facilities on the Springfield-Greene County Park Board website. Some things about this list were a little puzzling. One of the outdoor pools was listed as a separate facility but none of the others were. The Doling Museum is listed as a facility, but the Railroad Museum and the Softball Museum are not and the Northview Senior Center is listed while the Southside Senior Center is not. There are 14 school-parks listed and marked on the facility map. There 13 school-parks marked on the map but not listed as facilities and there some schools not listed or labeled on the map(but shown on the map in purple). Pittman Elementary and Rountree Elementary are two schools that are not labeled. I am not sure why some are listed and some are not.
Our goal of visiting all the Springfield-Greene Parks took us seven weeks and many miles. We visited all but one of the Ozark Greenways Trails, Sac River Mountain Bike Trail, and also visited several other interesting outdoor spaces along the way. There are several other places/trails I want to visit/revisit and we plan to go back to several of the places I've written about along with a few trail segments we didn't get to yet. I'll continue to write about the places we visit, near and far and inside and out!
5/7/16
Today we visited the seven remaining facilities on our list, went back to George Washington Carver Park, walked on another segment of Ward Branch Greenway, and stopped at couple of fire station fitness tracks.
#96. O'Reilly-Tefft Gym 1408 E. Pythian
This was my first time at this location but Charlie had played volleyball here before. Interesting note: the description of this facility on the Springfield-Greene Park Board website is actually for the Oak Grove Community Center instead. This facility has a gym and a community room. The staff member said there were some open play times through out the week but most of the time the facility is rented for activities such as square dancing and youth/adult sports. We walked in and looked around. There was youth basketball practice going on this morning.
#97. Weller School-Park 1630 N. Weller
This school-park is in northeast Springfield and is listed as having five acres but there really isn't a park separate from the school playground. We had never been here before and we parked at the school and walked around the grounds for a few minutes. There were the usual swings and slides on the playground. The website doesn't list this park as having any amenities.
#98. McGregor School-Park 1200 W. State
This 2 acre school-park is in west central Springfield and we had never been here before. The park is behind the school and the only parking is on the street or in the school parking lot. There is one slide structure, swings, a basketball court and a soccer field. There is a track and additional playground equipment on the school grounds. We parked on the street and walked around for just a few minutes.
#9.(continued) George Washington Carver Park 800 S. Belview
We attempted to visit this park back on 3/20, the first day of our park journey. Today we parked on Belview Ave. and had to duck under a wire to get into the park from here but there was a well-worn path. We then walked down a rutted service road through woods and it initially didn't seem like we were in a park at all but then it opened out into this surprising large mowed, open area surrounded by trees. It is mowed all the way up to the entrance on Grand St. but there is no parking on Grand at all. The area is really very nice and would be a great place to walk a dog or to just walk around. There are no amenities but someone has hung a tire swing from tree. I was pleasantly surprised at nice this ended up being and I am glad we came back. We spent 25 minutes and walked 8/10 miles.
#99. Cherokee School-Park 5241 S. Holland
This school park is in south Springfield and we had never been here before. The address is on Holland but there is no access to the park at this address. There is a sidewalk about a block away on Holland that leads to the school grounds and there is access just around the corner from Holland on Canterbury. There is not an obviously separate park and there is no playground equipment since this is a middle school. There is a long and short track, soccer and football goals and long jump, discus and shot put practice areas. The website doesn't list an acreage for this park and does list a playground but there was no typical playground equipment. We spent 15 minutes and walked 0.65 mile.
#100. Wanda Gray School-Park 2101 W. Farm Rd. 182
We had never been to this 19 acre southwest Springfield school-park before. There is a green space with picnic tables to the east of the school but the only playground equipment is on the school grounds. There is a track around the school and there is also a trailhead for one segment of the Ward Branch Greenway trail. We walked on the greenway trail and completely around the school spending about 40 minutes and walked 1 1/3 miles.
#11.(continued)Ward Branch Linear Trail/Ward Branch Greenway
We walked on the other end of the segment at Rivercut Park on 4/9 and tonight we walked about a 1/2 mile starting at Wanda Gray.
#101. McBride School-Park 3200 W. Farm Rd 78
We had also never been to this 20 acre school-park on the southwest side of town and it was actually surprising in scope. There was a picnic pavilion with restrooms and a drinking fountain, one slide/play structure, soccer fields, an amphitheater, a disc golf course and extensive trails. The adjacent school playground has additional playground equipment. We walked around for about 20 minutes covering 6/10 mile.
David Harrison School Park 3055 West Kildee Lane
This is not on the list of 102 Springfield-Greene County Park Board facilities but is listed as a school-park on the parks facility map in the Park Bench. We pulled into the parking lot and just looked around briefly. This southwest Springfield school is less than a mile from McBride School-Park and there is only the school grounds here with the usual playground equipment.
#102. Horace Mann School-Park 3745 S. Broadway
This 2 acre school-park is in south central Springfield and this was our first time here. There is a pavilion, tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball fields, and swings/slides/picnic tables on the school grounds. We walked 1/4 mile spending less than 10 minutes.
Fire Stations #6 and #9
There are 12 neighborhood fire stations in Springfield and five of them are listed as having walking tracks. We had visited Fire Station #11 on S. Fremont previously and there was 1/4 mile track with 15 Parcourse fitness stations. We stopped at Fire Station # 6 at 2620 W. Battlefield tonight. The track here was just an 1/8 mile track with no fitness stations.We walked the track only spending about 5 minutes. Next we stopped at Station #9 at 450 W. Walnut Lawn which also had a 1/8 mile walking track. We didn't walk the track because there was limited parking and part of the track appeared to be just the sidewalk.
We have now visited all 102 facilities listed on the Springfield-Greene County Park Board website. My best guess is that we had been to 46 of them before. I think this was a worthwhile undertaking. I revisited some old favorites, went to some places we had always meant to visit, and discovered some new places. We want to visit two museums we missed, Doling Museum and the Springfield Softball Hall of Fame Museum and I would like to go back to the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden. We also to hope to make it to the Sequiota Cave tour next year. If I was asked to recommend some parks, I would start with Nathaneal Greene Park and all the facilities at that location. There are a lot of diverse activities there for all ages including playgrounds, the lake, gardens, the homestead and school building, the butterfly house, and walking and biking paths. This is an old favorite of ours. A new favorite is Ritter Springs Park which is just delightful with the lake, river and bluff area, the nice playground, walking trails, and connector paths to other trails in the area. We had never visited this park but always wanted to. A new discovery was Valley Watermill Park. We really didn't know anything about this park and it was really nice with the lake, spring, and the trails.
I want to cover the facility list briefly. There was a list of 102 facilities on the Springfield-Greene County Park Board website. Some things about this list were a little puzzling. One of the outdoor pools was listed as a separate facility but none of the others were. The Doling Museum is listed as a facility, but the Railroad Museum and the Softball Museum are not and the Northview Senior Center is listed while the Southside Senior Center is not. There are 14 school-parks listed and marked on the facility map. There 13 school-parks marked on the map but not listed as facilities and there some schools not listed or labeled on the map(but shown on the map in purple). Pittman Elementary and Rountree Elementary are two schools that are not labeled. I am not sure why some are listed and some are not.
Our goal of visiting all the Springfield-Greene Parks took us seven weeks and many miles. We visited all but one of the Ozark Greenways Trails, Sac River Mountain Bike Trail, and also visited several other interesting outdoor spaces along the way. There are several other places/trails I want to visit/revisit and we plan to go back to several of the places I've written about along with a few trail segments we didn't get to yet. I'll continue to write about the places we visit, near and far and inside and out!
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Indoor Fun
5/6/16
Titanic Museum 3235 76 Country Blvd & Hwy 165 Branson
This evening my 8 year old grandson and I went to visit the Titanic in Branson. This was his first visit and my second. When you arrive you are given a card with the name of an actual passenger and then find out at the end whether you survived or perished. One of the first experiences is an iceberg you can touch. Later on the tour there is a container with 28 degree water-the same temperature as the Atlantic- and a timer to see how long you can leave you hand in it. Carter made it 30 seconds! Another neat display is an area with decks at three different degrees of slant and you can try to stand on them. Currently, the actual violin from the Titanic is on display. There is a recreation of the grand staircase and of a lifeboat. There are staff members throughout the museum that give little talks and answer questions. You get audio tour devices that have information for both adults and children. We spent about 1 1/2 hours and went through the entire thing twice. Both of our passengers lived! We had a really nice time, everything was very interesting, all the staff were terrific and Carter is eager to go back.
5/6/16
Titanic Museum 3235 76 Country Blvd & Hwy 165 Branson
This evening my 8 year old grandson and I went to visit the Titanic in Branson. This was his first visit and my second. When you arrive you are given a card with the name of an actual passenger and then find out at the end whether you survived or perished. One of the first experiences is an iceberg you can touch. Later on the tour there is a container with 28 degree water-the same temperature as the Atlantic- and a timer to see how long you can leave you hand in it. Carter made it 30 seconds! Another neat display is an area with decks at three different degrees of slant and you can try to stand on them. Currently, the actual violin from the Titanic is on display. There is a recreation of the grand staircase and of a lifeboat. There are staff members throughout the museum that give little talks and answer questions. You get audio tour devices that have information for both adults and children. We spent about 1 1/2 hours and went through the entire thing twice. Both of our passengers lived! We had a really nice time, everything was very interesting, all the staff were terrific and Carter is eager to go back.
Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces
5/3/16
This evening my daughter and I made it back to Rutledge-Wilson Farm before it closed and also walked on the Wilson's Creek Greenway.
#95. Rutledge-Wilson Community Farm Park 3825 W. Farm Rd 146
This 207 acre farm park is in west central Springfield and we have been here several times before. According to the website, the farm park was created to provide educational, as well as various recreational resources for the community and will celebrate the rich agricultural heritage of the area. Amenities include a new animal barn, new visitor's center and gift shop, and milking barn. The grounds contain demonstration crops and gardens, 20-acre native prairie, pasture land, one-mile paved trail, farm-themed playground, and Wilson's Creek. There is a unique playground, several displays of live farm animals, a pond with fishing for a fee and festivals and activities throughout the year. There is a connection to the Wilson's Creek Greenway. We walked around the farm for about thirty minutes then spent and hour on the trail walking about 2 1/2 miles.
#80.(continued) Wilson's Creek Linear Park/Wilson's Creek Greenway Trail
We were on the other end of this segment on 4/26 and this afternoon we walked from Farm Rd. 146 to the loop at the end of the trail and back. This is a very pleasant segment of the trail, following Wilson's Creek much of the time.
We were able to check this park off the list after one false start and now just have six school-parks and O'Reilly-Tefft Gym left to visit.
5/3/16
This evening my daughter and I made it back to Rutledge-Wilson Farm before it closed and also walked on the Wilson's Creek Greenway.
#95. Rutledge-Wilson Community Farm Park 3825 W. Farm Rd 146
This 207 acre farm park is in west central Springfield and we have been here several times before. According to the website, the farm park was created to provide educational, as well as various recreational resources for the community and will celebrate the rich agricultural heritage of the area. Amenities include a new animal barn, new visitor's center and gift shop, and milking barn. The grounds contain demonstration crops and gardens, 20-acre native prairie, pasture land, one-mile paved trail, farm-themed playground, and Wilson's Creek. There is a unique playground, several displays of live farm animals, a pond with fishing for a fee and festivals and activities throughout the year. There is a connection to the Wilson's Creek Greenway. We walked around the farm for about thirty minutes then spent and hour on the trail walking about 2 1/2 miles.
#80.(continued) Wilson's Creek Linear Park/Wilson's Creek Greenway Trail
We were on the other end of this segment on 4/26 and this afternoon we walked from Farm Rd. 146 to the loop at the end of the trail and back. This is a very pleasant segment of the trail, following Wilson's Creek much of the time.
We were able to check this park off the list after one false start and now just have six school-parks and O'Reilly-Tefft Gym left to visit.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces
5/1/16
This evening we visited four parks facilities and visited three additional outdoor spaces and a historic landmark.
McDaniel Lake Farm Rd. 68
This is the first time we had been to this lake north of Springfield. It is one of the water supplies for the city of Springfield and the only activity allowed is fishing. There is fishing allowed on the Grant St. bridge which is closed to traffic and we also saw people fishing on the Farm Rd 68 bridge and along the bank. We walked along the closed road out and back for about a mile and drove around the lake.
#91. Frisco Highline Linear Park/ Greenway Trail NW US Highway 160
This is Missouri's second longest rail trail at 35 miles. We have ridden bikes here several times as far as Walnut Grove and I have also run a 5K on this trail but today was the first time we had just walked. We walked 1/2 mile in about 15 minutes and saw several other people on the trail.
#92. Founders Park 330 E Water St.
This 1 acre park is in downtown Springfield and is the site of the original tree blaze made by John Polk Campbell in 1829 where the development of Springfield began. We have been here a few times, primarily for events and it was more interesting than I remember. The design is supposed to resemble historic Phenix Quarry and there is a re-creation of the original spring used by our founders near the site of the park. There is a amphitheater, a historic timelime recounting Springfield's first 100 years, a wall mural, ban upland woods area and a prairie grass area. The fountains aren't on yet, I think next weekend, and they show movies here on summer weekend evenings. From here we walked over to Park Central Square and over to the Historic Calaboose spending 30 minutes and walking just over 1 mile.
Park Central Square Downtown Springfield
We have been here numerous times and there is a fountain, stage area, historic markers for the Battle of Springfield and the 1906 lynching, and sculptures. This is what the City of Springfield website states:
Park Central Square was designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his team in the early 1970s. The space was intended to be, in Halprin's words, "an active space for public assembly, devoted to pedestrians and their needs and comforts."
Even before it was remade by one of America's premiere modern landscape architects, Springfield's town square was the site of numerous historical episodes, including:
This was built in 1891 and is was restored for use as a police substation and police museum. It is open the first Friday of the month in summer/fall from 6-9 pm. It is pretty much hidden from view by the College Station parking facility and other neighboring buildings. We had never been here before and we walked around outside.
The Commons
5/1/16
This evening we visited four parks facilities and visited three additional outdoor spaces and a historic landmark.
McDaniel Lake Farm Rd. 68
This is the first time we had been to this lake north of Springfield. It is one of the water supplies for the city of Springfield and the only activity allowed is fishing. There is fishing allowed on the Grant St. bridge which is closed to traffic and we also saw people fishing on the Farm Rd 68 bridge and along the bank. We walked along the closed road out and back for about a mile and drove around the lake.
#91. Frisco Highline Linear Park/ Greenway Trail NW US Highway 160
This is Missouri's second longest rail trail at 35 miles. We have ridden bikes here several times as far as Walnut Grove and I have also run a 5K on this trail but today was the first time we had just walked. We walked 1/2 mile in about 15 minutes and saw several other people on the trail.
#92. Founders Park 330 E Water St.
This 1 acre park is in downtown Springfield and is the site of the original tree blaze made by John Polk Campbell in 1829 where the development of Springfield began. We have been here a few times, primarily for events and it was more interesting than I remember. The design is supposed to resemble historic Phenix Quarry and there is a re-creation of the original spring used by our founders near the site of the park. There is a amphitheater, a historic timelime recounting Springfield's first 100 years, a wall mural, ban upland woods area and a prairie grass area. The fountains aren't on yet, I think next weekend, and they show movies here on summer weekend evenings. From here we walked over to Park Central Square and over to the Historic Calaboose spending 30 minutes and walking just over 1 mile.
Park Central Square Downtown Springfield
We have been here numerous times and there is a fountain, stage area, historic markers for the Battle of Springfield and the 1906 lynching, and sculptures. This is what the City of Springfield website states:
Park Central Square was designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his team in the early 1970s. The space was intended to be, in Halprin's words, "an active space for public assembly, devoted to pedestrians and their needs and comforts."
Even before it was remade by one of America's premiere modern landscape architects, Springfield's town square was the site of numerous historical episodes, including:
- Route 66
- The Butterfield Overland Stage Route
- The Shootout Between "Wild" Bill Hickok and Dave Tutt in 1865
- The Trail of Tears
This was built in 1891 and is was restored for use as a police substation and police museum. It is open the first Friday of the month in summer/fall from 6-9 pm. It is pretty much hidden from view by the College Station parking facility and other neighboring buildings. We had never been here before and we walked around outside.
The Commons
This greenspace is at the northwest corner of National Ave and Trafficway and is on the site of the old quarry. The current highlights are the Sister Cities Plaza and the abstract steel poles and rock garden. The city website lists these future plans: A greenway trail loop and connections, additional landscaping, further tree planting, green space to the north, condo development overlooking Hammons Field, creation of a water feature, and inclusion of a carousel. We had never been here before but had driven by many times and just walked around for a few minutes.
#93 Jenny Lincoln Park 300 E. Harrison
This nine acre park is in central Springfield and I had been here a couple of times years ago. There is a playground, tennis and horseshoe courts, walking track picnic tables and grills, and these interesting sculpture/benches. We walked 1/3 mile spending less than 10 minutes.
#94 Hawthorn Park 815 S. Market
We had never heard of this four acre center city park before. It was a very nice park with basketball and horseshoe courts, nice playground equipment, and picnic tables and grills. We spent about five minute and walked 1/10 mile.
We visited 4 parks facilities tonight, just one new to us and visited four other places spending about 1 1/2 hours. We now have just 8 left to visit.
#94 Hawthorn Park 815 S. Market
We had never heard of this four acre center city park before. It was a very nice park with basketball and horseshoe courts, nice playground equipment, and picnic tables and grills. We spent about five minute and walked 1/10 mile.
We visited 4 parks facilities tonight, just one new to us and visited four other places spending about 1 1/2 hours. We now have just 8 left to visit.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces
4/30/16
Our parks exploration today ended up being a little interesting. We took our 6 year-old granddaughter to Silver Dollar City and decided to stop at Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park on our way home. We pulled in at 4:52 pm just to see that the gates closed at 5:00. She was disappointed but we told her we would go to another park that was open. Overhill Park was a nearby park we had not visited before and the description stated that it had a playground so we headed to it. It only had a swing set and basketball goals that looked a little worse-for-wear and there was trash scattered around. We got out of the car and could hear repetitive gunshots. It sounded like target practice but decided not to stick around. Next was Westgate Park, we pulled up to it, and it was nothing but an empty lot, no playground. She said "Why would they not have a playground?!!" So we decided to try one more, and if that one was a dud, we would just go to a park we knew. Young-Lily Park was a success!! It was a beautiful park with 4 very nice play structures!!!!
#88. Overhill Park 1100 S. Overhill Rd.
This one acre park in west central Springfield is in a neighborhood and there is not much here. There is one swing set, a basketball court and a baseball field. See today's initial paragraph for the gunshot comments. We just spent a few minutes here.
#89. Westgate Park 3550 W. State St.
This park is in west central Springfield and has no amenities. The park board website lists it as 3 acres but I don't think the mowed area is that large. I just walked to the edge of the mowed area to look around.
#90. Young/Lilley Park 300 Eldon
This 2 acre park is near the intersection of Chestnut Expy. and West Bypass. There are two separate playground areas and a walking trail around this park. Our granddaughter had fun on the four slide/play structures and we walked around the park on the trail. We spent about 30 minutes and walked just under a mile.
We visited three new to us parks today and finished up with a nice park experience after a slow start. We also stopped back by Cooper Park (see 4/29) and walked the rest of the trail and our granddaughter played on the playground. We have just 12 park facilities to visit.
4/30/16
Our parks exploration today ended up being a little interesting. We took our 6 year-old granddaughter to Silver Dollar City and decided to stop at Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park on our way home. We pulled in at 4:52 pm just to see that the gates closed at 5:00. She was disappointed but we told her we would go to another park that was open. Overhill Park was a nearby park we had not visited before and the description stated that it had a playground so we headed to it. It only had a swing set and basketball goals that looked a little worse-for-wear and there was trash scattered around. We got out of the car and could hear repetitive gunshots. It sounded like target practice but decided not to stick around. Next was Westgate Park, we pulled up to it, and it was nothing but an empty lot, no playground. She said "Why would they not have a playground?!!" So we decided to try one more, and if that one was a dud, we would just go to a park we knew. Young-Lily Park was a success!! It was a beautiful park with 4 very nice play structures!!!!
#88. Overhill Park 1100 S. Overhill Rd.
This one acre park in west central Springfield is in a neighborhood and there is not much here. There is one swing set, a basketball court and a baseball field. See today's initial paragraph for the gunshot comments. We just spent a few minutes here.
#89. Westgate Park 3550 W. State St.
This park is in west central Springfield and has no amenities. The park board website lists it as 3 acres but I don't think the mowed area is that large. I just walked to the edge of the mowed area to look around.
#90. Young/Lilley Park 300 Eldon
This 2 acre park is near the intersection of Chestnut Expy. and West Bypass. There are two separate playground areas and a walking trail around this park. Our granddaughter had fun on the four slide/play structures and we walked around the park on the trail. We spent about 30 minutes and walked just under a mile.
We visited three new to us parks today and finished up with a nice park experience after a slow start. We also stopped back by Cooper Park (see 4/29) and walked the rest of the trail and our granddaughter played on the playground. We have just 12 park facilities to visit.
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