Cunningham Park and Butterfly Memorial Garden, Joplin

Many amazing things have happened in the Joplin rebuilding process. One of those is the restoration of Cunningham Park. The park was at the epicenter of the EF5 tornado that devastated Joplin in 2011. Since that time, sections of the park have each been recovered at different times. First, Extreme Makeover Home Edition developed the Boomtown play structure. 

Then, the volunteer appreciation garden was built. I have been impressed with every stage and the obvious love and care poured in to the development.  

I was especially impressed this week when we visited the new butterfly memorial garden.  It was designed with the frames of three homes that were destroyed as the basis for the garden.

The frames have beautiful fountains, an overlook, inspirational quotes, memorial information, and relaxation spots all surrounded by butterfly gardens. Benches are strewn about that provide different vantage points of the park and the surrounding area. One bench contains a water-proof pocket with a journal that visitors are encouraged to record their thoughts in. I strongly encourage people to check out the park and the memorial gardens. Alex enjoyed it as much as I did!

 

In addition to the park and memorial gardens, there is an aquatics park, picnic pavilions, more play areas, and a very nice basketball/soccer area. For more information on Joplin's parks, check out the Park and Recreation page. 

Missouri State Capitol

As we were driving back from Columbia, Missouri, Alex asked to stop to see the Missouri State Capitol building. I regularly travel to the capitol and thought it would be interesting for him to see the museums and possibly take a capitol tour. It was a Saturday and there were only a few people visiting the building. Alex had his camera and started snapping shots of the building and the statues outside.

When we went inside, Alex was mesmerized by the rotunda. I described for him the rallies and the events I have attended in the rotunda and showed him the seal of Missouri. We walked up the steps and looked at the ceiling and the rotunda floor from all areas.

While walking around, Alex opened a door and found a tour that was visiting the Thomas Hart Benton gallery. The gallery is only open for tours, so we joined the group and got to spend time in the gallery as well as in the House of Representatives gallery. The capitol tours are very informative and are run by the Missouri Department of Conservation/Missouri State Parks. All tours and the museums are free and open to the public.

 

We also enjoyed visiting the two museums that show the cultural and natural history of Missouri. One of the museums is interactive and allows kids to try on clothes from the 1800s and check out what a Civil War camp was like. Alex was especially interested in the manufacturing displays that showed Grape Soda.

For more information, check out the Guide to Touring Missouri's State Capitol

Ha Ha Tonka, Camdenton, Missouri

I have seen the sign for Ha Ha Tonka State Park on my countless trips to Jefferson City over the past thirteen years. This weekend, I finally took the time to visit and luckily Alan and Alex got to join me. The park is located about 4 miles outside of Camdenton, Missouri off of highway 54. We only had about 90 minutes to stay at the park, so we hit the main areas. But we cannot wait to visit again soon. 

Ha Ha Tonka was built in 1905 by Robert Snyder, a wealthy KC businessman who wanted a secluded home to relax and enjoy life. 

We drove to the top of the park where the castle is found. The first thing we noticed was the amazing view down the mountain. A valley with water running through it flows in to the lake.

We then hiked up a wooden walkway to the water tower that was designed to gather water and transport it to the rest of the buildings on the mountain.There is a trail from the water tower that takes you down the mountain.  You can then walk along the water in the valley. Sadly, we did not have time for the valley walk today, but we met a photographer who encouraged us to check it out in the future. He also told us that a stone mason came from Europe in 1905 to cut the stone for all of the buildings. The structures are very reminiscent of ruins in Spain and other areas in Europe that we have seen. 

After checking out the water tower, we hiked toward the castle. Along the way we stopped at an overlook where we saw people boating and skiing below.  

The castle itself is massive and Alex loved thinking about what people would have done when they lived there. 

This is a closer view of the water tower. There are educational materials throughout the park that outline how the structures were created and how the water was transported. You are not allowed to go inside most of the buildings, but you can look through windows and really see the craftsmanship that went in to the construction.There are trails all around the structures as well as all along the mountain. There are also caves to explore, horseback riding, camping, boating, fishing, and much more. On our next trip, we plan to bring our heavy-duty hiking shoes and a picnic lunch so we can explore the natural bridge and more of the trails. This is definitely a location you will want to take lots of pictures at!

Click here for a park map

Click here for a photo gallery of Ha Ha Tonka provided by Missouri State Parks

Springfield Conservation Nature Center

In all of our years exploring the Ozarks, somehow we never visited the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. Recently, we had the opportunity to visit the park. Regular visitors to Joplin's Wildcat Glades, we expected a similar nature center. What we found was a great center, well designed, with more wildlife than we anticipated. 

Our six-year-old had recently gotten a camera from his Aunt Stacey and Uncle Chris and wanted to take some nature pictures. Most of the pictures that follow are ones he shot. 

The conservation center is on 79 acres of woodlands, forest, prairie, and glades. Lake Springfield is on one side and a creek and marsh flow through other areas of the center. The trails are open daily and there is no admission fee. The indoor conservation center has tons of interactive areas including a wild turkey viewing area.  

We decided to start with the Boardwalk Trail that had a nice boardwalk over a marshy section of Lake Springfield where we watched ducks. Then we followed the Sycamore Cut-off trail, crossed the bridge to the Photo Blind Trail. Along the bridge, we saw blue herons flying in to their nests.

The Photo Blind Trail ends with a view of the open lake. We found out that there is a place along the lake that you can rent canoes and paddle boats, which he plan to do on our next visit. We also plan to take a picnic lunch on our next visit.

We went back across the bridge and followed half of the Long Trail to see the spring and the bridge. On our way back to the nature center building, we found ourselves less than 10 feet away from a fawn having a snack along the edge of the lake. 

Trail Map 

How to get to the Center 

Heart of the Heartlands Train Depot and Museum

So on this Fourth of July weekend, we decided we would go visit the largest steam shovel west of the Mississippi--yes, Big Brutus.  On our way there, we took a detour when we saw a sign for a train museum and depot. We were so impressed, we never made it to Big Brutus!

The Heart of the Heartlands Train Depot and Museum is located in Carona, Kansas (not far from Columbus or Pittsburg). Manned completely by volunteers since its inception in 1991, the depot has several historic engines, cabooses, passenger cars, and freight cars. It has restored depots that are really cool to walk through.  Their museum building has train memorabilia and educational materials. You can even sign up for one of their train rides throughout the year.   
It is obvious that the volunteers and train club members love what they do. Your visit is free, but make sure to give them a donation or buy a t-shirt to help support all the work they do. Our son wants to have his next birthday there, he was so impressed! 

They are only opened weekends June, July and August or for special events. Like them on Facebook 

Schermerhorn Park and Southeast Kansas Nature Center

Recently, I picked up a pile of brochures for nature centers and parks that our family has not visited. We have vowed to explore all of them before the end of the summer. Today, we started with Schermerhorn Park and Southeast Kansas Nature Center in Galena, Kansas. I have to admit, I did not have high expectations for this center as the brochure did not mention much and there was not a lot of information online. I was truly impressed with this center and the amenities it had for our family. When we arrived, Alex (our six year old son) was excited to play on the old school playground--the kind that you can get really hurt on (according to him). 

We then toured the nature center that is manned by very informative volunteers. The center has live fish and turtles as well as an active beehive. They also have a squirrel habitat viewing area and a huge collection of butterflies and arrowheads. To get to the nature center, you climb a stone terrace that was built in the 1930s (or you can drive around the back if you are not up for the trek).

There are several trails to explore in the 50 mile center that lead away from the nature center building. We chose the cave trail that begins next to a small bandstand area. The gravel and dirt trail was easy to navigate and it meandered along a waterway lined with stone that was also built in the 1930s. The cave itself is closed to protect the endangered wildlife that live there, but you can climb to the mouth of the cave.

The mouth of the cave.

Looking out from the mouth of the cave.

 

At the base of the cave is a trail that leads up to a grassland area that is covered in wildflowers.  Here the trail is grass and dirt and you feel like you are walking through a meadow.

 

After our hike, we cooled off in the Shoal Creek that runs along the park. The water was very clear and perfect for wading.

We will definitely visit again to explore the other trails. Next time, we will be more prepared with water shoes for all of us and a picnic lunch so we won't have to leave! 
Google Map of the Park

Welcome to our adventures

My boys walking the rails at the Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Club and Museum.

My family is full of adventurers and nature enthusiasts. We love exploring and seek out new locations as often as possible. Friends have asked us to give them tips on where to go in the Ozarks, adventures for their families, and resources to stay active. This blog is the easiest way that I can share our adventures and provide information on how other families can visit some of the places that we have enjoyed. Hope you find something that will spark your interest. If someone is familiar with a place that we should check out, please let us know!