Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Gardens--Springfield, Missouri

The Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Gardens is a hidden gem in the middle of Springfield, Missouri. A few years ago, I heard about a Cherry Blossom and Japanese Kite Festival at the gardens and was astounded that I never knew of the place before.  The gardens, part of the Springfield Botanical Gardens and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, is a 7 1/2 acre stroll garden that is open from April 1 through October 31 every year.  The grounds include a large koi lake, a meditation garden, a traditional tea house, Japanese landscaping, a moon bridge, and beautiful cherry trees. 
 
The Cherry Blossom and Japanese Kite Festival, held in April of each year, is amazing! They also have a festival in September of each year. The festivals typically include traditional Japanese food, Kabuki dancing and drama, activities for children including making their own kites, and much more. We spent the day learning about Japanese culture while strolling through the gardens. If you are looking for a relaxing and beautiful location to visit, this is one of the best. The grounds are very well maintained.

Dogwood Canyon

Dogwood Canyon in Lampe, Missouri is one of our favorite places to visit. This 10,000 acre nature preserve is nestled in the Ozark Mountains between Eureka Springs and Branson. The property was acquired by Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro, and was developed by the Dogwood Canyon Foundation to promote natural conservation and preservation. The majority of the park has been kept in its natural state with pathways and recreational sites setup throughout. The water is crystal clear and it flows along the walkways and trails.

 The first time we visited, we took the tram ride through the huge park. The ride has several stops along the way and takes you through areas that attendees with day-passes cannot access like the buffalo hills. We took three toddlers on this visit and they loved feeding the animals and seeing the huge bison and elk. 

On our last visit, we took a picnic lunch and rented bicycles to bike throughout the park. We explored for hours and relaxed under a waterfall. They even had tandem bikes for my husband and son to ride together. Since we did not have to stay with a tour group on this trip, we got to explore a lot more. We hiked along ridges, we went through small caves, and we fed huge bass in the pool. 

There are many options for family visits including horseback riding, fishing, hiking, biking, and even segways. There is a beautiful wooden chapel, a large teepee, a canteen area, and much more. There is even a fly-fishing school with cabins that supposedly Johnny Cash visited.

Canoeing at Lake Springfield

We had never been canoeing as a family. I am a bit of a control freak (such a surprise, I know) and was more than a little nervous about being in a canoe with Alex and Alan. Alan tends to never worry about anything and Alex tends to be very impulsive. I decided to set aside my worries in favor of a fun afternoon with my boys (it was even my idea)!

Our afternoon picnicking and then canoeing on Lake Springfield was awesome! At the beginning of the summer, we had visited the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and learned that canoes and kayaks can be rented at the Lake Springfield Boathouse and Marina. I was surprised to find out that we were able to rent a canoe with life jackets and a special seat for Alex all for $10 an hour! Well worth the price. The lake and James River that flows in to the lake are narrow but long and easy to navigate with no getting stuck on rocks or in the mud!

The James River Linear Park Water Trail runs about five miles in one direction and allows for a nice trip. We saw ducks and blue heron along our trip. There is a large habitat with water lilies and hibiscus. Back on land, there are hiking/walking trails, a nice playground, and picnic pavilions. It was a great, inexpensive way to spend an afternoon.

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

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