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.
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. 
