Carpe Diem Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 Aside for Silver Dollar City in Branson! Anyone have any suggestions? Please help us save our vacation!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagel270 Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 St. Louis is four hours from Springfield. There's tons to do there. City Museum would be my kids choice, but there's lot of free stuff, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 There are a lot of caves in the area, but the best is Fantastic Caverns. http://www.fantasticcaverns.com/ Go floating on the Buffalo River in AR. Eureka Springs, AR Go boating on Tablerock Lake (Branson). Visit Bennett Springs State Park Visit Dogwood Canyon and see the Elk & other wildlife. Should I continue? I live within 30 min of Branson. If you need more ideas, PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibrarianMom Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum is in Mansfield, MO which is close. The big Bass Pro shop is a great way to spend a day and I highly recommend Hemingway's cafe. Dogwood Canyon Nature Park (owned by Bass Pro) is south of Branson and is absolutely beautiful. You can walk or rent bicycles. They also have fishing. There are some civil war battlefields near Springfield, MO. There is also a really nice Japanese stroll garden in Springfield as well. My dd still talk about going to the fish hatchery and seeing the fountains. There are lots of great things to see and do in Kansas City as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagel270 Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 The zoo is nice. It even has a big playground in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 There are some civil war battlefields near Springfield, MO. Oh, thats a good one. It is in "Battlefield", MO. There are two museums, lots of trails, a house that was taken over as a field hospital (restored), cannons lots to see and do at a very low state park price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Amber* Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 Roaring rivers is good for fishing Mark twain national forest is good for exploring and hiking Wilson's creek battlefield is fun Lake of the Ozarks is good too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 Roaring rivers is good for fishingMark twain national forest is good for exploring and hiking Wilson's creek battlefield is fun Lake of the Ozarks is good too The botanical gardens in St. Louis are amazing. In Branson, I liked the Titanic Museum. The fish hatchery is also fun, and free except for the fish food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 Branson is 30 minutes away and in that area are tons of things to do - Titanic Museum, military museum, the Branson train... . East of Branson closer to Joplin is a museum and such for George Wasington Carver. Kansas City is about 4 hours from Springfield. Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, Bella Vista, and Bentonville, Arkansas are all within 4 hours. Each of those areas has tons to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted August 14, 2010 Author Share Posted August 14, 2010 The vacation just might be saved!!! :D I wrote it all down and checked things out online. Thanks for your quick replies!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.W Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 We just went to the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center in St. Charles and then the Arch in St. Louis. They were both great additions to our history studies for the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 We just went to the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center in St. Charles and then the Arch in St. Louis. They were both great additions to our history studies for the year. :) I was going to suggest searching for "Lewis and Clark" attractions in the area. We're studying their "Corps of Discovery" right now and it's fascinating. I can't wait to head up there, myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 You could go north and visit the State Capitol in Jefferson City. (after looking at that site, we need to head down there ourselves! :) ) There is Runge Nature Center in Jeff City. About 1/2 hour north from there is Columbia, MO which is home to the University of MO. Rock Bridge State Park is beautiful! There's also the Katy Trail and Shelter Gardens. And then Rocheport is about 15 minutes from Columbia, MO. It is a sweet little town to visit on the Missouri River. You can rent bikes to ride on the Katy Trail and go over to the Winery. That area is beautiful! Columbia & Jefferson City are about 3-4 hours north of Branson and then 2 hours west of St. Louis. If you head over to St. Louis you might enjoy a stop in Hermann, MO. If you head North make sure you stop at HaHa Tonka State Park. It is one of my favorites in the Lake Ozarks area. Otherwise, I'm not too thrilled with the Ozarks other than the scenery when you get out of Osage Beach proper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 College of the Ozarks is 2 miles north of Branson. They have a free, self-guided tour that includes a working mill, jelly kitchen and dairy. Since the students work on campus to off set their tuition there are many students on campus during the summer. They also have an interesting museum at the back of the campus, (Roy Foster - I think). The restaurant in the lodge is excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 I have more for you. I'm from MO. If you head toward St. Louis you will want to see: Grant's Farm but don't just go to the petting zoo part. There's also a tour of White Haven. Parking at the Farm is $11, admission is free. To tour the house and musuem is free too including parking.Most people don't know about White Haven because the Farm is a huge attraction. St. Louis Science Center is by the St. Louis Zoo. Free admission except for parking. (although a St. Louis native might be able to tell you where to park for free too.) This place is wonderful and we always enjoy a visit! The Magic House is better for little kids than the City Museum. If you have kids over 9, I suggest the City Museum. I enjoyed a tour of Busch Brewery but we went without our children. I don't think it would be inappropriate for children to tour. But I'm not sure if they limit the age for the tour. So you will want to investigate. It is a beautiful brewery and interesting to learn about the process of making beer and the history of the company. I enjoyed Jefferson Barracks as a child. I want to go back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted August 17, 2010 Author Share Posted August 17, 2010 Thanks for even more ideas. Heading too far North isn't as exciting as we will have to head that way to go home (We just came that way two days ago. It is such a long drive!) All other directions are good! We did the Springfield Zoo yesterday. It was very nice. You can feed the giraffees! In the past we have been to Ha Ha Tonka, Wilson Creek Battlefield and Nathaniel Boone Historical Site. All great places to visit. Can anyone tell me more about the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museaum in Mansfield? The website I found didn't make it look very exciting. Is it a small place? What age of children would find it interesting? Thanks everyone for all the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I can't believe no one has mentioned the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage! Even if you're not a huge PM fan, it's worth seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I've never done the Laura Ingles Wilder Museum, so I can't comment on that, but from what you've done, my next recommendation would be the Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. http://www.dogwoodcanyon.com/ The ps kids here go there on field trips and just love it. You might also check out Fantastic Caverns. Ask if they have any homeschool discounts going on right now. The last time I went was last fall and they were letting homeschoolers come at less than half price. I'm pretty sure they do that close to the start of ps each year. I think it was September when we went, but its worth asking. http://www.fantasticcaverns.com/home_school.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I can't believe no one has mentioned the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage! Even if you're not a huge PM fan, it's worth seeing. I was going to suggest this too. We saw it years ago and even my DH enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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