To visit my relatives in Carthage, I usually fly United, SFO to Bentonville non-stop, then drive…read moreto Carthage (near Joplin) about 90 mins away. Being from the SF Bay Area, those winter roads w/ snow and ice are not my fave :( My cousin told me recently, "Joplin has a Regional Airport and you can fly right in!" So I did: SFO to Denver to Joplin. The Joplin airport is small, attractive, modern, and has two rental car options (Avis, Budget), plus all the TSA personnel and security equipment as required. On the return flight, the agent checked my bags through to SFO upon arrival, I went through security, and joined the other passengers in the comfortable boarding area. Boarding was fast and efficient. I'm a fan! Rating: 5 stars

Airport it's self is great! United Airlines out of here is terrible. Trying to get our grand…read moredaughter back to Denver. Two days in a row there have been mechanical issues with the planes and have had two rescheduled twice. Would have been better to fly out of Springfield or NW Arkansas.

I was in town and we decided to go to the mall. The Northpark Mall was about fifteen minutes away…read more It's a small town mall. There's plenty of stores open. There were also stores closed. Not sure of the story. You can find diverse shops. Clothing, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, sports, novelty, and a food court. We enjoyed walking in and out of different shops. We had fun in a vintage store with cool books. The Hot Topic store was a hit with the kids. They loved the Anime shirts!! When we got hungry, the food court saved us!! Overall, it's a decent mall. It's not crowded. A great place to get your steps in and people watching or window shopping!! ;)

We come up to Joplin every few weeks to see my sister and shop a few stores we don't have where we…read morelive. I like to come to the mall sometimes for Joann's, but this place is so gross. The arcade had machines down all over and mold in their claw machine, there are pictures/posters hung up around the mall with food and other nasty stuff on it, the smaller bathroom has 1 stall and is always dirty, the family restroom has a broken sink that hasn't been addressed, I could go on. Joplin needs a good cleanup all over.

Being a welcome center as well as a rest stop, this place should be nicer than a rest stop, and it…read moreis! They had some cute chairs by the door, Oklahoma made items, Oklahoma clothing, plus coffee, water bottle filling stations, and hot water. Outside there was even a fenced dog park for the furry friends.

It has clean restrooms, friendly people, and even an enclosed dog park…read more That's all I have to say but Yelp insists I keep writing.

Somber memorial in a park…read more The Memorial was erected in honor of of the citizens who perished during the tragic tornado that ripped through Joplin MO on the evening of May 22, 2011. The category EF-5 rated multiple-vortex twister devastated Joplin and killed 158 people. All their names were inscribed alphabetically by last name on the plaque. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947 causing billions in damages. The tornado was a mile-wide wall of black swirling wind... I couldn't even imagine. It's so sad. There were 1,150 injuries caused by the tornado as well. Next to the memorial is a fountain enclosed by a white fence. It was a little tricky to find it but near the children's park parking lot you have to go down a small slope and you will see the small memorial. It wasn't immediately visible to the eye as we were driving to look for it. Review #1950

The world's largest fork in Springfield, Missouri is the kind of roadside oddity that makes you…read morestop, stare, and wonder who got really hungry during a city planning meeting. At 35 feet tall and 11 tons of stainless steel, it's less a utensil and more a chrome exclamation point stabbed into the sidewalk.

Fantastic. Accessible. Impressive - visit more than once…read more - - - - - - - - August, 2024 Visit We discovered the World's Largest Fork, on the south side of town, in 2020... and it is large! The fork is some 35 feet tall... it is located on Chesterfield Avenue... Location... the south side of Springfield, MO... the James River Freeway circles Springfield... at the southern point / intersection is with the S. Kansas Expressway... go one road north... turn left onto Chesterfield Blvd... the fork is less than a quarter mile away, on the right side... the road gently turns left... as it begins to turn back to the right, you'll need to turn right there... and then you'll see it. According to Atlas Obscura, and Roadside America, this is no longer the tallest but it is second tallest and the fork with the largest mass "At 35 feet high, the fork rise in front of a three-story building occupied by Noble and Associates, a Springfield ad agency. Although no longer the world's tallest -- it was bested by a 37-foot-high fork in Oregon in 2022 -- it remains, at 11,000 pounds, the world's heaviest." Roadside America shares: "Our own local associates tell us that in 1998 the fork stood in front of a restaurant that failed on South Glenstone, in otherwise booming Springfield. The ad agency hauled the fork across town to its new office building, where it's been ever since. Noble does a lot of work for the food service and retail industry, so in that respect the fork makes sense." Thank you to any and all, at the now closed original restaurant, at the Noble and Associates ad agency, and any/all who helped relocate this treasure! We've now visited twice and we'll visit again! ----- -----

Why does Pilot deserve five stars, you ask? After numerous treks back and forth to Oklahoma, here…read moreare a few reasons why I always stop: 1) This is one of the last or first stops (depending which way your are headed) before/after Oklahoma's abominable turnpike. If you are driving west, this is a great place to hit up since your options are limited for quite a few miles into OK. 2) This Pilot is busy. No matter what time at night or early morning, there are always a lot of people around and as safe as any place you will find. I have actually slept in my car here when I was super tired and couldn't make it all the way home w/o a little rest. 3) It is clean, appears well kept and has an adjoining full sized Wendy's. Aw...how I love Wendy's. :( I have driven all over the country (mostly by myself) and having a consistent, clean place to stop makes travelling and planning stops - easy!

The shower was clean, the employees were awesome, and the food was good. On August 20, I was with…read moremy food on my way to look at the antennas. I was not near the door, but was walking talking to my girl. This truck driver approached me and said that I should thank him for opening the door for me. I was puzzled. I figured out what happened later. He was trying to stir up something with me. He thought that I was white. I'm not, but light, tan mix of Arabic and 1/4 African black. My girl's picture appears on my phone and she's half French and black, but has more clearly west African features. Most American blacks are really awesome people and I have the utmost admiration of their struggles and triumph in spite of the obstacles they have faced. But this truck driver was a classic hood rodent who should be incarcerated (I'm sure that he has been incarcerated several times. ) I felt really sorry for him, because I knew that he didn't have a father and his mother was, more than likely, a street walker or crack addict. His English was horrible and this may have been due to bad or absent parents. It was scary when it happened, because I could see him going primate over minor things. When you encounter these hood rodents, realize that their parents were to blame for their son's formative years. Don't judge him. He may act very animal and savage-like, but he is a human being. I pray to Allah to help and change him from a savage animal void of any brain to a productive citizen. The moral of the story is to be careful with hood rodents. Realize that they're human(Even though they don't act it.). Pray to Allah or your god for him/her to change.

This was a nice surprise at the end of the historic street and all the shopping for cheap wares and…read moretourist goods. For about 2-3 blocks we saw tons of name brand stores and some I've never seen or heard of before to include H&M, Victoria's Secret, Sunglass Hut, etc. We found some fun items and some clothing and goodies for my daughter and we enjoyed looking at the menus of the restaurants here and watching the fountains. Apparently the fountain show (think Belagio set to music) is pretty cool and they do themed shows for holidays and special events at night during the summer. It was clean and everyone we spoke to here was friendly and welcoming.

We visited Branson Landing after spending the day at Silver Dollar City, and it was a really…read moreenjoyable part of the trip. The area has a nice riverfront atmosphere, and the layout with shops, restaurants, and walkable space felt much more our style compared to other parts of town. The fountain show was a surprise highlight, simple but really fun to watch, and it added a unique touch to the experience. We all enjoyed it. It's a good spot to wind down the day, get a treat, and just take in the scenery. Definitely a place we'd return to when we're back in Branson.

Roaring river is a great place! they have bathrooms electric access a Hatchery that YOU CAN SEE!!!…read moreif you love fishing it's definitely for you accessible docks and swimming area nice scenery and cheapish

Super clean! Great hike even with kids ages 3-9! The caves were cool, stream was fun as well!read more

I am blown away by this fabulously modern library. This isn't a 'small town' library by any means…read more It's massive, clean, and airy, with natural light pouring into the open spaces and a thoughtful design that makes it feel welcoming rather than overwhelming. Everywhere you look, there are comfortable nooks and tables with power outlets, making it super easy to settle in for work, study, or simply quiet reflection. The atmosphere is calm yet vibrant, with just enough activity to remind you that you're part of a community hub. It's the kind of place where you can lose track of time because the environment is so conducive to focus and creativity. I didn't need one of the study or work rooms today, but I was impressed by how well they're integrated into the library's layout. They offer a perfect option for anyone needing privacy, whether for a Zoom call, a group project, or uninterrupted concentration. Not just a place to borrow books - it's a destination for learning, connection, and inspiration, and I look forward to returning. [Review 1495 of 2025 - 476 in Missouri - 25046 overall]

Great place to get work down without paying $5 for a coffee. They even have private study/work…read morerooms that can be booked but usually are available for walk-ins.