Great trails and the views are totally worth the trip! Water way for you to relax and camp!read more

One of my favorite spots on Earth is the Current River, which is a part of the National Ozark…read moreScenic Riverway. If you enjoy nature, water, and outdoor fun then this is a must visit spot! There are several great places to visit as a part of this area, but my favorites by far are the Current River and Big Spring on the Current River, and the campground of the same name. I have a wonderful group of friends that introduced me to floating on the Current when I was in college, and ever since this river has held a special place in my heart. We usually camp at Big Spring Campground. There are both electric, non-electric, and RV hookup's. There are real bathrooms, as well as hot showers within walking distance of camp (not porta potties, but it is a campground - so say hello to your local, resident spiders and their webs). We like this camp, because it's right on the river, family friendly, and close to town but far enough out to enjoy nature. While camping a must do experience for all is a walk to Big Spring. It's a natural cold spring, whose source pumps out enough fresh water to fill Busch Stadium in 33 hours! I like to walk there in the early morning or twilight to see the mist roll in. http://www.nps.gov/ozar/planyourvisit/big-spring.htm The nearby town of Van Buren offers: - a nice Lodge for those who want a nice dinner and/or whose idea of camping is air conditioning, nice beds, and tv - the local ice cream spot called The Jolly Cone - the local cafe, The Floatstream Restaurant, for your typical small diner food and a pretty okay breakfast - various small shops to stock up on essentials: beer, sunblock, souvenir tshirts, snacks, replaceable float shoes and swimsuits, intertubes, gas, fishing bait, etc. - and a whole lot of other small town amenities The water is spring fed. So it's super cold and clear - perfect for a hot summer's day! The Current has a pretty decent current, with nice deep water and wading shallows dotted with periodic gravel bars. It's great for intertubing and canoe trips. Various campgrounds and businesses offer rentals and trips with pick up and drop off options (2, 4, 6 hour floats, or even multiple day trips). Check out the area and find YOUR favorite spots and recommendations. It will probably become one of your favorite places on Earth too!

This is one of my favorite places to go in the summertime! It's handicap accessible, and a pretty…read moreeasy trail to walk. Although it's easy, there are tons of huge and beautiful rocks the kids love climbing on. It's just a really peaceful place. The trail is approximately 1 mile long.

A really cool place to spend a day or afternoon. About 2 hours from STL. I did not climb the rocks…read moreor swim in the lake, but simply I walked on the trail. The trail was about a mile long. You can also go off course and check out a historical part of the park, which is the old train station(?) - that being close to a skeleton. You can also go all the way to the top and check out the elephant rocks, while getting a somewhat great view. I say "somewhat" because the trees block a great view some of us are missing. I'm guessing it would be different visiting during the wintertime when there are no leaves on the trees.

Good creek I dink the water there I boil it than drink it chuppi I like the fish in Fb v therwread more

Has a nice trail to walk or run that runs along the creek. If you are lucky, while enjoying the…read morespring you might get to see divers enter or exit the spring. Good fishing location, water is cold due to the natural spring. Great parking however it's on a gravel road so your vehicle will get dusty as other vehicles drive along the road.

Beautiful area no matter where you go along the riverway. Wonderful canoeing and kayaking, horse…read moreback riding and hiking. River bluffs, caves, waterfalls, cold clear spring fed water. Doesn't get any better than this. Get out with the kids and enjoy!!

Marble Creek Recreation Area is located between Fredericktown and Arcadia, MO. This is a small…read morerustic campground located in the St. Francis Mountains. Beautiful roads in and out of the area and well worth taking a picnic or to camp. Plan on just relaxing while there.

Sept 2015, We went on a road trip from Nashville Tn to visit some state parks and historical sites…read morein Missouri. We stopped at Dillard Mill State Historical Site. Tony, Noel and I with Sammi parked in the parking lot and walked down the pathway to the start of the trail to the Mill. At first you kind of walk through the woods but then it opens up to a large field like area with a lake with a creek running into it and there is the large old mill. We went into the mill and looked around for FREE which was really nice. History: The Dillard Mill State Historic Site is a privately owned, state-administered property on Huzzah Creek in Crawford County, Missouri that preserves a water-powered gristmill.[4] The 132-acre (53 ha) site has been operated as a state historic site by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under a lease agreement with the L-A-D Foundation since 1975.[5] The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 A mill was built on Huzzah Creek in 1853 by Francis Wisdom and it was known as the Wisdom Mill. It was destroyed by fire in 1895. The property changed hands, and a new mill, the Mische Mill, was built in 1908. The Mische Mill used an underwater turbine rather than the old waterwheel, and the owners altered the course of the stream and the bluff at the site. The mill was in operation until 1956. It was renamed the Dillard Mill in 1975 when the state took over management of the property. It was dedicated as a historic site in 1977. Restoration of the mill was completed in 1980

This mill is just overabout 100 years old. It sits in a quiet and pretty remote part of Huzzah…read morecreek between Cherryville and Viburnum. The site in its entirety is much larger than I expected, with lots of picnic tables throughout, also an old country store you can walk through. A trail of about a half mile is required to get to the mill from the parking lot. This would be kind of a struggle for the elderly, I'd think. The best part of this mill is it seems to be just about in working condition, despite it's age. It was essentially put out of business when Pillsbury bought all the flour mills out. Occasionally, they'll turn a control wheel and get al the machinery working. They did it in the middle of our tour and it was very impressive. If you are a fan of machinery and "how things work" you won't want to miss this. The tour provides some interesting anectdotes and is definitely worth the $4 price. On a hot day, though, you might not want to spend a half an hour inside the building. Overall, I give it 3 and a half stars. It's not such a beautiful place that I'll be excited to send all my friends, but if you're like me and enjoy visiting these kinds of historic structures, I rate it worth seeing.

Beautiful State Park!! Water is crystal clear and clean. Beautiful walking trails with lots of…read morescenery.

I recently visited Sam A. Baker State Park for the first time for a family reunion. I'm not sure…read morehow large of a park it is, as our family had reserved one of the first pavilions in the park, but there was a store near the front of the park so I imagine it's a pretty large one. Sam. A Baker seems to be a popular place. There were quite a few people camping in tents and RVs there a couple of weekends ago. I'm not the camping type and I only stayed during the day, so I can't say anything for the camping amenities. -1 star for the facilities. They had no running water inside. There was a place outside of the restrooms for washing one's hands and feet. However, there was no soap and no hot water. I feel that was rather unsanitary. I waded out in a river for the first time in my life. That was fun! I'd like to go again sometime.

Stopped here during a weekend trip near Lake of the Ozarks. Missouri has so many caves and I'd been…read morewanting to do one, so glad we picked this one. You can grab tickets online or in person, and they have a really cute gift shop with fun little trinkets worth browsing before or after your tour. Our tour guide Lee was so amazing! He's been there for years and years and you can just tell. Great stories, super personable, the kind of guide that makes the whole experience way more memorable. We even spotted a bat hibernating which was such a cool unexpected moment! The cave itself is fascinating and I loved that it was great for all ages. Our group ranged from little kids to people in their 70s and everyone was into it with no problems. A few spots can get slightly slippery so just watch your step, but there are handrails throughout so nothing felt unsafe. Also found out they host events here too like a black light event and even concerts inside the cave which sounds incredibly cool. Definitely want to come back for one of those. Overall I was really impressed and would highly recommend adding this to your Missouri road trip list.

What was nice about these caverns is that they are almost entirely wheelchair/stroller accessible…read moreand we were able to take our one-year old daughter on the tour in our stroller. That's pretty rare with cave tours. This was the only cave tour we did during our week-long family summer vacation in Missouri and we enjoyed it. Our guide, Maddie, was wonderful and very enthusiastic. The tour was an hour and we had a smaller group who were wonderful and I enjoyed learning about the cave, the history of the cave, and walking all around. It was fun and well done. If you are nearby, this is something I think you should do. They have plenty of parking, nice grounds, a penny press souvenir machine, a nice gift shop and are great with kids with some other interactive things to do before or after the tour.

I would love to see this park in the peak of fall. We visited during Thanksgiving week. The bonus -…read morethe park was quiet with few visitors. The minus - it's the off season so you need a fully functioning RV for a longer stay as bathrooms are closed. The lodge provides food and basic necessities and gifts. We were near the water which was awesome. This is a trout fishing Mecca, so we got to see wading fishers and trout swimming upstream. Our premium family site accommodated 2 RVs, had electrical hookups and picnic tables with fire pits. Water was close by bu not on our site.

The park is beautiful but I wouldn't eat at the lodge. I have seen the quality of food and service…read moredeteriorate over 3 seasons. I have seen the prices be hyper inflated, $16 for ceaser salad with chicken. They are not very local friendly as well. We will continue to visit the park but will be skipping on meals there.

The amount of trees make this 9 hole par 3 course very challenging…read more There is an informational sign/map at all of the Amateur Tees showing the layout of the course. The Amateur tees are marked with red rocks. The Kids tees are marked with blue rocks and the Pro tees are marked with yellow. we couldn't find some of the blue or yellow tees on a few of the holes. Most amateurs are just going to play from the signpost. Lots of up and down as well.

Good local course, but not the best I've played. No starting pads and alternate tee spots are hard…read moreto locate. The fairways are infested with trees making this a challenging 9-hole course.