From Jefferson City, take Highway 54 east across the Missouri River, take the Route W exit and turn…read morenorth (left) on Route W (Cedar City Drive); then 4th Street west (left), then Cottonwood Drive south (left). At the end of the road, you'll find this peaceful spot that has a boat launch into the Missouri River and there is a fantastic view of the Jefferson City Bridge. There are several picnic tables too. Walk down the ramp to the riverside and stack some stones. Or just sit on one of the benches and enjoy the peace. There is a low hum from the vehicles crossing the bridge. Being near the open water - the Missouri is the longest river in the United States - is calming. Plenty of people around during daylight hours but I did not see any security. [Review 19750 overall - 227 in Missouri - 722 of 2023.]

One of Missouri's few state historic sites is just outside Jeff City to the east. Unfortunately…read morethere are no signs that point you to the park so its best to rely on your GPS. It is actually outside the small town of Osage City. There is not many recreational things to do there (like no fields, playground, places to play ball or eat, etc) as this is mostly focused on the historical aspect of it. Lewis and Clark once visited this site and met with the Osage Indians. There are Indian mounds present at the site but they are in the woods. Several historical markers talk and detail about the historical place. There is a 1/2-mile trail but it only leads you to a deck in the woods with no view. The Missouri River is visible in a few spots. Trail goes upward and downward both ways so be sure to bring good shoes. A few benches, though not in the best of shape are at the park and trail. The trail in the woods is also not paved so you feel like you have to look down everytime you take a step. Be sure to bring your bug spray as there are lots of them in the woods.

Just north/west of the intersection of US-54 and US-63, I found the Katy Trail State Park where I…read morewas hoping to find a power outlet and did but it wasn't operational. Instead, I took the opportunity to use the spot as my third office of the day as there was very cool cellular coverage. After some emails, I did some walking along the trail to clear my head. The park is built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. It turns out that it's the longest developed rail-trail in the country at 240 miles long with 26 trailheads and four fully restored railroad depots along the way. This spot in North Jefferson City / Holts Summit has the restored railroad depot with a public toilet. Lots of nature, lots of recreation and lots of opportunity to get away from too much of it all. Parking here is a dirt lot and there are a couple of picnic tables and some shade. A large structure with trail information and sights is here. I enjoyed my time and if I was more of a bicyclist, I would be all over this. I hope you check it out. [Review 19741 overall - 218 in Missouri - 713 of 2023.]

Hiking the Katy trail is always a great time and this trail head is fantastic. Plenty of parking,…read morecovered tables and uncovered. Restrooms as well. Highly recommend using the North Jefferson City trail head. Terrific for meeting folks or using as a place to park and take a bike.

Binder Park mountain bike trails are meticulously maintained and host a wide variety of terrain,…read moreincluding bridges, log rolls, and jumps, and for the rest of us, nice black dirt riding with hair pin turns, decent climbs and great scenery. There are bathrooms at the marina parking lot, grills and water. There are bathrooms trails are well maker and easy to follow. There are maps at the trail head. If riding isn't enough, bring your disc golf equipment. I don't play but the course looks fun. Also, you can fish and kayak in the lake. Great trails! Ride On!

Air your tires.....grab a beer.....purchase a bike! These guys are awesome! Professional service…read moreoriented small business! They do the little things excellent, as well as walk you through the big purchase. They offer a ton of local knowledge, a variety of bike services, and a friendly smile that makes you wanna grab a beer and chat them up!

I was stranded on the Katy trail with a persistent flat. I couldn't fix it and was out of spare…read moretubes and air. Nick saved my butt. He went out of his way to bring me tubes and air and fixed me up when I was almost 30 miles away. He is a great guy and represents the cycling community of MO well!

It's a really nice park that has a place for groups, outside and inside, play ground and woods , I…read moresaw a deer one day . But it is hilly .

We had some time to kill before meeting up with family so so we stopped in to skate around. Our…read morelittles loved the smaller area while my husband and I enjoyed the main floor with our older two. The clean sealed wood floor is nice and I was happy to play some familiar games and relive some memories; I even won a free soda playing the number elimination game! The arcade games looked fun but we'll check them out next time as were too busy skating. The staff was very friendly and helpful with the skate renting process. They also carry skates and have catalog available for those looking!!

We have only been here once so far. We are from out of town. It's 100 degrees and we wanted…read moresomething indoors to do. My son plays roller hockey so we skate a lot. This rink is really nice. Has a big open feeling as there are no walls. You can enter or exit the skate floor from anywhere. That's a big plus for public skating! (No good for hockey). We got two pretzels and cheese. A hot dog. Two Gatorade's and a Mountain Dew fountain, oh and cheese fries. It was priced great. Think $12.50 for it all. I love when places would rather sell quantity at a fair price than price gouging the ones willing to pay. It's great for them with increased sales. And great for the patron with lower prices. We went on a Friday night. No hats were allowed. Kinda weird. Maybe there's gang issues round here? Put my favorite STL Blues hat back in my truck. No biggie. That seems only on Friday making it more interesting. But I'm sure there's a reason. The employees were all really nice at the snack bar. Then we also went to the place they sell skate stuff at. They are raising money for there speed team. My son got some cool tattoos for a dollar each. The girl that helped us was super polite. My son and I have our own skates. My wife got rentals and said, "They were fine." The dining area had ample seating and wasn't crowded even though it was Friday night. They had lockers for 50¢ but we just threw our shoes in some free cubbies. They had an air hockey table. A foosball table and a couple pool tables. Think they were all quarter operated. A kid told me air hockey was 75¢. They also had lots of benches to put on skates. Or for skaters to rest. Parents to watch. Etc. they had many rooms to have birthday parties in as well. There were a few games with prizes during the session too. Like the lucky wall game. And speed skating. We really enjoyed the place and will be back if we are in the area. If we were local we would be regulars for sure. Only downside is no roller hockey. That's a small percentage of the population though. For a place to skate this place is great! (Had to drop a couple stars. Went Friday. It was great. Tried to go back Sunday and it was closed. A sign on the door saying closed Saturday and Sunday. No warning posted a day prior that we seen. Also said it was open during those hours online. A Saturday the 11th of June 2021 would be closed online. Making it more misleading. You expect a place to be open when they say they will. Not waste your time and plans. I read a review that said the only way to know if they are open is to call the day of and listen to the voicemail. I'd recommend that before driving here. We will be back if they are open when we are around again lol. I'll definitely call first and have other plans in case.)

I have only been there once. It was a birthday party for a friend of mine in 5th grade. ;-) They…read morehave rooms to rent for these special occasions. The price to get in was reasonable. Just remember to bundle up! It was really cold. The concessions sell hot chocolate! Woot! I did not personally enjoy ice skating. I just hung on the side the whole time, and if I would actually try to skate into the middle, my skate would get caught on the grooves in the ice that other skaters had made, and I would fall. I much rather enjoy roller skating! I have been roller skating since I could walk ;-)

It's probably not the greatest thing that I enjoy doing stuff that will more than likely kill me…read more But I enjoy ice skating. I remember my first time. slowly going down the rink, both arms on the side holding my shaking body up. Then I got the hang of it and went off on my own. I naturally fell a few feet into it and hit face first. I didn't bleed but I turned the entire left side of my face white. White. Like a sheet. White. It's a great place to take the adventurous youth, an even better place to recapture your youth. Really good if you want to hurt yourself.