*** Review is during COVID-19 ***…read more This isn't so much a full-on park as it is a walking trail. I came a few times over the summer, and it ended up being a pretty good spot to get in a little exercise! For the most part, there were maybe only one or two other people there, sometimes there was no one else at all, and at most there were maybe 4 or 5 small groups (of 3 or 4). Usually the cooler parts of the day were more popular, but still never too many people. When there were others there, we did have to cross paths at times (if they were walking faster/ slower, or going in the opposite direction on the track). I appreciate that there are lots of trees, which helped keep it cool on those hot days. Plus, it was interesting because it seemed like lots of different kinds of trees, like no more than two of the same variety. Aside from the trail and trees, there are also some benches, maybe 4 or 5, spread out along the path. It also has a small parking lot, which is nice. I actually really enjoy how the path is more of a winding trail. I like how it's all just in one spot, and not actually spread out. I think one time around the path is about 2 miles, but it's nice to not have to actually go 2 miles away in distance. Plus, it allows you to really be able to customize how long or short you want to go. No matter where you are on the trail, you are still close to the start/ finish... so it's just as easy to not even do the full trail once, as it is to stop in the middle of your 5th mile, and so forth. It kind of reminded me of a labyrinth in that you can be pretty mindless doing it.

Cute little park near North Park Mall in northern Joplin. Small, flat trails for getting steps in…read moreand taking the pupper for a walk. There is a picnic area and playground - definitely give off the feeling of a nice family-friend park.

This is a great park. It has swings and two play sizes of playground equipment, one for the little…read morekids and one for the bigger kids. They have Outdoor grills and a covered area for birthday orator and get togethers. We have had a couple kids birthday parties there and it was great. They do have restrooms but like any outdoor park, they are not very clean. They also have a long walking path, a tennis court, and a large backstop for softball or baseball or just pitching practice. It's located right behind Toys-r-us but you have to take 4th street to get there so there is not much traffic. It's all FREE and pet friendly. Truly a great place to spend time with your family on a nice day.

This was a nice break with a playground (three stories!) and walking paths as we explored Joplin…read more Cunningham Park was originally known as Cunningham Grove and was donated to the city by Thomas W. Cunningham, who was the mayor of Joplin at the time. Cunningham was a significant figure in Joplin's development, contributing to various sectors such as banking, mining, and philanthropy. In 1897, Cunningham donated eight acres of land to the city for use as a public park. The deed was officially dated on July 5, 1898, and the park was dedicated in the early 1900s1. Cunningham Park became the first park in the Joplin Parks System. Over the years, the park has seen many enhancements, including the addition of a fountain, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and picnic areas. The park was also a central location for community gatherings and celebrations1. Unfortunately, the park was destroyed by an EF-5 tornado in 2011, but the community came together to rebuild it. Today, Cunningham Park stands as a symbol of resilience and community spirit. We were here to walk around the park and to see The Miracle of The Human Spirit monument. [Review 2323 of 2024 - 392 in Missouri - 23337 overall]

Cunningham Park is a vast oasis of everything a city park should be. Sporting fields, trails, lots…read moreof playgrounds with nice equipment, water features, picnic and gathering facilities and a world class memorial garden. The Memorial garden is what caused me to visit and pay respect to those 161 Joplin residents that lost their lives to one of the worst tornadoes in American history. The garden consists of natural rock, sculptures, fountains, informational signage and a vast array of beautiful plants and flowers that are well maintained. The park was in the direct path of the tornado and offers great vantage points to see what was, what remains and what was rebuilt in the vicinity. My visit was during a slight rain shower with approaching storm clouds; which only added to the somber and reflective visit. A must see for anyone traveling in the vicinity of Joplin.

Cute little non-profit garden. 100% volunteer run…read more Woman sitting in office was very friendly and informative - provided great history of the garden and information for local tourist spots :) Came here on a Wednesday afternoon and it was very peaceful. Great place to meditate and get grounded!

Love this place. Very peaceful and beautiful. Make sure to bring quarters to feed the fish.read more

*** Review is during COVID-19 ***…read more Came here earlier in the summer and it was so fun. This is a great spot!!! We wanted to find a swimming hole one day, which I now know can be very difficult to do! After driving around and around to several different spots for hours, where place after place turned out to be unsuccessful or just nonexistent, we were almost ready to give up. Then we remembered one more spot we could try... a swimming hole we'd been to when I was a little kid, with surprisingly clear blue water. We couldn't remember the name at first, but after some calls to my Grandma (always a great resource!) she helped us remember that it was Little Blue! Little Blue was still a bit hard to track down, but we eventually made it there, and had FINALLY found a spot worth staying around for! The water was as pretty as we remembered. In the shallower parts, it's crystal clear and you can see lots of pretty rocks on the bottom and sometimes little fishies too! The deepest part becomes a pretty blue color, and the water went up to at least between my elbows and shoulders (maybe more?). That deepest part isn't a huge area, so a little hard to stake your claim on it if you are trying to social distance, but overall there's plenty of space to spread out. It seemed to me like there were two areas: the area I just described, and then more river down to the left of that. This second area is much less populated, but I can see why, as it kind of quickly starts to get a pretty fishy smell as you go further and also has some animal bones (yeah...). Aside from the water, there's also lots of parking space, where many people had also set up camp (as in literally to camp in a tent for the night). We went on a Saturday (reminder that this was also in the "heat" of summer, no pun intended) so there were quite a few people. However, we were still able to stay a safe distance from others... we did have to be pretty mindful of it though, since others did not appear to be doing the same. I would give 5 stars if it (and other swimming holes in Oklahoma) had better information for people to find and clearer locations/directions!!! It's honestly pretty ridiculous. Also because that second swimming area down to the left could use a little work.

Little Blue is our favorite little hidden gem in the summer time. Beautiful! Fun! Cold! Relaxing!…read moreWe love it!!!

*** Review is during COVID-19 ***…read more It was another summer day where we were looking for something fun to do outside, had heard about this swimming hole through the grapevine, and thought we'd check it out. As usual, it was a little confusing to get there (why are the locations of places like this SO HARD to find?!?!). I think at the very last turn, our directions said to go left when we were supposed to go right, or something like that. I think maybe it was trying to take us to the canoe rental, also called/ under the name Cowskin. Kind of an interesting spot because it's near/ under a highway (or some kind of road?) bridge. Not too many people, maybe one or two bigger groups of people and then a handful more of groups of 2 or 3 people. Some of the smaller groups were really only just passing by via canoes or rafts, anyway. The river definitely has space to spread out far past the "entrance" if you want to keep plenty of distance between you and others there. The water is decently clear, and seemed pretty clean. The deeper parts of course weren't as clear because there's more water between you and the ground, but even then you can still kind of see your feet touching the bottom. That deepest part went about to my waist. There may be deeper parts than this further down, but we didn't stray too far away from the "entrance". There's a nice current as well as areas that are more still, so it's great for adapting to different water activities, depending on if you want to float away (on a boat or just on your own) or just stay in place and kind of wade around. Some places also had a little island in the middle, creating two different streams but also a place where you could hang around out of the water, other than the entrance spot. The surrounding area, from what we saw, was pretty empty. I say this to say: if you think you might make a day of it/ need food at some point, maybe bring some of your own. I could be wrong, but I really don't remember seeing ANYWHERE where you could grab anything (food or otherwise) nearby.

Took the family here on a nice Saturday afternoon to check things out. First impression was that…read morethe reservoir "lake" was a bit on the dirty/scummy side, but as we started walking the paved path it got better. We saw a lot of turtles swimming or sun bathing and the kids loved that! The path itself was nice and everyone walking or biking seemed friendly and things were cleaner than my initial impression. I wouldn't swim in this lake, but there were people fishing and that seemed fun and it was a lovely 2 mile easy walk. It felt safe, too. Good for families and pretty views!!

Very nice large lake and recreation area in Rogers. There was a lot of parking and lots to do! They…read moreseem to host events here often and there were a lot of people set up in the grass under canopys and tents. They had a few walking bridges and a nice section by the parking lot with splash areas. The lake was much larger than I thought and had a large paved trail around it all. It was 1.8 miles total with some sections in the direct sun and some uphill so be prepared. There were a few benches and stops to rest on the trail but the only bathrooms were in the front. There were a lot of of people fishing and many concrete docks to walk out on which I thought was a great feature. I did see a lot of garbage in the water and ground and not enough trash cans for sure. Also a lot of goose poop but I guess that happens. We saw many birds, turtles, and fish which my kids liked a lot! I do recommend checking this nice lake out for fishing, nature exploring, or a nice walk.

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

Enjoyed a quick stop at this state park near Bartlesville and on the way to Pawhuska. A short…read moreunpaved trail leads you to a great waterfall area. You can walk from rock to rock out to some picturesque areas around the water. The trail is pretty easy to navigate except for a few slick rocks here and there. There is an overlook we drove up to but it was just an okay view due to some tall trees blocking much of the view. Camping areas look well kept and the ranger we spoke with was very nice and helpful. I would definitely recommend this to out of town visitors like myself to get out and enjoy nature and the beautiful landscape of NE Oklahoma.

At first, Osage Hills State Park doesn't seem like something too special, but if you begin hiking…read morethe trails, you'll find some real gems. First, there are some rocky canyon-type cliffs the hand Sand Creek winding through them. It's really pretty and there are some waterfalls and big rocks to wade onto in the middle of a creek that gets really wide in some parts. Seconds, there is sand all around (hence the name Sand Creek), enough in some spots to feel like you're sand bathing at a beach... no joke! Wish I snapped better pictures of the sandy parts. It was a fun experience!

Easy parking and clean bathroom right next to swim beach. Arrive early for less crowds. After 3 it…read moregot crowded but it was not bad for a Saturday. There was also volleyball court, lots of grass and picnic tables under the shade too! We will def come back year after year!

This was my first visit to Oologah Lake. I came quite early in the morning about 8:30am on a…read moreSunday. I came specifically to hike the Skull Hollow Nature Trail. No one was in the gate attendant shack when I pulled up but there were easy to follow instructions to self pay. It was only $5 for a day pass which I thought was a great deal! The hike along the nature trail was beautiful. There are many areas where you're able to look out over the lake if you follow the "hiking" trail. I took my doggo with me. I personally didn't think it was a very strenuous hike, but I'm also fairly active. Be careful and watch your footing. I also came across what I would call a "hidden beach". Unless you hike to it or know where to locate it via boat, it's quite private. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to come back once everything greens up and bring a lunch with me to enjoy it for longer. The trail seemed well maintained and there wasn't any trash anywhere which is what I always like to see. I hope to get back to this lake before the end of summer. I'm trying to visit a different Tulsa District Corps lake each weekend this summer! Would highly recommend!!