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.

Perfect place for long runs, I love the Galloway town area and the rivers on the way. If you like…read moreto run then you need to try this place

Fun little park with rocks to climb. Sadly the cave was closed but we were still able to climb…read morearound above it. It looked like there were some small trails too but we did not follow them

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.

Awesome Park has walking trails and has historically information on trail of tears. It has benches…read moreall over the park.

We're traveling through the state of Missouri and planned our trip around this location so that we…read morecould see the Callaway cabin, which is advertised as being open the fourth Sunday of the month, only to arrive and see a sign that says the second Saturday of every month. Very disappointed that information is not kept updated. It is a very small beautiful park with lots of trees and streams and springs.

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 love this Springfield park perhaps most of all. I love to trot down here for a good run, and…read moreevery time I do, I feel like I see something new. I see birthday parties; I see families, couples, people walking their dogs; I see LARPers (look it up); I see potlucks; I see high school science projects; I see track teams; I see lone runners. This is a great place to see the Springfield community at their happiest and most relaxed. Not to mention it offers an impressive amount of amenities: a few tennis courts, a full playground, BBQ pits, a sprinking of permament art installations, and a very nice, covered communal area. This is a very old park, and the practicality of it paired with all the old stone work and giant Oak trees makes for a unique place to stop and unwind alone or with your favorite people/pets. A few other reasons why Phelps rocks: it's in a gorgeous, well-established neighborhood full of interesting and well-maintaned forever homes and it's right next to the beloved art museum. It also has a righteously awesome butterfly garden (you'll see it if you look in the direction of the museum from the park itself), and walking through it in the summer is legitimately like walking in a dream. It's quite lovely. One word of advice I can provide is that this park is also historically a not-so-good place to visit after nightfall, as most Springfield parks are. Get your recreational fix in before sunset and call it a day, unless you're with a group.

Phelp's Grove Park is always a winning park to hang out at, and I was most recently there for Yoga…read morein the Park. How perfect is Phelp's for that kind of thing? There is a concrete pad that fits dozens of people for the event. It was really perfect and I absolutely enjoyed myself and the Yoga. As for the rest of the park, there's a lot of room to run around and have fun for both kids and dogs, there are tennis courts and picnic spots, and you just really can't go wrong with an art museum bordering one side.

Cute little gardens. Not sure worth the entry fee. We usually go for Christmas light viewing in…read moreDecember. The nathaniel Greene Park attached to it is free and full of walking trails and green spaces for picnics and a few playgrounds.

Small but super nice Japanese garden. Normally $6/adult but they accepted our reciprocal Missouri…read moreBotanical Garden membership which is a nice perk. A lot of the paths seem to have a drainage problem from the heavy overnight rains, but a small issue considering how nice the garden is. Very relaxing and pretty empty for a nice Saturday midday visit!

Cute little farm park. Fun little playground for kids approx 5-10 yoa. You can pet goats and cows…read moreand pigs (if they are cooperative in their pens). They have space to rent for parties (ac provided) but be prepared for barnyard smells. Lots of festivals thru the year hut Halloween is the big one where you can pick a pumpkin from the patch. Fishing available only for kids at a certain age so check their website. Free to get into park. Plenty of parking.

The pricing is like a bad carnival. Tickets for every attraction and random ticket count per each…read moreone. Nothing special and overpriced.

I lived in Kansas City for several years, and this was my favorite weekend trip. It's a great…read moreplace to appreciate the beauty of the dwindling natural prairie, and the roaming buffalo are a treat this far east. It's not a huge park, you could hike the entire thing in one day. The "campground" is a tiny two sites & vault toilet, but this often means you have the place to yourself. If you don't want to rough it and/or prefer to sample some great fried chicken, Pittsburg, KS, is a short drive away.

Off the beaten path definitely describes this State Park located not far from the Kansas border. I…read morestumbled across Prairie State Park while storm chasing and loved the solitude it provided. There is nothing quite like standing in the middle of a tall grass prairie with supercell thunderstorms all around you and you can see the gusts of wind move the grass in giant waves. While many of you will not visit in the middle of a storm chase, it's definitely a beautiful place. The small but info packed visitors center has limited days of operation, check the website before heading out there if you want to go inside it. And yes they have a herd of buffalo that sometimes you can see. Sometimes it seems the prairie swallows them up. But if you get to see them it just seems like an ideal setting for the experience. They have trails that are worth a walk. Bring your own water, don't assume you will find any at the visitors center. Naturally, 4 Stars.