
If you want to soak up the sun, there is no shortage of fresh-air activities for you and your family.
● Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene. The beautifully maintained gardens at Nathanael Greene include hostas, daylilies, peonies, roses and dozens more varieties of flowers maintained by volunteers. During your self-guided experience, you can also explore the Native Butterfly House, the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden and the Gray-Campbell Farmstead.
● Dickerson Park Zoo. Looking for a zoo adventure? Springfield’s Dickerson Park Zoo offers an extensive tropical Asia area with elephants, tigers and siamangs, while the Missouri habitats feature wolves, otters, black bears and more. Rest your feet on the seasonal train ride across the park or stop by the Zoo gift shop for a memento of your time in the wild.
● Getaway Golf. Venture across the world with the travel themed 18-hole courses at Getaway Golf. At the US course you can start off at the St. Louis Arch or up the ante across the Great Barrier Reef in the international course. Stop by on Tuesday for two dollars off all courses!
● Wild Animal Safari. Head right outside Springfield for a zoo that you can drive through. The Wild Animal Safari has over 450 animals across 65 species including lions, tigers, giraffes, camels, zebras and more. Don’t forget to buy a cup of animal feed so that you can watch the animals eat!
● Fantastic Caverns. They don’t call Missouri “The Cave State” for nothing. Get spelunking and visit America’s only ride-through cave, Fantastic Caverns. It’s a great destination no matter the time of year — the cave stays at a cool 60 degrees year-round!
● Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield provides an illuminating look at the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River.