Fun Things to Do in Ozark, Missouri (Photo: )
Southwest Missouri’s Ozark region is an area of forest, mountains, prairie and the unusual features created by erosion like caves, sinkholes and arches called karst. The town of Ozark, a southern suburb of Springfield, was a hotbed of Union sympathizers during the Civil War and survives as a community with small-town sensibilities.
Ozark
Ozark’s Chamber of Commerce calls the small city the “Antique Capital of the World.” The Ozark Antique Mall (ozarkantiquemall.com), open seven days a week year-round, houses more than 275 vendors in 17,000 square feet. Elephant & Castle Fine Arms (elephantandcastle.biz) specializes in antique and collectible firearms. The town hosts the three-day Ozark Arts & Crafts Show (ozarkcraftfair.com) each October, and the Ozark Booster Club sponsors a rodeo in July. Blind crayfish and salamanders inhabit Smallin Cave (smallincave.com) north of Ozark. Visitors can take a standard one-hour tour, a two-hour, off-the-beaten-path tour or a Civil War-themed tour. Military history buffs can visit the spot on Ozark’s town square where three of the “Baldknobbers,” a post-Civil-War vigilante group, were hung.
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield (nps.gov), 15 miles northwest of Ozark, is the site of two Civil War firsts -- the death of the first Union general and the first major battle west of the Mississippi. Union and Confederate troops fought to a stand-off on the morning of Aug. 10, 1861, until Union troops, exhausted and ill-supplied, withdrew from the field. Confederate soldiers failed to pursue them but considered the battle a victory for the South. A self-guided car tour stops at significant sites at the battlefield, and the bed where Gen. Nathaniel Lyon was laid out on is on display at the Ray House, a field hospital during the battle.
Springfield
Springfield’s six-block Commercial Street Historic District is the place to visit for coffee shops, art galleries, vintage clothing and antique stores. Rail enthusiasts should walk across the 562-foot-long Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, one of the oldest and longest in the country, where 13 sets of tracks pass beneath the bridge. Take a ride in a flight simulator and shoot at enemy tanks at the Air and Military Museum of the Ozarks (ammomuseum.com) or peruse displays of more than 5,000 pieces of military memorabilia. A trip to Springfield wouldn’t be complete for outdoor enthusiasts without a stop at Bass Pro Shops’ (basspro.com) huge flagship store, one of the most-visited sites in Missouri.
Outdoors
Busiek State Forest (mdc4.mdc.mo.gov), a 10-minute drive south of Ozark, has almost 20 miles of multi-use trails for cyclists, hikers and equestrians. Ten miles past the state forest on Route 65, Branson Zipline and Canopy Tours (bransonxipline.com) has standard treetop zipline tours, but thrill-seekers can try the Free FallXpress, a 100-foot free fall that completes a long ride from the top of Wolfe Mountain. The vast Mark Twain National Forest (fs.usda.gov) stretches through 29 counties in Missouri. Two wilderness areas, Hercules Glade and Piney Creek, are within an hour’s drive of Ozark. Both have hiking trails and backcountry campsites.
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Writer Bio
Meg Jernigan has been writing for more than 30 years. She specializes in travel, cooking and interior decorating. Her offline credits include copy editing full-length books and creating marketing copy for nonprofit organizations. Jernigan attended George Washington University, majoring in speech and drama.