Looking for things to do in Springfield (Kansas City, St. Louis: extended stay, real estate)

[blessed in MO]

Hello Missourians ~ I am a new resident outside of Springfield in the country, and am wanting to know what to do in the area, especially for a 4 year old. We've just moved here about 3 months ago..... absolutely LOVE it! Missouri is so beautiful and peaceful, I am BLESSED to be here!

[JTSO]

We lived in Springfield between 1999 and 2005. There are quite a few things to do especially if you're a fan of the outdoors. The Discovery Center downtown is a kind of hands on science center for young people. If you're intereseted in plays/musicals the Juanita K Hammonds hall at SMS has a 'family series' as well as stuff for all ages. The Springfield Cardinals at Hammonds field is kinda cool (maybe not at age 4), because you can see the players before they make it to the big league or possibly even one of the St.Lous Card's sitting the season out for injury or something. The Dept of Conservation's Nature center on the south side of town has activities for all ages (check the MDC website for schedules). The various Greenways trails for walking/biking are very popular. (the Galloway creek trail goes through one of the city parks which has playground eqpmt, pond, cave...etc). The WOW museum next to Bass Pro is fun once, but a little on the expensive side(much better when there's no crowd, shoot for early Sunday morning if possible). Just before we left, there were rumors that Mr. Morris was going to put in an IMAX theater next to the store and museum. Not sure if that is going to happen or not. "In the area"...trout fishing/camping/floating at Bennet Springs (north of Lebanon)is pretty much always good and a very good time for all ages. Then there is always Branson and Silver Dollar City/White Water... I'm sure there is more, but thats all I can think of for now.

[gosox8]

outdoor world is fun and tiny's BBQ is awesome.

[Christy]

the more I read about missouri the more I can't wait to get there.

[AZman]

I am looking to move to MO, tell me how you like it.

[DDFRED]

Just make sure you stop by Lambert's for a meal. Good food and atmosphere. It's the "home of the thrown roll". I stop there every trip I make to or thru the area.

[John Brown]

If you have kids, you have to hit Incredible Pizza. I am a former news anchor at Springfield 33 and the one thing I miss more than anything are the people. You take the friendly nature for granted until you move away.

[MoMark]

I'm originally from California, lived and worked for years in the San Francisco Bay Area both in downtown San Francisco and Oakland, then was transferred to Las Vegas six years ago. I loved where I lived in Henderson (attached to Las Vegas), as my home looked out over the Strip to the north and there was still open desert when I moved there. It was so clean and blue and the vistas are stunning. But then growth took over and I found my neighborhood surrounded by thick residential and commercial development, traffic became more of a nightmare than it was, and I dreamt of selling out and moving to the Midwest. I researched the whole country with my goal being a home on acreage somewhere where I could afford to pay cash and live debt-free. I researched distance from big cities (terrorism), distance from nuclear military and civilian sites (same reason), low taxes, four seasons but not too arctic in the winters, a healthy job market, mid-sized city within 100 mile radius, beautiful countyside, inexpensive real estate, etc. and all my searching kept leading me back to Missouri, especially southwestern Missouri with Springfield as the hub. So, one weekend I flew to Springfield and met up with a realtor and looked at properties on acreage. I was enchanted. It was August of 2004 I flew out and the countryside blew me away. It's gorgeous. Housing is cheap! Springfield is the epitomy of a midwestern city, and I was mesmerized by the lightning bugs that came out at night that blink on and off in bright green lights as they fly by. I knew this was "it". And just as I realized that was where I wanted to be, the housing market in Las Vegas stalled and I got sent to the Philippines to work for a few months by my bank. Everything was on hold. I was convinced the housing market was going to crash and wanted to get my home sold before prices fell and I lost the magical bubble cash. I HATED the Philippines and when my bank told me I had to extend my stay there, I balked and insisted on coming home where I ran into political crap, so..I waited until the market heated up again and then put my house on the market for an exhorbitant amount and much to my surprise, it sold at full price with seven offers in two days! So, with the house sold, it was time to give notice at work. I gave two weeks and prepared the household for storage. With the money in the bank on June 4th, I got in my truck with with my animals and drove to Springfield, Missouri where I lodged at the Extended Stay America and started immediately on my search. I found my dream house on 4.3 acres 8 miles north of town, a 2301 sq. ft. custom built brick dream with a huge deck with built-seating out back that runs the length of the house, three car garage, and 2.5 acres of rolling grass sprinkled with mature oaks and hickory trees, with a long driveway to the farm road out front, and thick forest on the other two acres behind the house, all fenced. The price I paid was sickeningly low by Las Vegas standards...I had a lot left over and paid cash, so no mortgage. The countryside is unbelievably gorgeous with intermittent stands of deciduous forests broken by cleared fields usually with cattle or horses on them. The weather is cold in the winter, but not unbearable, and the extreme weather comes in waves, but the houses are built for it. I pay approx. $28/Month in electricity, whereas cooling my home in Las Vegas ran me over $300+ a month in July and August, and so far this year, though temps have hit the low nineties, I've not used my air conditioning system once, but relied on the ceiling fans and opening windows and French Doors to the deck with the screens closed at night for cool air to come in. The taxes are very low here. The only weird thing I found was that Missouri levies property taxes on automobiles!!! I found that so strange! It's not much, just weird. I must say to anyone considering Missouri. I'm unfamiliar with Kansas City or St. Louis or northern or Central Missouri, but southwest Missouri is heaven on earth. I absolutely thank God I got the guts and made the move!

[heaton]

Want to move my family to the springfield area. I'm worried after living in a HUGE city (Phoenix) my kids will be bored. I have two daughters. One is 20 and my other daughter is 17. They love to shop and they are worried that they won't have very many choices of where to go.
Myself will love the peace and quiet....

[TornadoAlley]

I hear you Pam. I have three kids (11,14,16). We are ready to get out of CA. I wish we would have done it 6-8 months ago, we could have got $40k more for our house. The market has slowed down and are wondering if we should wait 2 yrs or go now.