A Guide to Springfield, Missouri

Located in southwestern Missouri, Springfield is a vibrant destination, especially if you have kids in tow. The Discovery Center of Springfield offers interactive science exhibits and digs into the lives of dinosaurs and more, while the Dickerson Park Zoo features animals from kangaroos and tigers to exotic birds and reptiles. Sports lovers will enjoy the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. A Jeep tour through an ancient cave will inspire wonder and you’ll find great food options, too, namely the city’s specialty cashew chicken dish. Here’s our guide for things to do in Springfield, Missouri.

Where to Eat

With roughly 800 restaurants in the Springfield, Missouri area, you won’t be at a loss when searching for good fare. Springfield-style Cashew Chicken, introduced about 50 years ago by David Leong, is the city’s signature dish. Akin to Asian-style cashew chicken, Springfield-style comes with fried chicken chunks covered with Chinese oyster sauce, cashews and chopped green onion. Find it at Leong’s Asian Diner today, or at one of dozens of other Asian restaurants in town.

For a no-frills, family-friendly option, try George’s Family Restaurant. Opened in 1973, George’s focuses on omelets and other breakfast staples, which are offered all day, plus soups and salads, burgers, sandwiches, Tex-Mex fare and homemade desserts.

Button up in your finest attire and head over to The Garrison at Finley Farms for an upscale night out. Shareable plates, from bison tartare and crab cakes to tuna crudo and shrimp ceviche and craft cocktails shine at this romantic spot along the banks of the Finley River. Duck, quail and sea scallops are all on the entrées menu.

Take a Jeep tour at Fantastic Caverns

The kids (and probably adults, too) will go nuts on a Jeep-drawn tram ride at Fantastic Caverns, an underground cave packed with awe-inspiring natural formations, including stalactites, stalagmites and more. Discovered by John Knox and his hunting dog in 1862, the cave wasn’t officially explored until after the Civil War, when a group of 12 women from the Springfield Women’s Athletic Club, guided by candlelight, volunteered to map it. The path, cut by an ancient river, showcases an array of ancient floor-to-ceiling column formations, “soda straws” (small young stalactites) and rare cave pearls.

Learn about Science and Nature

Science and nature lovers have tons of options of things to do in Springfield, Missouri. Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium is a conservation-focused attraction located near the Bass Pro Shops national headquarters and is named for Johnny Morris, the company’s founder. One of the largest immersive wildlife attractions in the world, the experience offers an enormous aquarium that features 35,000 live fish, plus mammals, reptiles and birds. Inside the variety of themed exhibits, you’ll discover interesting facts about Native Americans, the explorations of Lewis & Clark, game birds, sheep mountains and lots more.

Head over to Downtown Springfield to visit the Discovery Center of Springfield, an interactive science museum featuring tons of hands-on science-centric experiences. The kids will love digging dinosaur bones, flying a plane, exploring the human body, generating electricity and laughing at puppet shows.

At the Dickerson Park Zoo visit and learn about the lives of roughly 450 animals from across the globe, from Malayan tigers and Asian elephants to South American macaws, kangaroos and much more. Visit the reptiles in the Ambler Diversity of Life center and feed giraffes from an elevated deck (closed November through February).

Take a Breather in a Japanese Garden

Garden lovers will want to check out the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, an attraction within the larger Springfield Botanical Gardens. Constructed in 1985, the garden features a large koi lake, moon bridge, meditation area, tea house and Japanese landscaping.

Book your stay at Vib Best Western Springfield.