Find Adventure In Joplin Missouri

Lodging

·         Water’s Edge Campground (Joplin)

·         Rivers Bend Campground Bar & Grill (Joplin)

·         Zans Creekside Campground (Joplin)

·         Prairie State Park (Mindenmines)

·         Grand Avenue B&B (Carthage)

Activities

·         Hiking & Floating

·         Shopping and Site Seeing

·         Cruising Route 66 (Missouri Life Guide to Route 66)

·         Motorcycling (Missouri Life Motorcycle Guide page 70)

Points of Interest

·         Grand Falls/ Shoal Creek (Joplin)

·         Big Sugar Creek State Park (Pineville)

·         Prairie State Park (Mindenmines)

·         66 Drive In (Carthage)

·         Civil War Museum (Carthage)

Events

·         Shoal Creek Water Festival (Joplin, August)

·         Carl Junction Blue Grass Festival (Carl Junction, Sept)

·         Maple Leaf Festival (Carthage, Oct);

·         Bison Hike @ Prairie State Park (Mindenmines, all year)

Dreaming of your next adventure?  Sparkle Adventures offers custom adventure planning services for your next adventure.  Just need ideas?  We have lots of ideas to help you plan your outdoor adventure. 

Get your kicks on Route 66! Joplin, MO is the last stop on the Missouri section of Route 66.  “Cruise along historic Route 66 as it winds its way through the heart of Joplin, via Main Street downtown, then toward the Kansas state line on 7th Street.”  There are plenty of outdoor adventures in Joplin, MO.

If you are camping in Joplin, Missouri, there are several campgrounds situated along Shoal Creek.  “Water’s Edge Campground offers 12 RV spaces (partial hookup) and primitive camping.  Fish, swim, or float on pristine Shoal Creek, picnic under the pavilion or at the many picnic tables throughout the park, or have a cookout on the beach and play volleyball or horseshoe afterward.”  “Rivers Bend Campground Bar and Grill has 15 RV sites and 50+ tent sites, a full bar and restaurant on the property for you to enjoy.”  “Zan’s Creekside Campground offers primitive camping and 16 RV spaces (full hookup).  Spend the day hanging out by Shoal Creek, or rent an inner tube and cool off in the water.”

Just 45 minutes from Joplin, “Prairie State Park offers a small number of basic campsites and a back pack camp. These basic campsites will accommodate groups of up to 20 people.”

Or for more luxurious lodging, 25 minutes away stay in Carthage, Missouri at the Grand Avenue Bed and Breakfast.  And of course, there are many hotel/motel options for your adventure in Joplin, Missouri. 

You won’t run out of things to do in Joplin.  Start your adventure at Grand Falls on Shoal Creek. 

“Grand Falls is the largest continuously running waterfall in Missouri.  That’s, right! The water in Shoal Creek plunges 12 feet to a rock ledge.  The natural falls are created by a ledge of solid chert rock that measures 163 feet across, creating a Little Niagra Falls right here in our backyard.  There are outcroppings of chert next to the falls that fill with water and create pools that kids of all ages can splash in, and explore to discover frogs and other types of life in the water.”

“Hike a trail back into history. Big Sugar Creek State Park is a rugged landscape of rare shrubs and trees not often seen anymore in Missouri. Visitors can find solitude in hiking through shady upland woodlands and sunny grassy glades while passing near numerous rock ledges. Notable plants such as the Ozark Chinquapin tree and low prickly pear cactus can be found along with animals such as armadillos and birds such as scarlet tanagers.”

“Tallgrass prairies once covered more than a third of Missouri; today, less than one percent remains, much of it preserved at Prairie State Park. Visitors to the park see panoramic vistas of swaying grass and ever-changing wildflowers. They also may spot the park’s resident bison herd. The park’s Regal Tallgrass Prairie Nature Center offers exhibits and interpretive programs designed to inform visitors about the special place.”

“66 Drive-In is a historic drive-in theater national historic district located on U.S. Route 66 in Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri. The theater opened on September 22, 1949, four years before the first local television stations signed on in the Joplin-Springfield area.”

“Did you know that the first full-scale land battle of the Civil War was fought near Carthage, Missouri? Learn about this important Missouri battle at the Civil War Museum, located just off the downtown square in Carthage.”

Plan your adventure in Joplin, Missouri during one of the festivals and events happening in and around Joplin. 

“Shoal Creek Water Festival, held in August, features cardboard boat races, shoebox boat races, inner tube races, 20 plus booths packed with great information and kids activities, food trucks and much much more!”

The Carl Junction Blue Grass Festival, held in September, features Blue Grass music and car shows.

“Beginning in 1966 as a marching band competition, the annual Maple Leaf Festival took its name from Mother Nature’s array of glorious fall colors. Every year, the city of Carthage proudly welcomes 80,000+ visitors to this wonderful fall celebration.  Every year, on the 3rd Saturday of October, the biggest day of the festival begins with the largest parade in Southwest Missouri. This keystone event begins at 9 a.m. and ends around noon. The parade begins on the Historic Square and ends at the Carthage Jr. High.  Events are scheduled throughout the day including the band festival, art & crafts vendors, car and tractor shows, wine tasting, quilt show, food vendors, and live entertainment.  The month of October is filled with activities including art and museum exhibits, lobster boil, bike tour, carnival, evening 5K, beauty pageants, dog show, chicken pageant, gospel sing, cruise-in, costume ball, and a lip-sync competition. Celebrating its 53rd year in 2019, the Maple Leaf Festival welcomes you.”

And finally, enjoy a guided Bison hike throughout the summer at Prairie State Park. 

Hiking and floating, shopping and site seeing and of course cruising on Route 66 are part of the adventure in Joplin, MO! We’ll see you there.

Sparkle Adventures offers custom adventure planning services for your next adventure.  We do the planning; you have the fun!  Check out  our adventure planning services and pricing at www.sparkle-adventures.com  and get your next adventure started today.