Joplin is a city in southwest Missouri that started life as a mining boomtown at the end of the 19th century. It is located on Route 66 and is a starting point for tourists driving along this historic road. CDC information for travelers. Hours/availability may have changed.
10 Best Things to Do in Joplin, Missouri
- George Washington Carver National Monument, Photo: NPS Photo
- Candy House Gourmet, Joplin, Missouri, Photo: Courtesy of Artem Shadrin - Fotolia.com
- Grand Falls, Joplin, Missouri, Photo: Courtesy of munst64804 - Fotolia.com
- Joplin 44 Petro, Joplin, MO, Photo: Joplin 44 Petro
- Joplin Museum Complex, Photo: Joplin Museum Complex
- Red Onion Cafe, Joplin, Missouri, Photo: Red Onion Café
- Route 66 Park, Joplin, Missouri, Photo: Courtesy of slonme - Fotolia.com
- Sandstone Gardens, Joplin, Missouri, Photo: Sandstone Gardens
- Sweet Caroline's, Joplin, Missouri, Photo: Sweet Caroline's
- Cover Photo: Courtesy of munst64804 - Fotolia.com
A great place to learn about the city’s rough past as a mining town is the Joplin Museum Complex, with a range of exhibits that include some unique rocks, a tooth of a wooly mammoth, and an exhibit on the robbers Bonnie and Clyde, who spent some time in the city in 1933. Nature lovers will enjoy Grand Falls, which spills down 12 feet into a pool popular for swimming and fishing. The Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center protects the vulnerable chert glades as well as the unique biodiversity of the area, while the George Washington Carver National Monument celebrates works of the world-famous scientist and naturalist George Washington Carver.
You are reading "10 Best Things to Do in Joplin, Missouri " Back to Top
Attraction Spotlight: Sandstone Gardens
Sandstone Gardens in Joplin, Missouri offers fine dining, an expansive garden and shopping at a lavishly decorated estate. The 68-acre property houses a 50,000 square foot showroom and bistro in a setting built to resemble a “turn of the century” mansion. The Sandstone Gardens showroom sells antiques and home décor items ranging from furniture and home accents, to decorative lighting, wall art, textiles, dinnerware and server ware.
Women’s jewelry and accessories, gourmet food gifts and luxury custom bedding round out the offerings. Sandstone’s well-known line of cast stone home and garden statuary and furniture is also represented at the showroom.
Sandstone produces original home and garden statuary, and has been at the forefront of design in this area for over 25 years. Statuary is made with a cement and marble mixture which makes it suitable for indoor or outdoor usage, as it stands up against the elements of heat and rain, or cold, snow and ice. The catalogue of over 1,500 items is constantly changing, as statuary gets added or discontinued each year. Over 300 different planter and urn selections complement the benches, fountains and birdbaths, as well as decorative animals and novelty items. Items are finished in Mocha Antico, the signature patina of any Sandstone Gardens piece. Outdoor items are displayed among the spectacular gardens throughout Sandstone’s vast property.
An on-site bistro is equipped to handle large groups and bus tours. Lunches are made from scratch in an open grill area that allows patrons to see their meals being cooked. Menu items include traditional soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as homemade desserts, coffee, wine and beer.
History: Sandstone Gardens was founded in 1986 by Max & Vicki Carr. At the time, the newlyweds were looking for a small side business to supplement their income. They worked from their garage to cast small ornamental garden accents, selling their wares at trade shows as time allowed. Within one year, they had both quit their jobs and began making and selling garden statuary at large trade shows across the United States. The Carrs became known for their award winning displays, which showcase their garden accents within elaborate vignettes. Out of over 125 vendors at the prestigious Philadelphia Flower Show, Sandstone Gardens has finished in the top 3 for each of the past nine years, and has won the Blue Ribbon three times.
In 2002 the Carrs purchased the 68 acres of property outside Joplin, Missouri, an upgrade from a previous showroom they had built in the early 1990’s. The current estate style showroom was inspired by Max and Vicki’s love of grand east coast properties, and opened to the public in 2004. While known for their opulent displays, still arranged by the talented Vicki Carr, the Carrs take pride in offering home and garden wares at affordable price points.
Sandstone has become a popular stand alone shopping destination for large tour groups and individuals who take pleasure in spending a full day browsing the gardens, greenhouses and interior showrooms, and enjoy the home cooked meals and desserts.
Past and Future Exhibits: Sandstone participates in antiques and home décor events across the country, and hosts significant home décor events on site as well. Each year in October, Sandstone Gardens is decorated for the holidays for a special Holiday Market event. The weekend event features the store’s newest holiday décor items.
Outside events attended by Sandstone Gardens include some of the country’s largest Antique and Garden Shows. In 2018, Sandstone Gardens will be present at the The Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville, Tennessee in February, the The Philadelphia Flower Show in March, at the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts for May, July and September, and at the Holiday Nutcracker Market in Houston during the month of November.
What’s Nearby: Joplin, Missouri is a small town in the southwestern corner of the state, made famous in part as the site of several of Boone and Clyde’s bank robberies in the 1930’s. Although the couple escaped capture, they were forced to leave behind several personal belongings, including a camera, which included several personal photographs of the couple that spurred their infamy. Additional attractions include the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center, Grand Falls, the Joplin Museum Complex, and Bonnie and Clyde’s Garage Apartment.
2826 Douglas Fir Road Joplin, Missouri 64804, Phone: 417-206-6305
You are reading "10 Best Things to Do in Joplin, Missouri " Back to Top
Attraction Spotlight: The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center is located in Joplin, Missouri, a small town in the southwestern corner of the state. The site is home to almost half the acreage of the world’s only 60 acres of Chert Glades, a wetlands habitat found only in southwest Missouri. In partnership with the City of Joplin and the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Audubon Center teaches respect for nature, and lives what they teach through ongoing conservation efforts.
Over 4 miles of trails wind through the acreage of the Wildcat Glades and offer visitors everything from a leisurely stroll to a robust rugged hike. The St. John’s Creek Trail takes guests past the historic site of the Redings Mill Bridge, where the foundation of the old mill can still be seen. Birds frequently seen along this trail include osprey and the belted kingfisher. The Bluff Trail overlooks Shoal Creek with a 50-foot climb up a chert bluff, which opens into Mother Nature's Gap, a large 40-foot deep fissure in the chert rock. The Rotary Centennial Trail is an easy hike to a viewing platform that overlooks a pond and the chert glades. The Audubon Center trails also intersect with the City of Joplin trails, paved stretches of trail that are suitable for pets and cycling as well as hikers.
The variety of habitat at the Wildcat Park lends itself to spectacular bird watching. Next to the nation’s last remaining chert glades are chert cliffs and savannah, bottomland forest, and the upland forest typical of the Ozarks, with oak and hickory trees. Wildlife seen at the park includes 163 species of birds. 48 of the seen species have been confirmed to nest in the area. Species unique to the Wildcat Glades include the Neosho Mucket Mussel, the 2-inch long eastern narrowmouth toad and the cave salamander, known for a tail longer than its body.
Indoor and outdoor exhibits at the Audubon Center are suitable for all ages and educate guests on the chert glades ecosystem, the Missouri Ozarks, and the wildlife found in the Wildcat Glades. Small children and others can easily use the Wentzscopes, which allow guests to view microscopic life in the water and see magnified samples of plant and animal life. A 1,300 gallon aquarium and terrarium system displays fish, turtles and snakes native to the area.
Outdoor exhibits include interpretative signage throughout the chert glades, the trails and an on-site cave. A new American Kestrel aviary is home to several Kestrels, rescued by the Audubon Center and unable to return to the wild. Wildlife viewing easily occurs from the Audubon Center’s deck. Bird feeders and native plants attract several different species throughout the year, including Missouri’s state bird, the eastern bluebird.
History: The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center operates in partnership with the City of Joplin and is home to the offices of the Missouri Department of Conservation. The LEED Certified Audubon Center opened in 2007. The site is one of 41 Audubon Centers nationwide, each of them under the arm of the National Audubon Society, a non-profit environmental organization founded in 1905 and named after John James Audubon who famously catalogued and illustrated America’s birds in his Birds of America book in the mid 1800’s. The Wildcat Glades Center is free to the public, and as a non-profit organization relies on membership and donations to support the Audubon Center and its programming.
Ongoing Programs and Education: Educational programs at the Audubon Center include school programs for groups and homeschooled children of all ages. Programming varies by age group and ranges from animal classification, to animal lifecycles, to the study of ecosystems and green technologies. On-site programs for school groups range from 2-hour tours to full day studies with lunch included. Pre-school programs take place the second Saturday of each month and incorporate nature education with story time and puppet shows. Adult group programming is customized based on the needs and special interests of each group. The Center frequently hosts workshops and classes related to gardening with native plants.
Annual events include the Shoal Creek Water Festival. The family friendly August event is free, and includes a cardboard boat contest, shoebox boat race, children’s fishing contest, and dunk tank alongside educational booths and nature programs.
Past and Future Exhibits: The Audubon Center is home to two gallery spaces that showcase the work of local artists. Products of the Center’s programming are also displayed, such as youth artwork from the Center’s Nature's Artwork Summer Day Camp.
201 Riviera Dr, Joplin, MO 64804, Phone: 417-782-6287
You are reading "10 Best Things to Do in Joplin, Missouri " Back to Top