The Midwest Beckons
There’s something deeply satisfying about flying direct from Sanford, FL to Springfield/Branson. Our Friday morning arrival gives you that delicious feeling of stealing extra hours from the universe—a weekend that technically starts before noon feels like cheating the space-time continuum in the best possible way.
*From a July 2023 trip
Springfield: The Queen City of the Ozarks
Gailey’s Breakfast: The Only Acceptable Morning Ritual
Missouri adventure begins with breakfast at Gailey’s in downtown Springfield. Housed in what was originally Gailey’s Drug Store back in 1942, this downtown institution serves the kind of breakfast that makes you wonder why anyone would ever eat anything else. Their biscuits and gravy contain enough calories to fuel an entire day of adventure—a scientific fact I choose to believe without verification. You can smother your pancakes in melted peanut butter and it’s glorious.
Smallin Civil War Cave: History Goes Underground
With an obscene amount of breakfast down, we head to Ozark and the Smallin Civil War Cave. This isn’t just any hole in the ground—it’s an impressive limestone cavern with a 55-foot arch entrance that’s been a landmark since, well, forever. Native Americans used it, Civil War soldiers hid in it, and now tourists like us wander through it taking photos that will never quite capture its massive scale.
The cave served as a post office drop, a hiding place for Union sympathizers, and possibly even a stop on the Underground Railroad. Our guide shares that the cave maintains a constant 60°F temperature year-round, making it feel like nature’s air conditioning in summer and a warm refuge in winter. Walking through passages that have witnessed centuries of human drama gives you that perfect mix of historical awe and geological perspective.
Table Rock Lake: Where Time Goes for Vacation
By early afternoon, I made my way to Table Rock Lake where family awaits and, more importantly, a boat sits ready for immediate boarding. Created in 1958 when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the White River, Table Rock Lake boasts 745 miles of shoreline—more than enough space for us to feel like we’ve escaped civilization while still being 15 minutes from a convenience store.
The lake is named for a large rock shelf that once stood as a navigational landmark on the White River before the dam was built. Now it lies beneath approximately 150 feet of water, which I always find vaguely ominous while swimming but manage to forget after the first cannon ball off the dock.
Copperhead Mountain Coaster: Controlled Free-falling
For those moments when lounging becomes too sedentary, there’s always the Copperhead Mountain Coaster—a gravity-driven roller coaster where you control your own speed. “Control your own speed” is really just a legal disclaimer that means “go as fast as possible while maintaining plausible deniability about your decision-making skills.” Whipping through Ozark forest on metal tracks provides exactly the right amount of controlled chaos to complement lazy lake days. There is also a scenic lookout view nearby and zip-lining.
The Art of Lake Living
Boat Life: Freedom on Water
There’s a specific kind of joy that comes from being on a boat—a sense of limitlessness despite being confined to a vessel smaller than most living rooms. We grill on the dock, fish off the side, and alternate between swimming and warming ourselves on the boat deck.
The Fourth of July viewed from Table Rock Lake is a 360-degree spectacle. Fireworks reflect off the water’s surface, making even amateur pyrotechnics look magical. Plus, there’s no traffic to fight when your transportation is already floating exactly where the show is best viewed.
Missouri Donuts: An Ode to Lard
Let me evangelize for a moment about Missouri donuts. St. George’s Donuts, hand-delivered by my family, represents everything right about Midwest baking philosophy: when in doubt, use lard. The result is a donut with a crisp exterior giving way to an interior so tender it makes grocery store donuts seem like sugared cardboard. If health-conscious eating is a religion, consider these donuts my scheduled crisis of faith. Founded in 1971, St. George’s has been perfecting their recipes for generations.
Leong’s Asian Diner: Cashew Chicken Mecca
No Springfield visit is complete without paying homage to perhaps the most improbable culinary innovation ever to emerge from the Ozarks: Springfield-style cashew chicken. Created by David Leong, a Chinese immigrant who arrived in Springfield after World War II, this dish represents cultural fusion at its finest—fried chicken chunks smothered in oyster sauce and topped with green onions and cashews.
Leong’s Asian Diner serves the original version created by David himself, who famously adapted his Chinese cooking to appeal to Midwestern palates in the 1950s. The result became so popular that you’ll find “Springfield-style cashew chicken” on practically every Chinese restaurant menu within a 200-mile radius. This is fusion cuisine before fusion was cool—proof that the Ozarks were culinary trendsetters long before farm-to-table became a marketing buzzword.
Original Bass Pro Shop: The Cathedral of Outdoor Retail
The original Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield isn’t just a store—it’s an experience bordering on religious pilgrimage for outdoor enthusiasts. Opened in 1972, this was John L. Morris’s first location, started in the back of his father’s liquor store. Now it’s an 82,000-square-foot monument to hunting, fishing, and camping with wildlife displays that rival some natural history museums.
Sequiota Park: A Hidden Gem
Sequiota Park offers a peaceful contrast to boat life—a 13-acre park built around a cave and spring. Originally a fish hatchery in the early 1900s, it’s now a tranquil spot where ducks and geese patrol the small lake with the entitlement of local celebrities. The name comes from a Cherokee word meaning “many springs.”
Branson Adventures: Beyond the Music Shows
Top of the Rock Ozark Heritage Preserve: Golf Cart Explorations
Branson’s Top of the Rock Ozark Heritage Preserve answers the question, “What if we took pristine nature and made it accessible via golf cart?” The result is surprisingly magnificent. Armed with our personal electric chariot, we explore limestone glades, drive through a cave, and stop at overlooks providing panoramic views of Table Rock Lake.
Created by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, this attraction includes the Lost Canyon Cave, where the golf cart tour features a drive-through cave complete with a bar inside. Yes, you read that correctly—there’s a bar inside a cave that you drive through in a golf cart. If that doesn’t perfectly encapsulate the American approach to experiencing nature, I don’t know what does.
Branson Landing: Waterfront Retail Therapy
Branson Landing brings together shopping, dining, and a $7.5 million water fountain show choreographed to light and music. The development transformed Branson’s downtown waterfront when it opened in 2006, proving that even a town famous for country music theaters could reinvent itself for a new generation of tourists.
We grab burgers at Guy Fieri’s Branson Kitchen + Bar.
The Missouri Question: Why Winter Visits?
As I bask in Missouri’s summer glory—the lake activities, the outdoor adventures, the perfect evenings—I’m forced to confront an uncomfortable question: Why have I spent so many previous visits shivering through Missouri winters? I love catching the leaves change in October, along with the fall festivities. However, the summertime is where it’s at!
Missouri holds my roots from ages 8-15, formative years that shaped who I’ve become. This midwestern soil nurtured branches of my California family tree. Missouri isn’t just a place I visit—it’s my other home, a geographic chapter in my personal story. As we pack up after another Monday morning departure, I’m already calculating how soon I can return.
