It’s Been Real, MO…

Well, today is a day full of crazy emotions… I am so excited to be moving to Asheville, NC, but at the same time it’s really hard to live the place that I’ve lived essentially my whole life.  Even more than the city, though, it’s so hard to leave my family and friends that mean so much to me.  Luckily, I have the most supportive friends and family who have been so amazing the last few weeks!  So, today instead of being sad, I’m going to celebrate this beautiful state I live in, and share 10 of my favorite places in Missouri!

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park

I used to visit this park frequently at a summer camp, but it is just as fun as an adult.  Last summer we made two trips here and had a blast jumping off rocks and sliding down tiny waterfalls.

St. Louis

St. Louis is one of the cities where “things happen” in Missouri.  My best friend, Stacey, lives up there, so I’ve made quite a few trips up there to see her, and it’s also the place to see sports events and concerts!  The St. Louis Arch is the famous monument marking where Lewis and Clark’s expedition started!

Ha Ha Tonka State Park

This is one of my favorite parks to visit!  The first time I went was in the fall and we had a blast spending the day hiking!  Stacey and I just went earlier this month, and broke in our hiking shoes for our upcoming trip to Peru! It’s the perfect hiking getaway!

Lake of the Ozarks State Park

Stacey and I went on a couple of hikes in this beautiful park last summer and also enjoyed a private tour of the cave!  The only aspect of the park we didn’t get to enjoy was the lake.

Big Spring State Park

This was a place that I randomly found.  I was meeting my friend Nick in Van Buren, MO but we didn’t have anything planned. We found this gorgeous park and had fun hanging around here.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Home- Mansfield

The Little House on the Prairie books were a huge part of my childhood.  The books were written in Missouri in this beautiful farmhouse that Almanzo built for Laura.  I visited when I was a little girl with my parents, and I’ve gone back twice in the last year!  It’s such a cool piece of literary history!

Fulton, Missouri

My dear friend Lilly is going to school in Fulton, so I went up to visit her, and we found several hidden treasures.  My favorite thing we came across was this rather large piece of the Berlin Wall. It’s such a beautiful piece of art and great piece of history.

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

Mingo is a the largest bottomland flatwood forest in Missouri.  This cyprus swam is absolutely beautiful in the fall with all of the vivid fall tones reflecting off the swamp waters.  I’ve heard it’s absolutely gorgeous and lush in the summer as well.

Busiek State Forest

Busiek State Forest is a great place, really close to Springfield, to get away and take a hike in any season.  Late spring and summer is my favorite for playing in the river, but I love the crispness of the air on a fall hike.

Hercules Glades Wilderness

This wilderness area is in the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest, and this was where I did my first backcountry hiking trip, so it’s a pretty special place to me.  It made me fall in love with camping, and has since enhanced my hiking experiences because I’m so comfortable camping now.

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These are just a few of the places I hold dear to my heart in Missouri, and I look forward to coming back, visiting these and many others. Springfield has been so great to me and I will always treasure moments spent and memories made in this gorgeous, midwest state.