Itineraries

Discover Joplin, Inside and Out

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If you’re looking for a fun getaway that combines indoor fun and outdoor adventure, visit Joplin. You’ll see local museums and art galleries, plus globally unique habitats and the state’s largest continually flowing water fall.

Morning

A. Joplin Official Missouri Welcome Center

This Official Missouri Welcome Center is a great place to learn more about Joplin and regional attractions. Here you find tourism brochures, maps and highway information. The staff is very knowledgeable about the area and the state.

B. Wildcat Glades

Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center, located in Wildcat Park, is adjacent to the last and largest remaining chert glades, a globally unique habitat found only in this area; and biologically rich Shoal Creek, an important place for migratory birds and other wildlife. Hike three miles of nature trails along the banks of Shoal Creek, across the historic Redings Mill Bridge's scenic shoals and above the tree tops on a chert bluff.

Evening

A. Murphysburg Residential Historic District

Take a walking or driving tour of his historic district. Joplin's wealthiest and most influential citizens built these homes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the last 10 years, residents of the district have restored the structures to their former glory.

Afternoon

A. Joplin History & Mineral Museum

The museums focus on the history of Joplin, the heritage of southwest Missouri and the story of lead and zinc mining in the region. See Victorian rooms, textiles, minerals, models and other subjects.

B. Jorge Leyva Studio

The full-time working studio of contemporary artist Jorge Leyva welcomes visitors to experience first-hand the creative process of his artworks. Metal sculpture, stone carving, wood sculpture and mural size paintings are all part of this artist creative nature.

C. Spiva Center for the Arts

Spiva has provided visual arts experiences for the four-state region since 1947. During the last 60 years, the Center has grown into a leading cultural institution for the entire region; it's a work of art in its own right. This is a place to see, create, and collect art.