Brad and I have been in Springfield for almost a year and a half, and our time here is coming to a close. I graduate in May and we are not planning on staying here for much longer after that. (Details about our big move will hopefully be coming soon!)
We have tried to really take advantage our time here and soak up the Ozarks. I thought I’d share some of the fun things we’ve done!
1. See a kids movie at the Palace for $1.50 on a Tuesday night. You can’t beat the Palace on Tuesdays! We particularly like seeing kids movies at the Palace, because honestly I didn’t want to pay $20 for the two of us to see Wreck It Ralph. Of course you can see any kind of movie at the Palace, not just kids movies. Also, since movies come to the Palace a bit after they are originally released, you have probably heard if the movie is good or not. This date night is perfect for these wintery months!
2. Go for a walk in one of the great parks in Springfield. Our favorite parks to frequent are Phelps Grove Park and Nathanael Greene Park. Phelps Grove Parks is less than half a mile from MSU, so it is a great spot for students!
3. Go see the Springfield Lasers play a tennis match! We snagged free tickets this summer and had the greatest time! The facility is really nice and it was a great environment.
4. Visit Rutledge Wilson Farm during the fall. You can pick your own pumpkin, walk through a corn maze, and pet farm animals! Definitely put it on your list for this autumn.
5. Hit up Silver Dollar City! Brad and I love SDC. We had season passes this year and had a blast every time we went (except maybe for the time it was over 100 degrees)! You can do something different every time you go, or you can ride the same roller coasters every time! Plus the food is amazing. I’m pretty sure we got a funnel cake every time we went.
6. Go to a Springfield Cardinals game. I’m a Royals fan through and through, but the Springfield Cardinals games are a super fun environment and the tickets are pretty cheap!
7. Eat at a local restaurant. There are so many great local restaurants here! A few of them are Taylor’s Drive In, Springfield Brew Company, Grad School (get the Full Ride!), Farmers Gastropub, Tea Bar and Bites (perfect for brunch), Nonna’s, Maria’s, or Bambinos!
8. Eat a Hurts Donut! Brad and I are only a liiiiiiiiittle obsessed with Hurts Donuts. They’ve been open less than 2 months and I’m pretty sure we’ve been there about 10 times. Their donuts are creative, out of the box, and delicious.
9. Go thrifting/antiquing. There are tons of great thrift shops and antique stores in the area. Strolling through the aisles of weird stuff looking for cheap treasures makes for a great Saturday afternoon date! A few of our favorites are Victory Vintage, Thrift Haven, Mike’s Unique Collectable and Antique Flea Market, STD Flea Market, and Relics Antique Mall. We’ve gotten some great stuff!
10. Grab coffee at a local coffee shop. We love Starbucks, but there are also a lot of great local places to get a cup of joe in Springfield. Our go-to is Mudhouse, but there is also Coffee Ethic, Kingdom Coffee (aka The Hub), Classic Rock Coffee, and Hebrews Coffee. We really like Hebrews, but it’s on the other side of town so we don’t make it there very often.
11. Go mini golfing at Fun Acre. I love Fun Acre. It’s kinda old and a little run-down, but it’s really cheap and fun! (That’s why it’s called Fun Acre.) There are also batting cages there!
12. Visit the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. Springfield is fortunate to have a great nature center. There are a lot of great trails and they put on a bunch events for kids and adults!
13. Tour Askinosie Chocolate. Askinosie is a bean to bar company that supports farmers all across the world. Plus they do a lot of really cool stuff for the community here in Springfield! Take a tour and hear their full story! And of course sample some chocolate.
14. Take a day trip to a small town around Springfield. There are lots of wineries, antique shops, state parks, and lakes around southwest Missouri all waiting to be explored!
15. Go to Freshwater Church! Okay, shameless plug for our church. But seriously it’s one of the best things to do in Springfield! Sundays at 10 am at Ed. V. Williams Elementary. Be there!
Enjoy having adventures in Springfield! It’s a great city!
One Little Bird Blog 
Did The Hub move or shut down? Because it’s not on Boonville anymore.
And this is a great list – there are several of these I’m doing for my Hometown Tourist pject. I love Springfield.
I know it moved, but I’m not for sure where. I want to say it moved to somewhere on Glenstone.
Thanks!! I’ll have to check out your list too!