June
Week 1
Stephens Lake Park
2001 E. Broadway
The 11-acre lake and the lush grounds that surround it makes Stephens Lake Park one the city’s most treasured green spaces. Centrally located, the park features playgrounds, spraygrounds, a swimming beach, and fishing docks. There are also gardens and walking trails lined with waterfalls, art sculptures, and a variety of trees. (There’s so much variety, in fact, that the park has earned Level II Arboretum status.) Another big draw: free summer concerts in the Stephens Lake Amphitheater.
Visit on June 6 & 7 for Art in the Park
Art in the Park is the oldest and largest fine arts festival in mid-Missouri. The festival features artists from across the United States, displaying a variety of media, including painting, drawing, photography, pottery, jewelry, fibers, sculpture, wood, and glass.
Week 2
Nifong Park
2900 E. Nifong Blvd.
Mix some art, history, and culture into your outdoor adventure. This 58-acre park not only offers a fishing lake, trail, and playground, but it’s also home to the Boone County History & Culture Center, the Historic Boone Village, and the Maplewood Home and grounds. Yes, all that at one park. Plan to visit more than once.
Visit on June 13 for “Feathers, Ink & Freedom: Writing America’s Story”
Children and grown-ups alike are invited to write with a feather quill, practice old-fashioned penmanship, and see realistic reproductions of early American documents. June 13, 10 a.m. to noon.
Week 3
Grindstone Nature Area
2011 Old Hwy 63 South
You — and your canine companion — have nearly 200 acres to freely roam in this beautiful nature area, which features woods, wildflower-filled prairie areas, bluffs, and Grindstone Creek meandering through it all. There are also five miles of nature trails, a picnic area, and access to Grindstone Creek Trail and Hinkson Creek Trail. (Dogs must be on a leash near the latter.)
Week 4
Shelter Gardens
1817 W. Broadway.
Slip into Shelter’s 5-acre garden and leave your worries behind. This peaceful oasis is packed with 300 varieties of trees and shrubs, more than 15,000 annuals and perennials, a waterfall, rock garden, koi pond, and garden for the blind. There’s also a replica of a 19th-century one-room schoolhouse to explore. The park is open to the public year-round.
Visit on June 28 for circus-themed entertainment
Columbia Community Band and Windjammers Unlimited (the world’s largest circus band) will perform in the gardens on June 28, 6-8 p.m. Be sure to stay for the mass band grand finale: Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite. The event is free. Food trucks will be on-site.
July
Week 1
Mizzou Botanic Garden and Peace Park
Summer is the perfect time to experience the natural beauty — and rare quiet — of the University of Missouri campus. Grab a to-go lunch from a downtown eatery and enjoy it under the trees at Mizzou’s Peace Park (McAlester Arboretum), located at 401 S. Ninth St. Afterward, stroll through the Mizzou Botanic Garden. Where is the garden? It’s the entire campus. MU is one of only 10 universities to be accredited as both a botanic garden and arboretum.
Did You Know … The tallest tree on campus is an American sycamore located in Peace Park. The sycamore tree, a Midwest native, is a whopping 75 feet tall.
Source: showme.missouri.edu
Week 2
Finger Lakes State Park
1505 E. Peabody Road
Choose your own adventure at this 1,138-acre, action-ready park, about 20 minutes north of Columbia. Is mountain biking, off-road motorcycling, or ATV riding your thing? There are some challenging trails there for you. Eager to get out on the water? Rent a canoe, kayak, or standup paddleboard — or bring your own — and explore the lake’s water trail. When it’s time to relax, head to the wooded picnic area or spend the night at the park’s campground.
Week 3
Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary and Beyond
3300 W Rollins Road
Lace up your walking shoes and get ready to ramble. All 93 acres of Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary are open for exploration. Stroll the short, concrete Bonnie View Prairie Loop Trail that encircles a restored prairie area or set off on the 1.7-mile Scott’s Branch Trail. Or make your way to the 28-acre Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary via the Scott’s Branch Trail. (If you plan on the last option, bring your binoculars to get a close look at birds, but leave the pup at home. Dogs are not permitted in this area.)
Week 4
Philips Park
5050 Bristol Lake Parkway
Drop a line into a 40-acre lake stocked with fish by the Missouri Department of Conservation. This 140-acre park, located off the Discovery Parkway exit, has an ADA fishing dock, boat dock, and boat ramp (nonmotorized boats and boats with electric/battery trolling motors only). There is gravel path for walking and two shelters for picnicking.
August
Week 1
Twin Lakes Recreation Area
2500 Chapel Hill Road
Love dogs? Have a dog who likes to run and play — and maybe swim? Make your way to Twin Lakes Recreation Area, a 73-acre park that offers a variety of off-leash areas for people and pups to mingle. You’ll also find a fishing lake, playground, picnic areas, and access to the MKT Trail here.
Week 2
Cosmo Park
1615 Business Loop 70 West
Covering 533 acres, Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Area is the place to get out and play. Take your pick: bocce, roller hockey, horseshoes, tennis, volleyball, golf, skateboarding, and so much more. Kids of all ages love the massive playgrounds. Walkers and cyclists love the trails. And dog tails wag like crazy in the park’s off-leash areas.
Visit on August 14 for Movie Night
Spread out a blanket or set up some lawn chairs and watch a movie under the stars during one of the park’s summer movie nights. The animated film Ratatouille is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Week 3
MKT Nature and Fitness Trail
Don’t let summer slip by without hitting the MKT Trail. Walk it. Run it. Bike it. Take the dog. Take the kids. Take a friend. Whatever you do, just take some time out to enjoy Columbia’s premier multiuse trail, which spans 8.9 miles, starting at the downtown Flat Branch Park and ending at Katy Trail State Park near McBaine — where you can journey on for many more miles, should your heart desire.
Experience the trail at night on August 22
Sign up for the 12th annual Kaleidospoke event and experience the MKT trail in a whole new light. This noncompetitive, family-friendly, nighttime bicycle ride will take you from Flat Branch Park to Twin Lakes Park (for entertainment and s’mores by a bonfire) and back — all on an illuminated MKT trail. Light up your bike for the total experience. 7 to 10:30 p.m. ($20/person.)
Did You Know … If the MKT just isn’t enough trail for you, hop on the Katy Trail for an additional 240 miles of trail spanning Missouri from east to west.
Week 4
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
5901 South Highway 163
With its ample shade, massive rock formations, and changing elevations, this 2,273-acre park offers the ultimate summer cool-down. Wade in the stream that runs under the impressive rock bridge for which the park is named. Traverse the boardwalk and viewing platforms that wind through the forest and then take stairs down to the Devil’s Icebox cave entrance — you’ll feel the temperature drop with each step down. Other options include eight different trails designated for hiking, biking, or horseback riding. Located approximately 15 minutes south of Columbia.
