13 Spectacular Events You Can’t Miss This Fourth of July

Celebrate this Independence Day in the Ozarks with a variety of traditional festivities including professional firework displays, music festivals, carnivals, and more!

Fire in the Sky

BRANSON, MISSOURI

JULY 3rd

Tickets are on sale now for 2nd annual “Fire In The SKY”. View the Branson Landing Fireworks show from the Sky Deck on Mount Branson, across from the Branson Landing.

Guests of the “Fire in the SKY” zip over Lake Taneycomo via Parakeet Pete’s Waterfront Zipline located at Branson Landing.and arrive on the SKY Deck, where they will enjoy delicious food, a cash bar, party to live entertainment by the Steve Moeller Band and the have best view of the Branson Landing fireworks show.

“Fire In The SKY” events require an advance ticket for VIP seating.

Purchase tickets online at ParakeetPetes.com

Branson Landing’s 10th Annual Liberty Light Up Concert & Fireworks

BRANSON, MISSOURI

JULY 3rd

Be a part of Branson Landing’s 10th Annual Liberty Light Up – and celebrate Independence Day – in a BIG way, a day early!

The Liberty Light Up Concert will be followed by an amazing choreographed Fireworks Display that will fill the skies over Lake Taneycomo and highlight a spectacular celebration of America’s Independence that will leave you in awe.

Starting at 10 p.m.

Independence Day Fireworks at Top of the Rock

BRANSON, MISSOURI

JULY 4th

Enjoy an unforgettable night at one of our remarkable restaurants overlooking Table Rock Lake while honoring our nation’s independence with an awe-inspiring fireworks show at dusk!

Image Courtesy of Big Cedar Lodge

Chateau on the Lake 4th of July Celebration

BRANSON, MISSOURI

JULY 4th

Summer is in full swing on the lake, in the mountains. After our outdoor BBQ event, complete with live music, we will light up the evening sky with fireworks to celebrate Independence Day and you won’t want to miss it. Make your room reservations early and enjoy a holiday full of activities.

31st Annual Fireworks Extravaganza

HEBER SPRINGS ARKANSAS

JULY 1st

Celebrate America’s independence at one of the largest fireworks displays in Arkansas over spectacular Greers Ferry Lake.

Join us by car or by boat for music, food, and fun for the family. Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.

4th of July Fireworks Displays & Celebrations

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MISSOURI

JUNE 30th – JULY 4th

Celebrate this Independence day with professional firework displays, festivals, live music, and more!

Multiple venues will be hosting a variety of events in the Lake of the Ozarks region.

Visit http://www.funlake.com/independence-day-fireworks-full-list to see all locations.

Fireburst

BRANSON, MISSOURI

JULY 4th

The Annual Fireburst fireworks show returns this year, Saturday, July 1st on Table Rock Lake! The Fireburst can be viewed by car, boat, or on foot! Fireworks begin at dusk.

Highberry Music Festival

EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS

JUNE 30th – JULY 2nd

The 8th annual Highberry Music Festival will be held at The Farm Campground & Events in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We hope you will join us in continuing on our family tradition in a beautiful slice of the Ozark Mountains as we celebrate our freedom and independence. This event is brought to you by Deadhead Productions. The venue boasts beautiful 360 degree panoramic views. It sits on 160 acres and backs up to Mark Twain national forest. Beaver Lake, Table Rock Lake, and the White River are all within 5 miles of the venue. Vending, RV and camping spots available for purchase.

See website for details. This event is rain or shine. No refunds.

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

16th Annual Ventris Trail’s End Resort’s Fireworks Display

GARFIELD, ARKANSAS

JULY 1st

We welcome you to the 16th Annual Ventris Trail’s End Resort’s Fireworks Display in honor of our nation’s independence.

Watch thousands of fireworks light up the night sky while listening to patriotic music.

Show is to be seen by boat only.

8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

27th Annual 4th of July Celebration-Hats Off to America

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

JULY 4th

Celebrate Independence Day at Springfield’s 27th Annual Old­ Fashioned 4th of July Parade and Celebration sponsored by Midtown Neighborhood Association.

This year’s theme will be “Hats off to America”.

Parade slots are still available at $10 per entry and $50 for political entries. Deadline for entries is June 30.

Children are invited to march or ride their bicycles in the parade at no charge!

After the parade please join us at historic Washington Park. We will have live music, children’s games & prizes, a pie baking contest, ice cream from Hiland Dairy, food trucks, and a parade awards ceremony. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on.

10:00am – 1:00pm

Location: Washington Park

Free Admission

Marshfield Independence Day Parade

MARSHFIELD, MISSOURI

JULY 4th

Monday, July 4 137th Marshfield Independence Day Parade. Begins at 10:00 a.m. This parade remains the oldest, continuous parade west of the Mississippi River.

Vendors, games, activities from 10am to 3pm, Marshfield town square.

 16th Annual Fireworks Display

STRAWBERRY, ARKANSAS

JULY 1st

Enjoy a Show & Shine Car Show, music by Cory Jackson, fireworks, concession stand, vendors, and bounce houses. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs!

5:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Honor America Celebration

BRANSON, MISSOURI

JULY 4th

College of the Ozarks will host its 28th annual Honor America Celebration on campus Sunday, June 25, 2017. The public is invited to attend this free event, and guests are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs.

5:30 – 7:45 p.m.

Festivities begin with an old-fashioned, barbecue picnic. Guests may purchase barbecue sandwich meals or items al a carte. Food service closes promptly at 7:45 p.m. for patriotic program.

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Children’s activities will include face painting, balloons, and a craft area where guests can make a thank-you card for Veterans.

6 p.m.

Musical acts take the stage and feature some of the area’s best acts. Featured entertainment includes touring and recording group, The Hunt Family Band; songs from throughout the decades performed by Red, Hot… & Blue!; and the unique harmonies of AYO Voices of Glory. Alcohol, tobacco products, fireworks and pets are strictly prohibited.

8:30 p.m.

The patriotic program is a well-loved tradition and includes the Presentation of Colors. Concert Band will perform a patriotic program and provide the musical backdrop for the fireworks display that concludes the event.

8 Magnificent State Parks In Arkansas That Will Leave You In Awe

Discover a plethora of breathtaking locations and unforgettable experiences throughout Arkansas while exploring these state parks.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park

MENA, ARKANSAS

A spectacular mountaintop setting. Breathtaking panoramic mountain scenery. Royal hospitality. Queen Wilhelmina State Park is this, and more. The park’s crowning attraction is its renowned hostelry, a historic lodging tradition born in 1898 with the original “Castle in the Sky” resort that graced this same lofty locale high above the Ouachita Mountains over 100 years ago.

Lake Ouachita State Park

MOUNTAIN PINE, ARKANSAS

Surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest, Lake Ouachita is known for its scenic natural beauty and the clarity of its waters. These pristine waters form the largest manmade lake within Arkansas’s borders. Named one of the cleanest lakes in America, 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita is a water sports mecca for swimming, skiing, scuba diving, boating, and fishing. Angling for bream, crappie, catfish, stripers, and largemouth bass can be enjoyed in open waters or quiet coves along the lake’s 975 miles of shoreline.

Located just a short drive from the spa city of Hot Springs on the lake’s eastern shore, Lake Ouachita State Park is your gateway to this popular water sports lake.

Petit Jean State Park

MORRILTON, ARKANSAS

Petit Jean State Park is an Arkansas icon, a state natural and historic treasure that has welcomed travelers over the decades. The natural beauty and ancient geology of legendary Petit Jean Mountain inspired the creation of Arkansas’s first state park, and with it our state park system.

Hiking trails lead through forests, canyons, meadows, and along streams and mountainside. See where nature over time formed sheer bluffs, Cedar Falls, and the Seven Hollows, such distinctive features as Bear Cave, the Grotto, and the Natural Bridge, and other formations sculpted geometrically by nature called Turtle Rocks and Carpet Rocks.

Mount Magazine State Park

PARIS, ARKANSAS

Mount Magazine State Park is on the state’s tallest mountain, the 2,753-foot Mount Magazine. Sweeping vistas of broad river valleys, deep canyons, and distant mountains welcome outdoor enthusiasts to Arkansas’s highest point.

The park is a place to enjoy hiking, sightseeing, exploring the mountain and nature study. It’s also a destination for outdoor sports and extreme adventure enthusiasts that offers rock climbing, rappelling, hang gliding, mountain biking, horseback riding, backpacking, and ATV adventure. An ATV guide service is available.

Mount Magazine is the state park system’s most dramatic location for technical rock climbing. The park also offers overlooks, hiking trails, a picnic area with restrooms, pavilion, and visitor center with an interactive exhibit gallery and gift shop. Park interpreters lead a variety of programs that highlight the mountain’s natural diversity and unique species.

Website: http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com/

DeGray Lake Resort State Park  

BISMARCK, ARKANSAS

DeGray Lake Resort State Park is Arkansas’s only resort state park. Located near Bismarck, Arkansas, in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains and nestled along the north shore of 13,800-acre DeGray Lake, one of the region’s five Diamond Lakes known for their crystal clear waters, DeGray offers all the outdoor adventure and quality of an Arkansas State Park combined with resort class amenities at one of the finest lodges in the state. DeGray is a fishing and water sports paradise, a golf resort with an 18-hole championship golf course, the ideal camping spot, and one of the best parks for family vacations, getaways, reunions, weddings, business meetings and retreats.

Mount Nebo State Park

DARDANELLE, ARKANSAS

Surrounded by the natural beauty for which the Arkansas River Valley is known, Lake Dardanelle is a sprawling 34,300-acre reservoir on the Arkansas River. These two water resources combined here have put this area into the national spotlight as a major bass fishing tournament site. Lake Dardanelle State Park offers two areas on the lake: one park site is at Russellville, and the other is located at nearby Dardanelle. Both the Russellville (main park) and Dardanelle locations offer camping, launch ramps, standard pavilions, picnic sites, restrooms, and bathhouses with hot showers.

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park

SCOTT, ARKANSAS

A National Historic Landmark, the Toltec Mounds site comprises one of the largest and most impressive archeological sites in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Preserved here are Arkansas’s tallest American Indian mounds. Three mounds remain where 18 once stood surrounded by an earthen embankment eight to ten feet in height, a portion of which is still visible today. These ancient earthworks are the remains of the late-Woodland thru early-Mississippian Period ceremonial and governmental complex which was inhabited here from A.D. 650 to 1050. The park visitor center features exhibits including artifacts from the site, an A/V theater, and archeological research laboratory.

Walking Tour: Free

Guided Archeological Site Walking Tour
Adult: $4 each
Child (6-12): $3 each
Family: $14

Guided Archeological Site Tour by Tram (by reservation)
Adult: $6 each
Child (6-12): $5 each
Family: $22

Crater of Diamonds State Park

MURFREESBORO, ARKANSAS

Crater of Diamonds offers park visitors a one-of-a-kind experience—the adventure of hunting for real diamonds. You’ll search over a 37 ½-acre plowed field that is the eroded surface of the world’s eighth largest diamond-bearing volcanic crater. If you find a diamond, it is yours to keep.Pinnacle Mountain is a day-use park dedicated to environmental education, outdoor recreation, and preservation. Located just west of Little Rock, this natural environment of 2,356 acres was set aside in 1977 as Arkansas’s first state park adjoining a major metropolitan area.

Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The three colors found here at the park are white, brown, and yellow, in that order. Park staff at the Diamond Discovery Center provide free identification and certification of diamonds found here. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, quartz, and more rocks and minerals may also be found at the Crater of Diamonds, making the park a rock hound’s paradise.

Admission

Ages 13 & up $10.00

Ages 6 – 12 $6.00

Ages 5 & under Free

Photo Courtesy of http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/Default.aspx

Here is a Silver Moon Diamond found in Crater of Diamonds State Park following its cutting into this 1.06-carat pear-shape gem. Once cut, the diamond was appraised at $21,639. In its rough form at 2.44 carats, the diamond was a triangular-shape. On average, a diamond will lose approximately 40 to 60 percent of its rough weight when cut.

These 9 State Parks In Missouri Are Pure Magic

From secluded forest waterfalls to ancient caverns, these 9 state parks in Missouri offer an incredible beauty you have to witness.

St Francois State Park

BONNE TERRE, MISSOURI

The forested ridges and cool hollows of St. Francois State Park offer visitors a retreat from everyday life. Three hiking trails, including one that allows equestrian access, wind through the wooded hills and glades of the Coonville Creek Wild Area. Easy access to the Big River makes St. Francois State Park ideal for canoeing and floating and the many shaded picnic sites and two covered shelters make the park perfect for family gatherings. Overnight guests can choose from more than 100 campsites, in campgrounds with modern restrooms, hot showers and laundry facilities.

Castlewood State Park

BALLWIN, MISSOURI

The park has hiking and mountain biking trails that range from those great for first-time riders to ones that even the most experienced will return to time after time. The park is considered one of the best mountain biking locations in the St. Louis area. Good fishing, broad meadows filled with wildlife, and plenty of recreational facilities make the park a favorite for people who want an adventure or just to get away.

Elephants Rock State Park

BELLEVIEW, MISSOURI

The elephant rocks, which were formed from 1.5 billion year old granite, are giant boulders that stand end-to-end like a train of circus elephants. The rocks have created formations that intrigue geologists, are popular with history buffs interested in the past quarrying, and fascinate children who love to climb on and between the boulders.

An easy way to see the rocks is from the Braille Trail, which was especially designed for people with visual and physical disabilities. The trail winds through the main area of rocks. An extension off the trail leads back to the ruins of an old railroad engine house, a remnant of the area’s quarrying and railroad history.

Picnic tables are scattered among the trees and provide inviting spots to have a picnic lunch or rest and enjoy the interesting geologic formations found throughout the park.

Onondaga Cave State Park

LEASBURG, MISSOURI

Descend into the depths of Onondaga Cave State Park and drop into a world of wonder: towering stalagmites, dripping stalactites, and active flowstones help make the cave a National Natural Landmark and illustrate why Missouri is often called “The Cave State.”

Visitors can take guided tours into the underground wonderland. But if you prefer the surface, the park’s Vilander Bluff Natural Area provides a panoramic view of the Meramec River. Easy access to the Meramec River allows visitors to canoe or fish in a peaceful and scenic setting.

Grand Gulf State Park

KOSHKONONG, MISSOURI

Some people call Grand Gulf State Park the “Little Grand Canyon.” Some just call it “breathtaking.”

The park is one of the natural wonders of the Ozarks, presenting the most spectacular collapsed cave system in the Ozarks. The “Grand Gulf” stretches for more than a mile between 130 foot high walls. Visitors can view the gulf from trails on top or from the floor where they can walk under the natural bridge, which spans 250 feet with a 75-foot high opening. There is no official trail leading to the bottom, so visitors should use extreme caution when attempting to access the bottom. Interpretive signs detail the formation of the gulf.

 

Photo Courtesy of http://www.adventurist.net/hiking/grand_gulf/

The result of a collapsed cave system, Grand Gulf is often known as “Missouri’s Little Grand Canyon.” The massive collapse provides a great cave cross-section that couldn’t be a better outdoor classroom. The canyon, or gulf (shown), a natural bridge (where the photo is taken from), and a cave all give insight on this ancient cave system and its demise.
This view, from the observation platform, shows two of the former cave passages that, all told, stretch for nearly a mile at close to 130 feet high.

Photo Courtesy of Road Junkies

Mastodon State Historic Site

IMPERIAL, MISSOURI

Mastodon State Historic Site contains an important archaeological and paleontological site – the Kimmswick Bone Bed.

Here, scientists discovered the first solid evidence of the coexistence of humans and the American mastodon in eastern North America.

Today, visitors can learn about this discovery and how the landscape of Missouri looked in pre historic time. The site features a museum with an interpretive video, displays of ancient artifacts and fossils, and an impressive mastodon skeleton replica. Programs explain more about the significance of the site.

For anyone wanting to stretch their legs, the site offers three trails, including one that leads to the site where the bones and artifacts were found. The park also offers picnic sites, a picnic shelter, a playground, a special-use area for organized youth groups, and a wildflower garden that attracts birds and butterflies.

Website: https://mostateparks.com/park/mastodon-state-historic-site

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park

MIDDLE BROOK, MISSOURI

Looking for a unique destination? Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park offers ancient beauty!

The wilderness qualities and geology of Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park and the surrounding St. Francois Mountains make this park a special place to visit. Its rugged character provides the perfect backdrop for camping, hiking, picnicking, splashing in the shut-ins, exploring nature or just relaxing.

johnson shut in

Bennet Springs State Parks

LEBANON, MISSOURI

The valley that cradles Bennett Spring has created a place of peace and recreation that has welcomed generations of enthusiastic anglers. Bennett Spring State Park is one of Missouri’s earliest state parks and continues today to attract fishermen and nature lovers seeking to make new memories.

More than 100 million gallons of clear, cool water gush from Bennett Spring each day and form a spring branch stocked daily with rainbow trout waiting for lucky fishermen. Fishing may be the main draw but the park also offers many other amenities such as a dining lodge, campgrounds, cabins, and hiking trails.

Whether you are a traditional fishing enthusiast or someone seeking a place to relax and refresh, Bennett Spring State Park has what you need to make every trip one to remember.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MISSOURI

Imposing architecture and breathtaking scenery combine to make Ha Ha Tonka State Park one of Missouri’s most treasured spots.

Located on the Lake of the Ozarks, the park features the stone ruins of a castle high atop a bluff. More than 15 miles of trails traverse the park, leading visitors to sinkholes, natural bridges, caves and down to the lake.

castle

Photo Courtesy of https://mostateparks.com/park/ha-ha-tonka-state-park