What to do in Springfield

Some of you may be coming to the wedding wondering "what is there to do in Springfield?" Are the "Simpsons" actually from there? Is Springfield really boring? This post will hopefully help answer these questions and many more.

10 years ago, downtown Springfield was a rundown, beat up, unpopular place. That all changed when nicer restaurants and art galleries started realizing the potential of a downtown revitalization. Now, weekends downtown are booming. From about 6pm to 2am, the streets are lined with a wide range of ages. College kids hitting the bars, young couples relaxing with a nice dinner, and the older folk perusing the newest sampling of art at all the galleries. Believe me, weekends downtown can be exciting. You probably won't see anyone from the Simpsons walking around, but often, the locals like to claim them as our own. Here are some things to pass the time during your stay in Springfield...if you get bored.

First you can start by going to this website. They often have a great list of things to do and a bunch of links to other websites with more fun things. If you are bringing kids, there is a really cool park downtown with a fountain and stream to play in and right next to that is the Mediacom Ice Park for those who want to cool down in a climate controlled environment. On Fridays and Saturdays at Founders Park, they show one family movie and then another, more mature movie. It's called "movies in the Park" and tickets are free at local supermarkets and fast food joints!

When you get hungry, we have a wealth of great restaurants. Anything from a hot dogs only place to the finest dining in Springfield. Some of our favorites include Bijan's (with a really swanky cigar bar upstairs), Grandaddy's Barbecue, and Maria's Mexican Restaurant.

If you want to get some excercise, there are some great biking trails and beautiful parks. And a great day trip with the family can take you to Branson, which has been known to cause children to shake uncontrollably in anticipation and give parents headaches at the same time. There you will find Silver Dollar CIty theme park, White Water, and the newest attraction, Branson Landing.

And finally, when anyone comes to Springfield, they have to go see Bass Pro. It is the outdoorsman's mecca. A shrine to everything fishing and hunting. Just walking around the place for an hour will provide a feast for the eyes. Stuffed polar bears, waterfalls, fish, turtles, snakes, and even a small shark or two.

And if you want more ideas check out Springfield's newspaper.