Springfield a Great Day Trip from Branson

You’re having a great time on your Branson vacation, but the road is calling. You want to get out to explore, but don’t want to stray too far from your vacation base in Branson.

With one of the world’s best-known retailers, a connection to the country’s most-popular driving route and dozens of museums and attractions, Springfield – just 40 minutes north of Branson – it s a great day-trip destination.

Your trip to Springfield starts with a stop at the famous Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, the first and largest Bass Pro Shops on earth. To call this a retail shop is like calling the Pacific Ocean a big pond. Nearly 500,000 square feet of space devoted to the outdoors make this a one-of-a-kind destination. Inside, you find everything from sporting goods and supplies to aquariums, the NRAMuseum and the Archery Hall of Fame.

As you travel around Springfield, you notice many sights have a connection to the famous Route 66. The reason is quite simple: Springfield is the birthplace of the highway known to many as The Mother Road. It was at a meeting in Springfield, Mo., in 1926 that the highway running from Chicago, Ill., to Santa Monica, Calif., got its official name, Route 66.

Around the original alignment of Route 66 in Springfield, you find attractions like the Air and Military Museum of the Ozarks and kid-focused Discovery Center of Springfield to the circa 1913 Pythian Castle, which offers a variety of tours. A Steak N Shake on St. Louis Street, complete with vintage neon signage, harkens back to the heyday of Route 66.

Elsewhere around Springfield, enjoy attractions such as Fantastic Caverns, the only ride-thru cave in North America, and historic sites such as Wilson’s Creek National (Civil War) Battlefield. The Springfield Art Museum features incredible works of art and is hosts many changing exhibits, while the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame offers a look at prominent athletes and moments in Show-Me State sports history.

Couple all of these attractions – and so many more – with the outstanding selection of dining options available, and a great day trip in Springfield is assured. You can learn more about Springfield’s attractions and activities online at SpringfieldMo.org.