What is there to do off the Ranch?

Attractions near Cloud 9 Ranch Club

Recreation and Entertainment in West Plains, Missouri

Family Activities

• Family Activities City Pool - (417) 255-2963 - WP City Pool
• Civic Center Pool (indoors) - (417) 255-7983 - Civic Center
• Family Cinema – (417) 256-3400 - Family Cinema
• Glass Sword Cinema – (417) 256-8686 - Glass Sword
• Grand Prix Go Karts & Mini-Golf – (417) 257-2500
• Robert Neathery Skate Park - www.westplains.net/parksandrec/skate.asp
• Lightning Bowl – (417) 255-2695
• Missouri Conservation Department - 551 Joe Jones Blvd., West Plains, Mo. - (417) 256-7161 - MCD
• Rock On Indoor Climbing Gym - (417) 256-4033 - Rock On
• West Plains Public Library - 750 W. Broadway, West Plains, Mo. (417) 256-4775 - WP Public Library
• West Plains Soccer Association: Contact Al Vance at: (417) 256-7460
• Butler Children's Park - 1135 Broadway, West Plains, Mo. (417) 256-7304 - Butler Children's Park

Event & Entertainment Contacts:

• Avenue Theatre - (417) 256-4420 - 307 Washington Avenue, West Plains, MO 65775 - Avenue Theatre
  The Avenue Theatre, a neo-art deco movie house built in 1950, operated until 1986. It was then donated to Arts on the Avenue, Inc., a non-profit arts organization formed to convert the facility into a community theater. It hosts a variety of programs including a children's program during the summer.
• Civic Center Events - www.civiccenter.net/events.html
• Harlin Museum -505 Worcester, West Plains, MO 65775
(417) 256-7801
  Harlin Museum - www.downintheozarks.blogspot.com
  The Harlin Museum is a repository for both the area's past and present. About 200 sketches and paintings by artist L.L. Broadfoot have returned to the Ozarks among the people and scenery that inspired them. The works contain visual depictions of old-time Ozarkers and written documentation of their lives. Broadfoot offers vignettes about them, making his work truly wonderful. This collection was donated to the Harlin Museum where it will be on public display with Broadfoot's notes alongside his artwork.
  
  A portion of the museum was once the home of James P. Harlin, West Plains' mayor for 32 years. It has been preserved, along with period furniture as a monument to the era in which he lived. The museum's modern wing has two floors, with the upper devoted to touring art exhibitions and the lower dedicated to historical memorabilia, including military memorabilia from WWI and II, turn of the century farm implements, an authentic Ozark still and a perfectly preserved Springfield wagon. The oldest items on display are Native American artifacts dating from 5000 B.C. The memorabilia surrounding five of the area's most celebrated progeny are on display; country music stars Jan Howard and Porter Wagoner and baseball greats Preacher Roe, Bill Virdon and Tedd Gullic.
  
  
• Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Association – www.heartoftheozarksbluegrass.com
• Heart of the Ozarks Fairground - (417) 256-2198 - Heart of the Ozarks Fairground
• MSU-WP Community Theater and Events – http://wp.missouristate.edu/ucp/theater.htm
• Old Time Music Festival - www.oldtimemusic.org
• Opera House - (417) 256-3780
• Ozark Heritage Welcome Center - 1-888-256-8835 - Welcome Center
• Renee Wood's After Hours Big Band – www.afterhoursbigband.net
• West Plains Car Club - www.westplainscarclub.com
• West Plains Chamber of Commerce - www.wpchamber.com
• West Plains Motor Speedway - www.westplains-speedway.com -- (870) 994-7447 -- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  Designated as one of the top three dirt tracks in the nation the West Plains Motor Speedway is the home of the "Show Me 100", a nationally-recognized late-model competition held annually on Memorial Day weekend. The speedway features seating for 17,000 at its 3/8 mile banked oval red clay track. Racing season begins in mid-March and runs through Labor Day weekend.
• Yellow House Community Arts Center - www.yellowhousearts.org

Recreation

• Missouri Sports Shooting Association  - www.missourisportshooting.org
• Ozark Gateway - www.ozarkgateway.com
• Bucks and Spurs AKA Scenic River Ranch - www.bucksandspurs.com
• The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association - www.mfthba.com
• Missouri Bull Shoals Lake - www.bullshoalslake.org
• Riverside Canoe Rental - www.riversidecanoe.com
• Twin Bridges Canoe & Campground, Inc. - www.twinbridgescanoe.com
• E.J. Recreational Vehicles - www.ejsrvsales.com
• Trail of Tears State Park - http://www.mostateparks.com/trailoftears.htm
• Mark Twain Forest -- Mark Twain National Forest at 401 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, Mo. 65401, or phone: 573-364-4621.
  Whether you're a birder or boater, fisher or floater, trail biker or wilderness hiker, this magnificent 1.5 million acre forest has your kind of outdoor experience in abundance. Within the Forest's 13 ranger districts lie more than 40 designated campgrounds and picnic sites, over 50 miles of floatable streams and lakes and more than 63,000 acres of wilderness. The National Forest also has 145 miles of trails designated for trailbike and ATV use, hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding (including three national recreation trails) and literally thousands of hunting, fishing, sightseeing and bird watching opportunities.
• Vanderhoef Memorial State Forest
  Vanderhoef Memorial State Forest was donated to the Missouri Department of Conservation in 1988 by the Archie and Gracie Vanderhoef family, which had cared for the land since pioneer days. It contains a nature trail, diversity of native plant life, the West Fork of Spring River and a 140-acre forest. The forest is also prime mushroom country for lovers of morels, boletes and chanterelles, and is an easy hike due to the well-mainained trails, bridges and benches.
• White Ranch State Forest
  White Ranch State Forest is a rich habitat for the serious outdoor enthusiast. The 6,414 acre forest is divided into three tracts and dominated by forests with abundant populations of deer, turkey, beaver & squirrels, making the ranch especially popular with hunters. Rifle and pistol shooting ranges are available. Limited fishing opportunities are also available. This peaceful wilderness is the perfect place for horseback riding (on existing horse trails and roadways only), hiking, bird watching, picnicking, primitive camping or just getting away from it all. No motor vehicles or all-terrain vehicles are allowed except on roads, parking lots and other designated areas.
• The Narrows
  The Narrows is located east of Thayer, between Myrtle and Gatewood. At Morgan Spring Float Camp, a footpath leads to Morgan Spring then up over the ridge to Blue Spring. You can also paddle up the spring branch to Blue Spring. The dam and rockwork on Fredrick Creek above where it joins the river are all that remains of Tommason Mill, which was built around 1908 and operated in the early part of the century. Also at this site an aquatic plant farm was operated along the creek and spring branches from 1950 until sometime in the 1960's. Some of the non-native vegetation still thrives and can be found by those that are trained to identify those species.
• The Ozark Trail
  The Ozark Trail will reach from St. Louis through central and south central Missouri into Western Arkansas, a distance of 500 miles. The trail is divided into five sections, one of which passes through the West Plains area. Much of this section of the trail has been completed and has been designed to accommodate foot, mountain bicycle and equestrian traffic. The trail combines clear Ozark streams, panoramic mountaintop views, and deep forests, and holds a myriad of experiences for the weekend stroller and long-distance backpacker alike.
• Caney Mountain Refuge
  By 1940, Missouri's deer population had all but vanished due to overhunting, and the last known flock of native wild turkeys had taken refuge in a wild and precipitous range of hills in Ozark County called the Gainesville "monadnocks." In that year, the Missouri Conservation Department released 30 captured deer into the area so that both deer and turkey populations might be restored. In 1949, the department purchased a 6,694 acre tract in the roughest part of the monadnocks, and hired master conservationist A. Starker Leopold to prepare its first wildlife management plan. The area is host to a diverse wildlife population as well as other natural wonders. Many of the state's threatened and endangered species have their home here, including the rare Bachman's sparrow. Drive-through car tours are possible at most times of the year and some camping is available in designated areas. Managed deer and turkey hunts, including a fall black-powder hunt, are held each year and self-guided nature trails provide diverse and scenic hiking opportunities. The area is open daily from 4 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Attractions

• Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum - www.lauraingallswilderhome.com
• River of Life Farm - www.riveroflifefarm.com
• Rockbridge - www.rockbridgemo.com
• Assumption Abbey Monastery - www.assumptionabbey.org
• Dawt Mill - www.dawtmill.com
• Akers Ferry -
  For the Last 50 years, during daylight hours, Eugene Maggard's family has been ferrying vehicles across the Current River at Akers, south of Salem. Akers Ferry is a unique piece of Ozarks' history, and is the last toll ferry operating within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. This Ferry is reminiscent of the days when not all rivers were crossed by bridges.

Golf

• West Plains has an 18-hole municipal golf course and a private 18- hole golf course at the West Plains Country Club.
• West Plains Municipal Golf Course - (417) 256-9824 WP Golf Course
• West Plains Country Club Golf Course - (417) 256-7197

Community Calendar

West Plains has a variety of venues that create the ultimate entertainment experience. Plan your vacation or family reunion around a special event! Stage productions, dinner theater, music festivals, concerts, community orchestra, ballroom dancing, sporting events, rodeos, tradeshows, art exhibits, and more!

For complete information,
call the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center
toll free @ 1-888-256-8835
or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Visit the community calendar

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