Springfield, where Wild Bill Hickok officially fired off the first six-gun salvo of the Wild West. Springfield, the site of bloody blue-grey battles during the Civil War. And later, the birthplace of America's asphalt kicking Mainstreet, Route 66. Springfield has maintained and nurtured her history and historic sites as few other cities have, and they can be revisited today.

In addition to an abundance of historic sites, Springfield also boasts a plentiful supply of fine art museums, botanical gardens, and aquariums, as well as other attractions to amaze, delight and dazzle the entire family. It has everything from drive through caves to a drive through zoo, not to mention one of the country's largest wildlife museums and displays.

The outdoor enthusiast can take advantage of miles of woodland trails for quiet hikes, or get a touch of Zen peace and tranquility with a visit to the Japanese Stroll Gardens. If zin is more to your liking than zen, you can take an uncorked tour of Missouri's wine country just up the road. So get ready to kick asphalt as we explore the not-so-everyday, Springfield, Missouri.

Wild Bill and the Wild West
James Butler Hickok, the flamboyant frontiersman, fascinated the country as he became larger than life, thanks to both the mesmerizing power of the dime novel, and his showbiz circuit travels with his good friend, Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. Wild Bill, as he became known, was born in Illinois in 1837 and died of a gunshot by a pistol-packing coward while playing poker, his back to the door in Deadwood, South Dakota. He left behind the most legendary, charismatic career of the wild west. And it all started with a gunfight in the town square of Springfield, Missouri in July of 1865.

Hickok served as a scout for the Union army. When he was released from active duty he settled in Springfield for awhile, gambling, carousing and all those other things they did in the old west to amuse themselves before the advent of cable TV and the internet. Davis Tutt, a former Confederate soldier, and Bill played poker often. During one game Bill gave Tutt his pocket watch as collateral for a loan, but told Tutt not to brag about it and wear around town. Tutt chose to ignore that advice, and the inevitable happened -- both were involved in what has been called by many, the first real meet-you-at-high-noon shoot out of the old west. Hickok survived. Tutt didn't.

Today, in the town square is a plaque to mark the event and in Maple Cemetery, not too far from where he met his demise in a hail of gunfire, X marks the spot of Davis Tutt's tombstone, complete with granite depictions of a pocket watch, poker hand and yes, a six shooter. They take their cowboy history seriously in Springfield.

The Blue and The Grey
The sounds of the drums, leading the march. The roar of cannons from both sides, the acrid shroud of smoke from artillery and thousands of muskets, masking the death and horror of the battles of the Civil War. But nothing could mask the screams and prayers of the dying and the wounded, or the silence of the dead. The Civil War cut its bloodred path of blue/grey destruction just 10 miles southwest of Springfield, at a place called Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861.

The clash of 5,400 Union forces against overwhelming odds of 12,000 Confederate troops proved to be too much for the Grand Army of the Republic, and after 6 hours of battle that left 2,500 soldiers on both sides dead, the Northern troops conceded victory to the Rebels and retreated into the ghost fog of the battlefield gunsmoke.

Today, the 1,700 acre Wilson's Creek Battlefield is visited by over 200,000 tourists yearly, who come to tour the interpretive center and library; study Civil War artifacts; touch the cannons and hike the trails, in what has become one of the top units of the National Park System. Many of the dead of both sides are buried in some of Springfield's numerous cemeteries, but the primary sacred grounds of military interment are the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery, and the Springfield National Cemetery.

Battlefields and cemeteries are great ways to study history, but no visit to Springfield is complete without a visit to the General "Fightin' Tom" Sweeny Civil War Museum. General Thomas William Sweeny was an Irish import who was proficiently profane in three languages. A colorful character all his days, he landed in America as a teenager in 1832, and eventually joined the Army and saw action in many battles from the Mexican War to the Civil War. It was during the battle at Wilson's Creek that he received, and carried with him for life, a memento that war. It was a small musket ball that got lodged in his leg. Legendary in the west, he actually died "back east" in New York in 1892. Today his remains remain in Springfield at the Greenwood Cemetery, where you can pay your respects, and as an added bonus, visit the General Sweeny Civil War Museum just outside Wilson's Creek Battlefield.

The museum is host to thousands of artifacts, weapons, uniforms, flags, maps and photographs from the Civil War, and traces its beginnings from Bloody Kansas and the history of John Brown and the Abolitionists, to wars end in 1865. You can browse the gift shop for toy soldiers from both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, weapons reproductions and some genuine Civil War antique items. All in all, The General Sweeny Civil War Museum is a must visit when you tour Springfield.

Get Your Kicks On Route 66
Roadheads and motorheads have been getting kicks on Route 66 for years, and Springfield, Missouri is considered the birthplace of Steinbeck's famed Mother Road. Chartered in 1926, thanks to the efforts of Oklahoman, Cy Avery, and Missourian, John Woodruff, America's Mainstreet began its winding course through the history of the United States. Its route winds from Chicago to Los Angeles, more than 2,000 miles and sections of the old road still remain, along with some of the old roads mainstays in Springfield.

Get off the I-44 at the north end of town at Kearney Street. Head west to Glenstone and then go south to St. Louis Street and head west once again until you reach the town square. Veer to the right to go around the square, get on College Street and continue to The Chestnut Expressway, which will take you to Highway 266...now just continue westward, ever westward, and you've just gotten your Springfield Kicks on Route 66.

While traveling on Old Route 66 you'll pass the old Sunset Drive-in Theater, once the home of cars with chrome and giant fins, Godzilla ruled the big screen, and James Dean drove a drop-dead gorgeous '49 Merc into pop culture history in "Rebel Without A Cause". Today, the lot is empty, the buildings vandalized, and the screen is vacant, catatonic and blank. On Glenstone Street you'll find one of the original Steak n' Shakes from 1962 in all her shiny chrome glory, and if your looking to call it a day and want to get off the road, you may want to check into the Rail Haven Motel, one of the Mother Roads original lodging and cabin havens that harkens back to the good old asphalt days of America's Mainstreet.

The Cappuccino Culture
Memories to Monets are well represented in a variety of museums and galleries that dot the cultural landscape of Springfield. The History Museum of Springfield-Greene County is 3,000 square feet of the region's history from prehistoric times to the present, including glimpses of the early lives of settlers and the native cultures that lived in the area. The Museum is located on the 3rd floor of City Hall and has a series of displays, interpretive videos and a children's hands-on area. The Air & Military Museum gives a dose of ammo and camo-culture that is truly a lock n' load experience; The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is a must for sports fans of any stripe, and the Discovery Center for Children gives hands on lessons in an environment that is educational and fun.

The fine arts are amply represented in the displays of paintings, sculpture, watercolors and prints in the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, and the Springfield Art Museum, and the city can also boast proudly of it's own ballet troupe, symphony and regional opera. In Springfield, pop...goes the culture.

The Birkenstock Tour
Put on your Birkenstocks, and grab a hiking stick, then set out on one of the six scenic hiking trails that meander the 80 acres of forest and streams that comprise the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. Located off US-60 just west of US-65, the Nature Center is a cornucopia of wildlife that include whitetail deer and eagle, that share the stage with a variety of flora to go with its diversity of fauna. The Nature Center also has a large exhibit room and interpretive center, along with classrooms to study the great outdoors.

Those that seek quietude and solitude would do well to visit the 7.5 acres of Japanese Stroll Gardens that lie inside Nathanael Green Park just north of Battlefield Road, west of the Kansas Expressway. It's Zen with a zing! The gardens are stroll friendly with the inclusion of stepping stones and the simplicity of traditional Japanese architecture, including a bridge and a tea hut that share harmony and space with quiet ponds and pools, islands and rocks. The Gardens are pleasant enough anyday, but a true joy during the once a year Japanese Fall Festival with entertainment, demonstrations and children's activities, and is positively brilliant and heart warming during the annual Garden Candlelight Walks that add a glow of warmth with candles and luminaries.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My
You don't have to be Dorothy clicking your ruby red slippers in the merry old land of Oz to get your wildlife fix. Springfield's newest attraction celebrates the Wonders of Wildlife at the National Fish and Wildlife Museum. It is two-levels of programs, exhibits and displays that take you on a journey from the coasts of the tropics to the caves of Missouri. Dioramas and habitats abound, including a hands on Discovery Bay, with salt water denizens galore to explore at your fingertips. The gift shop is eco-friendly and a true celebration of the great outdoors. The fact that is right next door to the Bass Pro shop, the Disneyland of the outdoors person, and a genuine attraction in itself, is an absolute bonus.

If you head out to the NE intersection of I-44 and Highway 13 you'll wind up at the Dickerson Zoo with over 500 animals in habitats that range from African to native Missourian. Primates galore, of course, but the highlight here is the reptile and amphibian exhibits, and for the younger explorers, a small petting zoo so the kids can get up front and personal with their favorite critters. There are animals, animals, and more animals in a wonderful setting and there's even a train ride to tour the zoo and work up an appetite before you stop to eat at the concession stand and cafe, or shop for souvenirs at the Safari Trading Company Gift Shop.

Just up the road, about 12 miles east of Springfield on I-44, is Exotic Animal Paradise. No, you can't do zero to 60 in 10 seconds at the park, but it is a unique drive-through zoo comprised of 9 miles of roadway in 400 acres of natural settings. Lakes, ponds, and fields accent your journey, and don't be surprised if a giraffe bends down to your open window, looking for a handout. They have a gift shop and snack bar, and also the obligatory petting zoo for the kids, as well as carts, paddle boats, pony rides, and, for the budding Lawrence of Arabias, the camel rides.

Springfield is Americana at its very plaid-and-proud best. History comes alive in this vibrant, cultural Ozark oasis. Fine arts and culture blend with the great outdoors and the urban experience. It has a lot to offer the tourist and adventurer, and it's a great stepping off place to visit a genuine dude ranch, Missouri's wine country, and of course, Branson is just 30 minutes south. So whether it's cowboys or culture, concrete or cappuccino, if your planning a trip to Missouri, get a taste of zen and zinfandel in Springfield, the Crown Jewel of the Ozarks.