Springfield Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Springfield

Springfield is the third-largest city in Missouri, serving as the seat of Greene County and the major urban center of the Ozarks region. Situated on the Springfield Plateau, the local landscape features flat to gently rolling terrain, forests, and pastures. Nearby waterways include the James River, Galloway Creek, Jordan Creek, and several bodies of water such as Lake Springfield, McDaniel Lake, and Fellows Lake. Known by nicknames including the "Queen City of the Ozarks" and "The Birthplace of Route 66," Springfield functions as an important regional hub for manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and education.

Indigenous peoples, including the Osage, Kickapoo, and Lenape, inhabited the surrounding region before European-American settlement began around 1829 with the arrival of John Polk Campbell. The city was incorporated in 1838, the same year forced Cherokee relocations along the Trail of Tears passed through the area on the Old Wire Road. Springfield played a strategic role in the American Civil War, holding key position near the site of the 1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek, as well as two direct engagements that left the location under Union control as a military supply center. Shortly after the war in 1865, Park Central Square became the site of a notable shootout between Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt.

In the early 20th century, local history was marked by racial violence, including the 1906 lynchings of Horace Duncan, Fred Coker, and Will Allen on the courthouse square, an event commemorated today by a historic plaque. During the 1950s, Springfield emerged as a significant center for country music broadcasting. Nationally televised live shows such as the Ozark Jubilee, broadcast from the Jewell Theatre, and Five Star Jubilee, originating from the Landers Theatre, brought top country music performers and thousands of weekly visitors to the municipality.

Visitors to Springfield can explore major commercial and cultural points of interest, including the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops and the adjacent Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium, alongside proximity to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. The community hosts higher education institutions such as Missouri State University, Drury University, and Evangel University. Climatologically, Springfield experiences a humid subtropical climate with notable wind speeds, featuring average daily temperatures that range from 34.3 °F (1.3 °C) in January to 79.2 °F (26.2 °C) in July.