Joplin, Missouri
The Joplin area was a beautiful place to spend some time celebrating a special event in our life or for just resting and relaxing. Following our visit to George Washington Carver’s National Monument we drove into Joplin to view The Grand Falls which was deemed the “largest continuously flowing natural waterfall in Missouri.”
The Grand Falls was located on Shoal Creek near Wildcat Park. The actual address to the falls for those who use GPS for locating landmarks was 5685 Riverside Drive.
As we pulled up to the falls we were uncertain as to where to park our vehicle. With no parking lot available we used the side of Riverside Drive along with everyone else. People played in the road and enjoyed everything about the area. Once parked it was just a short walk of a couple hundred feet to the falls. We could hear the sounds of the water from our truck.
The 163 foot wide ledge with the water cascading down a 12 foot drop into the pools below were beautiful. As the water tumbled and fell over the rocks making its way southward, the wind was strong and had a bite to it but, we lingered near the waters edge shivering inside our heavy coats.
It was fun to watch as the water hit the creek below, splashing a spray of mist as it sank to the base of the creek and swirled back to the top. We stood on the shoreline not wanting to miss the perfect photo opportunity to catch the rays of the sunset as a backdrop to The Grand Falls as the day came quickly to a close.
Had the weather been warmer this area would have made a fantastic place to swim. A large flat rock area was available for many people to picnic or just catch some sun rays. The edge of the creek disappeared down stream which made me want to take a quick hike to see exactly what I might be missing, but the cold temperatures of the afternoon kept me from taking the hike.
Dinner at the Red Onion Cafe
We chose to have dinner was at the Red Onion Café, located at 203 E. 4th Street, to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The place was crowded with couples out for the evening, but it didn’t take long before we were seated at a nice table.
We began our meal with an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms and the butter made them rich and delicious. The cheese and bacon were perfectly blended and we shared them while we enjoyed each other’s company.
Steak, Steak, and More Steak
Dan and I both ordered the Sirloin Steak with Roasted Garlic and Mushroom au jus. We were not disappointed. I may or may not have wanted to lick my plate. I thought I might get away with it if someone would yell fire or would trip and fall dumping a tray of food over someone’s head, but neither of those thing happened.
We mentioned to our waitress we were celebrating our anniversary and they gifted us with a hardy slice of Italian Cream Cake. It looked tempting, but our hunger was quite satisfied with our stuffed mushrooms and steaks, so they put our cake in a box and we carried it back to the hotel to enjoy later.
Once back at the hotel we decided we must take at least a couple bites of our cake and WOW that cake was straight from the hands of Jesus! We shared about half of the cake together and kept the other half for the following evening’s snack. I’m sure our sugar levels were through the roof, because sweets in our life don’t happen often, but we were celebrating.
Murphysburg National Historic District
Sunday we drove to Joplin’s Historic Murphysburg area located around Sergeant Avenue, where the Joplin founding fathers and money men of the town lived over 100 years ago. This area consisted of about 185 historic residential buildings. Many of them were on the National Register of Historic Places. Some were in great shape, some were being restored and the rest needed a good friend to fix their broken boards and falling down doors. The homes were amazing. We wished for a tour but didn’t find one.
Bonnie and Clyde Apartment
We located the apartment Bonnie and Clyde rented at 299 W. 34th Street #201. In 1933, they spent several weeks in the garage apartment in Joplin. During their reign of terror they robbed several businesses in the Joplin area. Their little garage hideaway was discovered by a nosey neighbor and turned into the police.
Bonnie and Clyde escaped, but not before killing Constable John Wesley Harryman and Detective Harry McGinnis. Their escape had to be quick and they left the apartment leaving many personal belongings which included a camera. Many of the photos found in that camera are quite famous today.
Route 66 Mural Park In Joplin
Murals were next on our agenda. It was like a scavenger hunt as we drove all over Joplin. The artists who spent their time painting on wooden, brick and concrete walls were quite talented. Some of the murals we enjoyed most were The Club Theater, The Turn of the Century, Route 66 – Joplin, Missouri and Route 66 Mural Park. We did not find them all, but it was entertaining. Be sure to check out all or just a few of these murals before you leave town.
The rest of the afternoon found us strolling through antique malls and remembering our past “stuff”. There were several antique malls available around town. Step inside and enjoy a different type of scavenger hunt. You might just find a memory you had forgotten.
Joplin, Missouri was quite an interesting and fun little town to explore. We learned a little, laughed a lot and were not disappointed with our pick for our Wandering Weekend.