JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MAY 16,  2025 – Plan a trip to a Missouri state park or historic site in the St. Louis area for fun-filled upcoming activities.

  • Friday, May 23, at 2 p.m. – Outdoor Classroom: Native Plants at Washington State Park.
    Join the park team for a fun outdoor learning experience! Learn about the importance of native plants and how you can incorporate more of them into your garden. Take the opportunity to plant native seeds in a small pot to take home with you! Meet at the campground amphitheater at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto.
     
  • Saturday, May 24, from 2-8 p.m. – Memorial Day at Washington State Park.
    Join us as we remember the legacy of American veterans this Memorial Day. Washington State Park is located at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto.
    • Petroglyph tour at 2 p.m. at the petroglyph site. Join the park team and tour the petroglyphs, the park’s history carved in stone! Learn about the Mississippian-era carvings, the culture and community that created them and possible interpretations. Enjoy a short stroll on a covered walkway with interpretive panels highlighting the cultural features.
    • Korean War stories at 4 p.m. at the Korean War Memorial. See a display about the Korean War at the park’s Korean War memorial, located across the street from the interpretive center. See letters written by soldiers to loved ones back home and hear stories of remarkable bravery. Make a poppy to take home with you as a memorial to those who have sacrificed their lives fighting for our nation. The memorial is situated on the 38th parallel, the circle of latitude that roughly marks the border between North and South Korea.
    • S’mores and Campfire stories at 7 p.m. in front of the campground showerhouse. Come sit around the fire, roast marshmallows and listen to stories of bravery in honor of Memorial Day. 
       
  • Wednesday, May 28, at 7 p.m. – Missouri’s Royalty, Rascals and Rogues at First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site.
    In the Missouri’s early days, the territory was consistently being affected by men near and far who wanted to assert their power. Join First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site interpreter Charles Callier as he discusses early leaders and movers and shakers of frontier Missouri, as well as some fraudsters and ne’er-do-wells. You may recognize some local St. Louis names and will learn about some colorful history behind them. Who knew Missouri History could be this sensational? Meet at the interpretive center at 200 S. Main St. in St. Charles. 
     
  • Thursday, June 5, at 10 a.m. – Toddler Thursday: Raccoons at Mastodon State Historic Site.
    Come learn, create and play at Mastodon State Historic site at 1050 Charles J. Becker Drive in Imperial. The Toddler Thursday program is designed for toddlers and their grown-ups. This session will meet in the museum auditorium where participants will hear a story and make a craft.
     
  • Saturday, June 7, from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. – National Trails Day at Washington State Park.
    Events held in conjunction with American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day initiative are scheduled throughout the day at the park, located at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto.
    • 8 a.m. – Birding photography hike at 1,000 Steps Trail trailhead. See how many birds you can spot during a rugged 1.5-mile hike on 1,000 Steps Trail. Bring along a camera to capture images of the birds you see and have a chance to have your photography featured on our social media page.
    • 10 a.m. – Petroglyph tour and botanizing hike at the petroglyph site. Would you like to explore some of the unique plants found around the park? Enjoy the petroglyph glade landscape nestled into the foothills of the Ozarks through a fun botanizing hike. See how many plants you can identify with a scavenger hunt and earn bonus points if you identify plants that aren’t even listed! Plus, go on an optional stroll to see the Native American rock carvings located within the glade area. This will be a low-impact stroll along the glade path and petroglyph boardwalk.
    • 1 p.m. – Five senses hike at the Opossum Track Trail trailhead. Walk along the trail and breathe in the scent of wildflowers, see the vibrant shades of green, feel the cool rippling of the creek and listen to the chirping of birds. You never know what you’ll encounter as you experience the wonders of the natural world! The hike will cover 2.4 miles of rugged terrain.
       
  • Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. – CCC Company 1743 Park History Celebration at Washington State Park.
    Join the park team to learn about the history of Washington State Park while celebrating the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1743, whose members developed the park during the 1930s.
    • 10 a.m. – CCC bus tour starting at Thunderbird Lodge. Take an interpretive bus tour of the park. The park team will share information about the history of the park and will discuss what they are doing to preserve the legacy of CCC Company 1743.
    • 1 p.m. – CCC trading card event at Thunderbird Lodge. Come see a display of CCC artifacts and collect a few limited-edition prints of Company 1743 trading cards.
    • 4 p.m. - Wiffle ball game at Big River Day-Use Area. Meet at the historic ball field in the Big River Day-Use Area to play wiffle ball! When they were not busy building park structures, Company 1743 members passed their time by playing a variety of sports, including baseball. This area has not been used as an official baseball field in years, but it hosted many CCC ballgames and was also used by local residents. Come recreate this history while enjoying some outdoor fun. All events are free and open to the public, and registration is not required. Washington State Park is located at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto.
       
  • Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Rock Swap at Missouri Mines State Historic Site.
    Missouri Mines State Historic Site, located at 4000 State Highway 32 in Park Hills, welcomes the public for the annual rock swap! Attendees will have the opportunity to buy, sell, swap or admire rocks, mineral specimens, fossils, rock jewelry and rock art at this event. Visitors will be able to take free self-guided tours of the site’s Powerhouse Museum. The museum interprets Missouri’s mining history and displays restored old mining machinery and an outstanding mineral collection. There will also be free guided tours during the event, but there is a limit of 20 participants and registration is required and can be done by signing up at the Missouri State Parks booth beginning at 9 a.m. The event’s schedule is as follows:
    • Saturday, June 14
      • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Self-guided museum tours.
      • 10 a.m. – Guided interpretive trail tour.
      • Noon – Guided interpretive trail tour.
      • 2 p.m. – Guided museum tour.
    • Sunday, June 15
      • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Self-guided museum tours.
      • 10 a.m. – Guided interpretive trail tour.
      • noon – Guided museum tour.
         
  • Thursday, June 19, at 10 a.m. – Toddler Thursday: Worms at Mastodon State Historic Site.
    Come learn, create and play at Mastodon State Historic site at 1050 Charles J. Becker Drive in Imperial. The Toddler Thursday program is designed for toddlers and their grown-ups. This session will meet in the museum auditorium where participants will hear a story and make a craft.
     
  • Saturday, June 21, from 2-8 p.m. – Cave Weekend at Washington State Park.
    Washington State Park will host a free event on Saturday, June 21, at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto. The activities include:
    • 2 p.m. – Petroglyph tour at the petroglyph site. Learn about the petroglyphs, the park’s history carved in stone! Learn about the Mississippian-era carvings, the culture and community that created them and possible interpretations. Enjoy a short stroll on a covered walkway with interpretive panels highlighting the cultural features.
    • 4 p.m. – Missouri bats in the Big River Day-Use Area. Join the park team for an interactive presentation on Missouri bats! This fascinating program will cover some of the different species of bats, as well as what they eat, where they live, and how they benefit us.
    • 6 p.m. – Cave bubble at the campground entrance. Explore cave formations and creatures in a three-dimensional museum format! Crawl into an inflatable cave replica and see how many cave features you can identify using a scavenger hunt.
       
  • Friday, June 27, from 2-4 p.m. – Outdoor Classroom: Nature Paint Party at Washington State Park.
    Join the park team for a paint party! Follow the interpreter’s step-by-step tutorial to create a unique nature-inspired art piece to take home with you. Meet at the campground amphitheater at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto.
    Saturday, June 28, from 2-8 p.m. – What to Fear, What to Friend: Insects and Arachnids at Washington State Park.
    Join the park team for a day filled with free fun. Washington State Park is located at 13041 State Highway 104 in De Soto.
    • 2 p.m. – Petroglyph tour at the petroglyph site. Learn about the petroglyphs, the park’s history carved in stone! Learn about the Mississippian-era carvings, the culture and community that created them and possible interpretations. Enjoy a short stroll on a covered walkway with interpretive panels highlighting the cultural features.
    • 4 p.m. – Striped stingers in the Big River Day-Use Area. Can you tell the difference between a honeybee and a hornet? How about a bumblebee and a carpenter bee? Join the park team for a fun program involving striped stinger identification and make a craft to take home!
    • 7 p.m. – Myth-Busters at the campground amphitheater. Some creepy crawly creatures get a bad rap, but is it warranted? Join the park team for a game of Myth-Busters to see which reputations are deserved and which ones are made up!

For detailed information on any of these activities, please visit mostateparks.com/events. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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