Summer trip to Missouri and Arkansas - advice/recommendation

[shinglers3]

We are thinking of heading west of the Mississippi for our summer trip this year. I can't think of heading west for the first time without a stop at the arch. I have been doing some research on the area to figure out where to stay and what to do. There are 3 of us including my wife, and 13 year old daughter.

We love cities, but don't like to spend much time visiting them on our RV travels. We would rather fly/drive to them and stay in a hotel as we find it too exhausting to try to visit a city while we are only in an area for a few days. But since we want to see the arch, city bound we are.

I am thinking of staying near St. Charles for a few days. St. Charles sounds like a town/city that we would love. From there we can drive into St. Louis to see the arch, visit City Museum, Magic House, the zoo, and hopefully find a unique restaurant or 2. Hopefully this will give us time to visit St. Charles and the area also.

After St. Charles/St. Louis we are thinking of heading down to Branson for a few days. I found Table Rock State Park that appears to be on a lake, yet close to Branson so we can have the best of both worlds there.

We would like to stay in Arkansas while we are out there, but can't find as much info on that. I have read about Eureka Springs, and Mountain View. We are all musicians, love folk music and small towns so Mountain View sounds great. Is there other things in the area to see and do for a few days?

We are seeking advice and recommendations of anything in the area to research as we work to finalize our trip plans. At this point nothing is set in stone, just looking to get the info to make the best plan for our family. I know that everyone has different goals and desires for a trip so feel free to offer up any suggestions. This forum has lead us to some amazing places over the years, and also saved us from some disappointments had we followed a travel guide.

[sele]

personally I don't even stop for gas in Cahokia I wish you well with that choice. The Johnson Shut Inn I hope you enjoy we love that campground and the entire area

[garmp]

OP, you wouldn't happen to be an Elk would you? I'm a member of the Oakville Elks, south of the city near the JB Bridge and convenient to major highways (270 & 55), & our lodge offers parking for RV's & 15 or 20 amps service only, no water or sewer hookups. But great meals on Friday nights. Easy access to major roads and a safe, quiet setting, although not a campground.
Just a thought.

[shinglers3]

Yes, I understand that, I was strictly referring to safety concerns at the 2 campgrounds.

[haddy1]

shinglers3 wrote:
We decided to shorten our St. Louis stay and will stay at Casino Queen or Cahokia RV Parque instead of Sundermeier. While not overly excited about the campground, we don't plan to be there except to sleep. We will be out in St. Louis for 2 days to see the attractions and move on. St. Charles looks nice but we are cutting that out and stopping for 2 days at Johnson Shut Ins on our way to Table Rock. I am thinking we will be outside Branson for the 4th so we can move to Mountain View after that for 5 days or so around a weekend. I am looking into the 4th celebrations now.

As for staying at Casino Queen or Cahokia RV Parque, I have done lots of reading and have not really read that anyone felt unsafe there. So, while the area is not the best and referred to earlier as a "war zone", I was surprised to not read more about safety concerns.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions, it really is a huge help to us!!!!

If 186 murders last year in a city of 200,000 is not enough to convince you it's a "war zone", you are both blind and deaf. The governors wife was held up at gunpoint less than one month ago. Enjoy your visit and be smart about when and where you go.

[shinglers3]

We decided to shorten our St. Louis stay and will stay at Casino Queen or Cahokia RV Parque instead of Sundermeier. While not overly excited about the campground, we don't plan to be there except to sleep. We will be out in St. Louis for 2 days to see the attractions and move on. St. Charles looks nice but we are cutting that out and stopping for 2 days at Johnson Shut Ins on our way to Table Rock. I am thinking we will be outside Branson for the 4th so we can move to Mountain View after that for 5 days or so around a weekend. I am looking into the 4th celebrations now.

As for staying at Casino Queen or Cahokia RV Parque, I have done lots of reading and have not really read that anyone felt unsafe there. So, while the area is not the best and referred to earlier as a "war zone", I was surprised to not read more about safety concerns.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions, it really is a huge help to us!!!!

[welove2drive]

Route 7 in Arkansas runs North and South. It is a scenic route.
We stayed at in Russellville, AR at Lake Dardandelle SP. It has FHU if you need it. We used it as a base and checked out Petit Jean SP, Magazine Mountain. Both beautiful.
Our adult kids went to the Museum at Dogwood Canyon and thought it was great.
We stayed at Table Rock SP last summer. There is a nice paved trail along the lake to walk or bike. We were in the western loop and you cannot see the lake through the trees. We walked down the hill (short walk) to swim in the lake. No designated beach. Beautiful clear water with rock bottom. It is very close to Branson. We drove in to Branson at 10:00 at night and the traffic was crawling. Not our thing.
Have fun planning. So much to do, so little time.
Marcia

[TxTwoSome]

shinglers3 wrote:
We would like to stay in Arkansas while we are out there, but can't find as much info on that. I have read about Eureka Springs, and Mountain View. We are all musicians, love folk music and small towns so Mountain View sounds great. Is there other things in the area to see and do for a few days?

There are some nice COE campgrounds on Greers Ferry Lake just south of Mountian View.

Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Zip Lines next door and Blanchard springs Caverns is not far away a beautiful place.

If you are in Mountain view on a Sturday Night the Musicains from all over meet at the courthouse square and have jam sessions.

If you are into short track dirt racing Batesville has a great track not far from Mountain View also. (Hometown of Mark Martin)

[shinglers3]

Thanks Gramps, we were just looking at Dogwood Canyon last night. We were thinking of staying at Table Rock near Branson but Dogwood might be better for us.

[garmp]

shinglers3 wrote:
We would like to stay in Arkansas while we are out there, but can't find as much info on that. I have read about Eureka Springs, and Mountain View. We are all musicians, love folk music and small towns so Mountain View sounds great. Is there other things in the area to see and do for a few days?

If you plan on being in that area I would like to suggest Roaring River State Park just a couple of mile north of the Missouri/Arkansas line right about Eureka Springs near Table Rock, Eagle Rock Marina/campground, which isn't bad. Roaring River SP is a trout fishing park, but beautiful even if you don't fish. Heading east toward Branson in Golden, MO is the Golden Pioneer Museum. In a pretty much a tin shed building, but packed with interesting things. Worth the visit. Further down the road is Dogwood Canyon. Run by the Bass Pro people, but worth the price of admission. Absolutely gorgeous!!! You can take a tram ride, rent bikes or Segways. On the pricey side.
Hope this helps

[shinglers3]

2gypsies wrote:
What specific area will you be around on July 4?

We are planning our dates around what we find for the 4th, so Missouri or Arkansas, St. Louis, Branson, Mountain View is the current plan.

[jdealcpa]

Another vote for Lakeside Park in St Peters MO. MAKE AN EARLY RESERVATION. plenty to do in park walk or bike around the lake. Visit downtown St Charles. Go to the Augusta wineries . Take a circular drive to Pierre Markett(sic) IL State Park and the great river road. Plenty to do in St Louis. Don't forget the museum at the Arch. Don't rush to Branson. There are plenty of interesting parks and caves off I-44 or go thru mid MO and stop at Lake of Ozarks and the attraction around that area.
I beg to differ, an afternoon in St Charles is not enough!

[2gypsies1]

What specific area will you be around on July 4?

[shinglers3]

We are still working to finalize where we are going to stop/stay. We are pretty sure we will be out traveling for the 4th of July. Do y'all have any recommendations of where we should be for an outstanding 4th experience. Last year we watched it on the beach of Lake Champlain, luckily got one of the sites at the city campground. It was amazing, hoping to repeat again this year. Thanks!

[rexlion]

I'd thought about mentioning Crater of Diamonds, but figured it might be too far away from your target area.

One thing I must mention, though, is the weather. If you come in very early June, it will probably be in the upper 80s, humid, and many days there will be periods of clouds and perhaps 30-40% chances of scattered showers/thundershowers. From mid June through Labor Day the temps go into the 90s and sometimes low 100s with lots of sunshine. I have taken my granddaughters to Petit Jean twice, always in early June. After that I don't camp around these parts... I head north to MI or MN, or to the Rockies. So what I'm saying is, if you vacation around MO/AR in summer, have plenty of air-conditioned venues in mind (especially during the afternoon hours) or be prepared to sweat a lot.