What to See in Springfield - Top Sights and Attractions

Wildlife exhibits and large fish tanks. The Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, also known as simply Wonders of Wildlife is a not-for-profit educational conservation-themed attraction in Springfield, Missouri. It is located adjacent to the Bass Pro Shops National headquarters, and is named for Johnny Morris, the Bass Pro Shops' founder. The 350,000 square foot facility consists of two major sections. The Wildlife Museum presents a series of immersive wildlife galleries containing taxidermied animals from around the world displayed in elaborate and detailed dioramas representing a variety of natural habitats, as well as historic artifacts, artwork, films, and special exhibits, including the Boone and Crockett Club's North American Heads and Horns Collection of big game mounts. The 1.5 million gallon Aquarium showcases 35,000 individual fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals in a series of themed areas including an ocean shipwreck, Louisiana swamp, Ozark forest, and the Amazon rainforest. In a press release accompanying the facility's grand opening announcement Morris was quoted as saying, “Wonders of Wildlife is an inspirational journey around the world that celebrates the role of hunters and anglers as America’s true conservation heroes.”^[3]

Footbridge in Springfield, Missouri. Jefferson Avenue Footbridge is a historic footbridge located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Built in 1902, it measures 562-foot long and allows pedestrians to cross 13 sets of railroad tracks.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

As the footbridge approached its 100th anniversary, it became apparent that a major rehabilitation was required to preserve the aging structure. Springfield City officials partnered with the city's Commercial Club to obtain federal transportation enhancement grants and Community Development Block Grant funding to save the historic footbridge.

In addition to the extensive rehabilitation work on the footbridge, a gathering place plaza was created adjacent to the Commercial Street terminus. The rehabilitation work was conducted between 2001 and 2002 at a cost of over $518,000. Nearly 100 years after the original footbridge was constructed, the rehabilitated structure was reopened to pedestrian traffic and rededicated on April 17, 2002.

The bridge was closed on March 1, 2016. It remains closed while the Springfield City Council decides its fate. Rehabilitation is an option, but the future of the bridge is no longer certain.^[4]

Theater in Springfield, Missouri. The Landers Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, built in 1909, is the second oldest and largest civic theater operation in Missouri. It has been in continuous use either as a legitimate theatre or a movie theater since it opened. In 1928, the theater became the 35th facility in the world to acquire sound film. It was designed by architects Carl Boller and Brother in association with Hickenlively and Mark of Springfield in a French-influenced neoclassical style. It is located in the Walnut Street Commercial Historic District.

The theater is unusual in its use of wood for nearly all structural framing, in contrast with the steel and cast iron more usually employed in its time. D.J. Landers, the original owner, was in the lumber business, providing a possible explanation. Where steel is employed, it uses unusual bonded steel and masonry assemblies. The theater was designed for live performance, with a large stage and supporting spaces.

The theater's street facade employs Missouri limestone piers with terra cotta cornices, cartouches, quoins and parapets. Infill between these decorative elements is brick.

A fire in 1920 completely gutted the stage area, but the remainder was saved by the fireproof asbestos curtain. Subsequent renovations moved the orchestra pit behind the curtain and raised the boxes. Heavy clear-span beams replaced columns supporting the balconies, and the Jim Crow-era ticket booth for "coloreds" and its separate entrance were removed.

From March 17–September 22, 1961, NBC-TV carried a live country music variety program from the theater, Five Star Jubilee, on Friday nights; the first network color television series to originate outside of New York City or Hollywood. First-run films continued to be shown on the other six nights of the week.

Landers was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, significant for the preserved Baroque Renaissance, Napoleon architectural style. A number of major restoration projects have been undertaken, and the most recent restorations have been cited with awards from the American Institute of Architects.

It is currently the home of the Springfield Little Theatre.^[5]

Theatre in Springfield, Missouri. The Gillioz Theatre is a historic theater located at Springfield, Missouri, United States. It was built by M. E. Gillioz of Monett, Missouri. Mr. Gillioz was in the business of building bridges, and the theater was built with steel and concrete. Wood was only used for handrails, doors, and doorframes. The original cost of the building was $300,000. Renovation costs totaled approximately $1.9 million.

The theater opened on October 11, 1926. Gillioz managed to secure a 100-year lease on one 16-foot (4.9 m) wide piece of property which bordered on U.S. Route 66, so that the theater could garner patrons who traveled on that historic highway. After many prosperous years, and many not-so-prosperous years, the "Gillioz, Theatre Beautiful" finally offered its last show in the summer of 1980, an opera.

The theater was originally a transition theater, with a Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ for silent movies and a stage for live performances, such as vaudeville acts. The pipe organ was Wurlitzer's opus 1411 Style D. The organ had 2 manuals and 6 ranks of pipes, 4 tuned percussions, 6 traps, and 9 sound effects. The organ was sold in 1980 when the theatre closed and is currently in private hands. A sound system was installed in 1928 with the advent of talkies.

The theatre is mainly a concert venue. It hosts a variety of entertainment such as Dave Chappelle, Elvis Costello, George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic, Kacey Musgraves, Billy Ray Cyrus and many more. Capacity for general admission is 1,300 and for reserved seating there is 1,015.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It is located in the Springfield Public Square Historic District.^[7]

Chapel in Springfield, Missouri. Stone Chapel is a historic chapel located on the southwest edge of the Drury University campus, at the corner of Central and Benton Avenue at Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. It was built in 1880 and is the oldest stone structure in Springfield. The chapel is the location for a number of religious activities for Drury University, such as the LOGOS Christian Fellowship, Catholic Campus Ministries, and Chow and Chapel events, weddings, graduation Baccalaureate and other various secular activities.

The distinctive second floor sanctuary seats around 510 people. A large lounge, kitchenette, choir and meeting facilities occupy the first floor. The recently restored Lyon-Healy pipe organ dates from 1906. The three-manual, 30-rank instrument is utilized by a large class of organ students, for weekend weddings, for the popular Christmas Vespers, and for recitals and other special events in the Chapel. The organ is well known for its rich sound, enhanced by the chapel's mellow acoustics.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.^[10]

Rountree is a neighborhood in central Springfield, Missouri. The neighborhood's borders are marked by Missouri State University to the west, Glenstone Avenue to the east, Catalpa Street to the south, and Cherry Street to the north. Rountree is predominantly residential, but is home to several popular restaurants, bakeries, and other businesses. The majority of homes in Rountree were constructed during the 1910s and 1920s. Architecture in the neighborhood is diverse, with many examples of Craftsman, Foursquare, and Federalist styles.

Rountree, like other neighborhoods in central Springfield, is markedly more liberal in its voting patterns than other parts of the city. This may be due to its close proximity to the Missouri State University campus.

The neighborhood's name derives from the N.M. Rountree Elementary School, located within the neighborhood on Grand Street. The school, in turn, is named the founder of the historic Keet-Rountree store in Springfield. The neighborhood hosts annual Fourth of July and Halloween parades that draw hundreds from around the city. Rountree is regularly ranked by 417 Magazine as among Springfield's best neighborhoods.^[16]

Courthouse in Springfield, Missouri. Greene County Courthouse, also known as Historic Greene County Courthouse, is a historic courthouse located at Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. It was built between 1910 and 1912, and is a four-story, Classical Revival style rusticated stone building. It has a flat roof and low dome over a rotunda. The front facade features a free colonnade of four Ionic order columns that extend the height of the upper two floors. Also on the property are the contributing bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty, the stone bases of two columns from the former courthouse, and a World War I cannon. It was the seat of Greene County government until a new Judicial Courts Building and Justice Center were built in the 1990s.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.^[18]