Entertainment options have grown significantly over last 10-plus years

Some of our readers' favorite stories deal with the opening of new businesses, particularly of the restaurant or entertainment variety.

We tend to consume these announcements and openings as they happen, and there is a buzz surrounding the announcements.

Sometimes we lose sight of the cumulative progress being made in Cape Girardeau. Reporter Joshua Hartwig looked into this for a recent story in the Southeast Missourian.

It was not long ago when Cape Girardeau was thought of as a sleepy town, criticized for having a lack of things to do, particularly for teens and young adults with children.

Much has changed in the last 10 to 15 years. Cape Girardeau now has a water park, a petting zoo, a children's museum, a trampoline park, a casino, an escape room and more venues to play basketball, volleyball or other sports. That's not to mention the River Campus, which some believe kicked off an era of new entertainment venues in Cape Girardeau. The River Campus not only brings musicals and shows to the city; through the university, it also trains young musicians and artists to sing, dance and play.

Cape Girardeau still has room to improve, of course, as all cities do. But Cape Girardeau is no longer a drab place. In addition to the added venues, Cape Girardeau has more events, from galas, to small courthouse lawn concerts, to live bands, to fashion shows and even outdoor and nature-related events -- all in addition to the bigger acts that the Show Me Center draws on a semi-regular basis. As our semoevents calendar shows on a daily and weekly basis, if you're bored in Cape Girardeau, you're just not taking advantage of what's here.

These events and venues all help Cape Girardeau thrive. The visitors who come to town help pay the sales tax that support the city's infrastructure and services.

Here's to a more fun, entertaining, active and growing city.