Fun Things for Families

21. Held July 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Osage Community Center in Cape Girardaeau, Park and Rec Day is a free day of fun just for kids. The event has fun games, activities and prizes.

22. Kentucky Dam Village is one of three state resort parks near Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, a 170,000-acre wooded peninsula bound by Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Special events held there during the year include a spring craft festival and a car show in August.

23. Annual July 4th celebrations include everything from 5K runs to musical performances. The day culminates with fireworks shows after dark.

24. About two hours north of Cape Girardeau on Interstate 55, St. Louis is home to The Gateway Arch Riverfront, St. Louis Science Museum, Muny Opera and much, much more in the form of entertainment for all ages.

25. Taum Sauk Mountain State Park southwest of Ironton in Iron and Reynolds counties, provides 7,448 acres of solitude amid unspoiled land with a wilderness quality hard to find in today's world. Located in the St. Francois Mountains, Tam Sauk Mountain is the highest point in Missouri. Mina Sauk Falls is the tallest wet weather waterfall in Missouri.

Messy Morning

26. Messy Morning is an annual event at Cape Girardeau's Show Me Center. The event is part of Week of the Young Child and offers great hands-on, messy and free activities for kids. This year's event will be April 24 from10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mississippi Mud Fun Run will begin at 1:00 p.m.

Cape Girardeau Public Library

27. Cape Girardeau Public Library, on Clark Avenue in Cape Girardeau. In 2009, construction on a new facility was completed, offering local book lovers a state-of-the-art place to gather. Youth summer reading programs, preschool and toddler story times and hands on programs. Special teen area with computers, game systems and cafe seating.

28. Cape Girardeau Parks Department summer programs offer a variety of fun activities and classes to keep kids of all ages happy, busy and learning throughout the summer.

29. Bootheel Youth Museum in Malden, Mo., features family-focused events and activities for children of all ages, including an anti-gravity mirror, crawl-in camera and other exhibits.

Black Forest Village (Southeast Missourian file photo)

30. A replica 1870s old west town, Black Forest Village in Cape Girardeau, offers two special craft shows,held annually, and ghost town tours in October.

31. Water parks in poplar Bluff, Mo., Farmington, Mo., and Cape Girardeau, Mo., offer summer fun for families, including water slides, lazy rivers and more.

Giant City

32. Giant City Park at 235 Giant City Road, Makanda, Ill. Nestled in the Shawnee National Forest, just minutes south of Carbondale, the area was named for the impressions made by its massive sandstone structures. Eons of geological faulting and folding have molded a landscape like none other, which is now clothed in lush garments of fern, moss, large flowering mints, hundreds of species of wild flowers and 75-plus varieties of towering trees.

33. Elephant Rocks State Park in Graniteville, Mo.

Elephant Rocks State Park

Giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants make up this unique natural wonder. About 1.5 billion years ago, hot magma cooled forming coarsely crystalline red granite, which later weathered into huge, rounded boulders. Standing atop a granite outcrop, one of the largest elephant rocks, Dumbo, tops the scales at a whopping 680 tons.

34. Garden of the Gods recreation area

Explore the Shawnee National Forest on horseback or grab a backpack and hike the 160-mile river to river trail. Rock climbing and rapelling are permitted in several designated areas. twelve campsites are outfitted with fire pits, picnic tables, toilets and drinking water.

35. Municipal band concerts at Capaha Park and Jackson City Park on summer evenings in beautiful outdoor settings.

National Tiger Sanctuary

36. National Tiger Sanctuary at 10019 State Route Y, Bloomsdale, Mo., offers educational opportunities for people of all ages, with the tigers serving as powerful ambassadors in raising critical environmental issues.

Floodwall Mural in downtown Cape Girardeau (Southeast Missourian file photo)

37. Mississippi river tales mural in downtown Cape Girardeau. The city's history is depicted in 24 artistic panels along the city side of the floodwall. Covering nearly 18,000 sq. ft., 1100 ft. long mural spans the length of the downtown shopping area.

38. Clearwater Dam in Piedmont, Mo., was built in 1942 for flood control purposes. Today, it's one of the largest tourist attractions in Southeast Missouri, drawing over a million people a year for camping, boating, fishing and swimming.

39. Since the inaugural mission, Rendezvous With a Comet in 2002, the Challenger Learning Center at Paducah Ky., has flown over 1,200 missions and added programming such as summer camps, scouting workshops, e-Missions and professional development for area teachers.

Discovery Playhouse (Photo courtesy of Jim Riley)

40. Discovery Playhouse Children's Museum at 502 Broadway, Cape Girardeau. Fun, hands-on learning and play center was set to open in March 2010 with exhibits for children of all ages.

Bonus picks

Recreational Sports. Summer Camps. Group Fitness Classes. FUN 4 ALL AGES. Southeast Missouri Hospital Healthpoint Fitness

Meet Farm Fresh Face to Face at JONES HERITAGE FARM & MARKET. Located in beautiful Cape Girardeau County, come take a tour and enjoy foods raised on the farm.

Have a ball and learn something new at Discovery Playhouse, A Children's Museum, opening March 31, 2010, in Downtown Cape Girardeau at 502 Broadway (at Middle) where fun and learning come full circle. Open Tuesday-Sunday. Call 573-335-PLAY or go to www.discoveryplayhouse.org for more information.

Enjoy a lively meal at Lamberts Cafe in Sikeston, MO, the only home of throwed rolls where the motto is "We hope you come hungry, leave full, and hopefully have a laugh or two!"

Grab the family and head to Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center where you will find a huge play pool, leisure pool, vortex pool, fitness area and four flumes. Or just float down the Lazy River and relax under one of 23 shade structures and have lunch in our spacious concession area. We offer all the amenities, including free parking!

Municipal Band Concerts (Stock art)

fireworks (Stock art)

Gateway Arch

Get away for the day! Fly to St. Louis on Cape Air for just $49 one way from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.