Release Date
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, May 27, 2026 – Numerous educational and recreational activities are planned for Central Missouri state parks and historic sites. Check out these great ways to kick off summer!
- Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Santa Fe Trail Reenactment at Arrow Rock State Historic Site.
Join the historic site team for a Santa Fe Trail reenactment on the lawn of the J. Huston Tavern. Visitors will see demonstrations of 19th-century camp activities, performed by Arrow Rock Stock and Trading Co., and children will enjoy interactive activities related to that time period. There will be period music, local artisans and demonstrations of historical skills. Arrow Rock Stock and Trading Co. will present a frontier encampment. Guests also can learn about the area’s historic forts, take wagon rides and listen to a storyteller. The event is free and open to the public. The event will take place at 305 Main St. in Arrow Rock.
- June 1 through Sept. 30 – Shawn Cooper Art Show at Arrow Rock State Historic Site.
From June through September, the historic site will host an exhibit featuring pieces by local artist Shawn Cooper, a longtime oil and acrylic painter who has recently taken to the art of wood burning. The exhibition will be located in the visitor center and is free to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Arrow Rock State Historic Site is located at 39521 Visitor Center Drive in Arrow Rock.
- Wednesday, June 3, at 7 p.m. – Landing After Hours: Jefferson City Hotels, Today and Yesterday at Jefferson Landing State Historic Site.
Hotels have been essential to the growth and development of Jefferson City from its earliest days as Missouri’s new capital city. The city’s hotels and hoteliers have served numerous roles, from housing legislators to hosting community events. Join Michelle Brooks as she shares the stories she discovered while writing her newest book, “Historic Jefferson City Hotels.” This program will begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Convenient parking is available in the lot next to the program’s location in the Lohman Building, located at 100 Jefferson St., in Jefferson City.
- Fridays, June 5, 12, 19, and 26, at 8 p.m. - Friday Night Fireside Chat at Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park.
Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park’s Friday Night Fireside Chats are back! Each Friday night from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, visitors can meet the park team in an informal gathering around a campfire. Join them to hear stories and songs, make s’mores and learn more about the park. Participation is free and open to registered campers and day-use visitors. Activities are subject to cancellation or change due to inclement weather. Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park is located at 32146 N. Highway 122 in Miami.
- Saturdays June 6, and 27, at 9:30 a.m. – Storytime in the Campground at Arrow Rock State Historic Site.
Arrow Rock State Historic Site is hosting a series of picture book readings. Toddlers and their grownups are invited to join the site interpreter in the campground. Guests should bring a camp chair or blanket for seating. Arrow Rock State Historic Site is located at 39521 Visitor Center Drive in Arrow Rock.
- Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. – Guided Hike on the Rock Island Trail at the Windsor Trailhead.
Celebrate National Trails Day by joining knowledgeable park staff for a guided hike on the Rock Island Trail. The Rock Island Trail is part of a larder rail-to-trail system within Missouri’s state park system. From Pleasant Hill in northwest Missouri, it runs southeast to Windsor where it connects to the Katy Trail. Additional segments of the Rock Island area being developed east of Windsor. This easy hike begins at the Windsor trailhead (trailhead coordinates: 38.535939, -93.524355) at 10 a.m. and covers approximately 1 mile on flat surfaces. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome, but children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Pets are permitted but must be kept on a leash. Participants should dress for the weather and bring snacks, water and insect repellent.
- Saturday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m. - Exhibit Opening: Stars, Stripes and Celebrations: Missourians Commemorating America’s Founding in Times of Uncertainty at the Missouri State Museum.
Join the Missouri State Museum team, the Kinder Institute for Constitutional Democracy and Missouri Humanities for the opening of “Stars, Stripes and Celebrations: Missourians Commemorating America’s Founding in Times of Uncertainty.” This new traveling exhibit was developed by students from the University of Missouri’s Kinder Institute for Constitutional Democracy. It showcases the ways in which Missourians have commemorated U.S. independence every 50 years since 1776. The event will be held in the Missouri Capitol, 201 W. Capitol Ave. in Jefferson City, with a brief ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, followed by a ribbon cutting in the History Hall of the Missouri State Museum on the first floor of the Capitol.
- Saturdays, June 6, 13, 20 and 27 at 8 p.m. – Nights at the Campground at Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park.
Each Saturday night through Labor Day weekend, the park team will present an interpretive program in the campground with different topics each week. Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park is located at 32146 N. Highway 122 in Miami.
- Saturday, June 13, at 7 p.m. – Backyard Concert: Thomas Corriell and Zane Ogden at Lohman Building Lawn.
Celebrated 50 years of Jefferson Landing State Historic Site with another season of backyard concerts on the Lohman Building lawn. Thomas Corriell is a master artist in the Missouri Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, and Zane Ogden is his apprentice. The duo will perform traditional Missouri fiddle tunes. The Lohman Building is located at 100 Jefferson St. in Jefferson City.
- Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to noon – Water Festival at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.
Come have fun with water and learn about streams and stream animals at the annual Water Festival. Activities, designed for ages 4 and up, include: guided tours of Connor’s Cave, a live turtle station, opportunities to catch aquatic animals in the stream and to play with a model of a stream, programs about fish, birds, bugs and stream health, nature stories and meet and greets with representatives from local organizations. Most activities will take place near the start of Devil’s Icebox Trail. Some parking will be available in the Devil’s Icebox parking lot with additional parking at the Gilbert Picnic Shelter. A shuttle will run every 15 minutes between the two locations. The event is cosponsored by Boone County Stormwater Management, Missouri Stream Teams, Missouri Master Naturalists and the park. Participants are encouraged to bring drinking water and wear shoes they don’t mind getting wet.
This year’s Water Festival is being held in conjunction with an open-house style public meeting for Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site. The park’s address is 5901 S. Highway 163, Columbia.
The primary source of funding for the state park system is half of the dedicated constitutional tax of one-tenth-of-one-percent Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax. The tax provides about three-fourths of the division's budget for operation and development of state parks. All additional funding for Missouri's Division of State Parks comes from revenues generated in the state park system and some federal funds. For detailed information on any of these activities, please visit the Upcoming Events webpage. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit the Missouri State Parks website. The Division of State Parks is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
