sponsor

44°Current conditions

Cloudy

Sections

Community Calendar

Sylvia Anderson/St. Joseph News-Press

The disturbing past you need to see

“Why would a white person want to visit a black history museum?” I asked Phyllis Bass, director of the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, Kan. It was a rhetorical question, and as with everything I asked, she was ready with an answer. ... Read more

Tornado Alley at Snow Creek is a tube full of fun

We were thrown together for the holidays, ranging in age from 6 to 56, with nothing to do. It was a cold and dreary evening, and we couldn’t even agree on a movie. Thankfully, instead of watching the 6-year-old bounce off the walls, we discovered Tornado Alley at Snow Creek in Weston, Mo. ... Read more

What’s on your bucket list?

Some call it a bucket list (things to do before you kick the bucket), and we all seem to have one, whether it’s written down each year or tucked away in our brain. If travel is on that list, a new book, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” should give you some ideas. ... Read more

The Christmas castle

If you like glitter and gold, mixed with whimsy and story, there’s nothing quite as spectacular as the Vaile Mansion decorated for Christmas. Referred to by some as the “Christmas castle,” the 31-room mansion in Independence, Mo., is a trip back in time to the Victorian era, where extravagant is the key word. ... Read more

If the words “Beam me up, Scotty” bring a smile to your face, it’s time to boldly go to the Saint Louis (Mo.) Science Center, where you can step aboard the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise and sit in Captain Kirk’s chair. It’s part of “Star Trek The Exhibition” on display now through May 2012. ... Read more

Submitted photo

All aboard the Children’s Christmas Express

A favorite holiday tradition for many families has become reading “The Polar Express,” an award-winning children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. The story-turned-movie is about a young boy on Christmas Eve who boards a magical train headed to the North Pole. It’s an adventure that dreams are made of. So just think how much fun it would be to bring this fantasy to life. ... Read more

Sylvia Anderson/St. Joseph News-Press

‘Tis the season for Big Cedar Lodge

Where can you take a vacation when dad loves to fish, mom wants some pampering and the kids are clamoring for Disneyland? You don’t have to go far if you live in Missouri. It’s called Big Cedar Lodge on the banks of Table Rock Lake near Branson. Promoted as America’s Premier Wilderness Resort, this 850-acre getaway offers everything from great fishing to wildlife tram tours. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Explore the largest maze in Missouri

For an outdoor adventure that promises to be fun for adults as well as children, check out the biggest corn maze in Missouri — the Liberty Corn Maze. The 1,000-by-1,000-foot course, located two miles south of Liberty, Mo., has a total of close to eight miles of paths, going over four bridges. ... Read more

Cosmopolitan Columbia

Drive along Interstate 70 during football and basketball seasons and you’re bound to see a line of cars with tiger tails hanging out of the trunks heading for Columbia, Mo. ... Read more

Sylvia Anderson/St. Joseph News-Press

Visit the World War I National Museum at Liberty Memorial

If the only time you’ve made a trip to see the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City was more than four years ago, you need to go again. And if you have children or grandchildren, bring them too. It’s like taking a trip back in time. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Santa-Cali-Gon Days or bust

If you paid attention in history class, you would know that during the 1840s, Independence, Mo., was the hot spot for pioneers. After stocking up on food and supplies, they would hop in their covered wagons to travel the Oregon, Santa Fe and California trails for destinations out West. Although it was more than a century and a half ago, the celebration of the city’s important place in history just keeps getting bigger with a four-day event called Santa-Cali-Gon Days, held over Labor Day weekend. This year the festival is Sept. 2 through 5, and if it’s like last year about 225,000 people will be attending. ... Read more

Take the kids to Fun-Run

Kids bouncing off the walls? Take them to Fun-Run in Kansas City, Mo., located north of the river off of 64th Street in the Picture Hills shopping center. ... Read more

Vacation getaway close to home

With gas prices going up and paychecks going down, many people are discovering a vacation getaway close to home called the Basswood Resort, owned by Legacy RV Resorts. ... Read more

See the treasures of the Steamboat Arabia

To get more than a history book picture of what it was like in 1865, take the whole family to see the treasures of Steamboat Arabia in Kansas City. ... Read more

Lake of the Ozarks: Off the beaten path

The castle ruins look haunting, yet majestic standing high on a bluff in Ha Ha Tonka State Park. The park is located just west of Camdenton, Mo., one of several communities that make up the Lake of the Ozarks. ... Read more

Sylvia Anderson/St. Joseph News-Press

Land of the magic dragon

There is much more to the Lake of the Ozarks than I remember, especially from the seat of a new Robinson R44 helicopter. Our pilot, Dan Doornink, with Lake Ozark Helicopters and a former military Blackhawk pilot, flies it so smoothly it feels like I am gently gliding on my own through the air. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Explore what’s new at the Kansas City Zoo

You’ll notice there’s lots that’s new at the Kansas City Zoo, especially if you haven’t gone there in the last couple of years. And with the zoo spread over close to 200 acres, you may need to go more than once. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Power gardening show and tell

Food and gardening will never be the same once you spend the weekend at the 2011 Urban Gardens and Farm Tour in Kansas City. Organizers have actually planned 12 days of what promises to be both educational and entertaining events, culminating with the official tour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 25 and 26. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Day trip: Shatto Dairy

Turn a lesson on where milk comes from to a fun-filled day trip for your whole family at the Shatto Dairy Farm in Osborn, Mo. ... Read more

Submitted photo

History buffs may recall that the first land battle of the Civil War took place in Boonville, Mo., on June 17, 1861, and how the battles in Boonville were a major turning point for Missouri. Unfortunately, it’s a distinction that’s long faded into the past with the general public. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Just imagine your child’s face (and your own!) coming up on a 32-foot Tyrannosaurs Rex at Powell Gardens, the private, not-for-profit botanical garden located just east of Kansas City, Mo. The life-size dinosaur is one of more than 20 realistic prehistoric dinosaurs you will find in a special exhibit called Jurassic Gardens created by Lost World Studios. It’s a changed-up version that was here in 2002 and 2007 and can be viewed at Powell Gardens from May 1 through Aug. 14. ... Read more

Submitted photo

History through marionettes and covered wagons

Forget history books. To observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, there will be numerous opportunities to experience the times and events in a more memorable way, starting this month in Independence, Mo., the site of two Civil War battles. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Creative freedom

The mission of Kaleidoscope can be summed up in two words. ... Read more

Submitted photo

It’s hard to imagine an American film more beloved than “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s a movie that continually sparks our imagination and is thoroughly embedded in the fabric of popular culture. ... Read more

Submitted photo

Have a Storm Lake snow day

Four hours north of St. Joseph sits a town that encourages visitors to see winter as they did when they were a kids, a time for snow and sleds and outdoor fun, instead of a time of black ice and bad traction. ... Read more

Submitted photo

The Kansas City Museum

In 1891, Robert A. Long and his family arrived in Kansas City and immediately made an impact. The young lumber baron transformed a town full of saloons and stockyards into a grand city, constructing KC’s first skyscraper and sparking the urban development intact today. ... Read more

Courtesy Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede

Country legend Dolly Parton knows how to wow a crowd. And, she doesn’t even have to be present to do it. ... Read more

sponsor

sponsor

Life Galleries

The gadget gift guide

Stay cool with these winter looks

How to repair Christmas lights

Make your own Halloween costume

MF Global’s dive shows few changes on Wall Street

WASHINGTON — After countless new rules designed to make Wall Street safer, it’s come to this: Another securities firm has collapsed from risky, poorly disclosed bets. ... Read more

Alaska is a big place

Slippin' and slidin' on the Top Of The World

Finally we set two wheels on the Alaskan Highway

Bears, bridges and beautiful countryside

More Northbound and Down »»

Summer Travel

Try Some Mile-High Family Fun In Colorado

The skiing's great, but be sure to check out these other family-fun ideas in Colorado. ... Read more

Going Camping? Go Green!

Kentucky Offers Hidden Hotspots

Pair Up Hotels With Their Celebrity Owners

Family Adventure Awaits In New Mexico

More Summer Travel »»

Most Popular

Stories
- Four taken to hospital after crash
  A two-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 73 in Brown County, Kan., sent four people to area hospitals Tuesday.
- Department gun turns up in Arizona
  PLATTE CITY, Mo.—The Platte County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the discovery of a firearm in Arizona Wednesday.
- 1985 fire still haunts Atchison County
  Upsetting rumors have circulated enough around Atchison County, Mo., to reopen the case of a 1985 triple-fatality fire that still weighs heavily on the minds of people who experienced its aftermath.
- Late notices, Feb. 22, 2012
- Council lays down law on hookahs
  Few would expect an ordinance to regulate smoking in public places to escape public notice, but that’s exactly what happened Tuesday evening at City Hall.
Video
- Heartland unveils new operating rooms
- Afternoon weather with Justin Gesling 2-22
- Man Caught Ogling Denmark's Royal Assets
  Was Denmark's royal bosom ogled? CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on men caught up to their eyeballs in cleavage.
- Best Cities For Social Media Jobs
  Want to get paid to tweet, post or pin? You can in these best cities for social media jobs.
Photo Galleries

More Most Popular »»

sponsor

News-Press & Gazette Company, NPG Newspapers Inc, St. Joseph, MO USA © 2012

Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Microsoft MapPoint Terms of Use | Microsoft Privacy Statement | Site Map | Some Images Provided by Weather Underground, Inc.

in association with