Things To Do In Rolla, St. James and Phelps County! 

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Arts Rolla Arts Rolla! sponsors several annual events throughout the year including an art exhibition and in September and a photography show and competition in August. An Open Art Show for professional and talented amateurs is held each March and the Peaceful Bend Music Festival takes place each June both at the Peaceful Bend Winery in Steelville and in a Rolla. St. Louis Art Museum One of the most important art museums in the Midwest, the SLAM exhibits painting and sculpture as well as decorative objects and hosts traveling exhibitions. The collection of American paintings is particularly noteworthy including important examples of the work of Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham. Springfield Art Museum The Springfield Art Museum is the permanent home for some 7,500 art objects representing thousands of years of culture. Special collections include 19th and 20th century American paintings, watercolors, sculpture and prints. Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio Thomas Hart Benton's artistic ability to interpret realistic American lifestyles and cultures on canvas made him Missouri's most renowned 20th century artist. An acclaimed painter, sculptor, lecturer and writer, tour Benton's home displaying examples of his work and carriage house which he converted into his art studio and remains as he left it, with coffee cans full of paintbrushes, numerous paints and a stretched canvas waiting to be transformed into another masterpiece. Missouri State Capital Building Within the magnificent domed building that serves as Missouri's state house in Jefferson City is Thomas Hart Benton's most notable mural. Entitled, "A Social History of the State of Missouri," this breathtaking work can be viewed for free in the House Lounge. Memoryville USA Rolla is home to one of the largest antique and classic automobile restoration shops and museums in the US. See historic makes and models of every type of automobile imaginable all in classic condition. Ozark Actors Theater The Ozark Actors Theatre is a professional, summer stock theatre, one of only two in the state of Missouri. Enjoy highly acclaimed productions ranging from drama to farce to musical comedy. University of Missouri at Rolla Music and Theater Programs You'll find an amazing array of performances and events scheduled at UMR. From the Bolshoi Ballet to a lecture series featuring world leaders and titans of industry to highly professional student productions of plays and musicals in the Leach Theater, you can always satisfy your cultural cravings. Regional Opera Company of Rolla This first class community theater company performs dramas, comedies, vaudeville, musicals and light opera. The ROC performs in a charming brick theater built in 1918 and has been delighting local audiences for more than twenty years. Central MO Regional Fairgrounds Home to the county fair as well as concerts and entertainment events throughout the year, the fairgrounds even hosts a weekly farmer's market and feature a museum of geology on the grounds. Branson, MO Family friendly Branson, about 150 miles south of Phelps County is the "Live Music Capital of the World" with forty theaters presenting internationally renowned entertainers of every variety.

SPORTS AND RECREATION Rolla Parks and Recreation Rolla offers 32 parks and recreation facilities on more than 300 acres. Enjoy walking trails, sports fields, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, a golf course and even a skateboard park. State Parks in Phelps County State parks in the region offer all the beauty and recreational opportunities this stunning area has to offer. From rivers and streams for canoeing and rafting to lakes for fishing and swimming to caves for spelunking, there's always outdoor fun close by. State Conservation Lands in Phelps County There are more than 7,000 acres of open space and conservation lands offering sports enthusiasts some of the finest hunting, fishing and canoeing playgrounds in the nation. Schuman Lake Park offers excellent fishing right in Rolla and includes a retired steam locomotive, the Blue Bonnet Special, on the grounds that the kids will love exploring. Onondaga Caves State Park A visit to the Onondaga Caves presents an amazing underground world featuring tall stalagmites, dripping stalactites, active flowstones and colorful deposits that will take your breath away. Trout Fishing at Maramec Spring State Park Grab your rod and real because some of the best trout fishing in the world's just eight miles outside of St. James where an exceptionally beautiful spring produces an average of 96,000,000 gallons of water per day. In addition to trout fishing, the park has a nice reception center, cafe, campground, picnic areas, two museums, playgrounds, hiking trails, tennis courts and a historic ironworks. Spelunking Missouri Caves Known as the "The Cave State", Missouri is a spelunker's paradise. The area around Rolla offers superb opportunities for exploring awesome caves with amazing, colorful geologic formations that nature has created using only water. Mark Twain National Forest The crown jewel of parks in the area, the MTNF's million plus acres extend from the St. Francois Mountains in the southeast to dry rocky glades in the southwest and from the prairie lands along the Missouri River to the nation's most ancient mountains in the south. There are clear spring-fed rivers and streams for canoeing, fishing and swimming, rocky bluffs for climbing, caves for exploring, shaded trails for hiking and pastoral views that are the essence of the renowned Ozarks natural splendor. Canoeing, Rafting, Tubing the Meramec River The gorgeous Meramec River provides nearly 100 miles of fairly wild, floatable river with outstanding caves, springs and other scenery along its course. The river is fed by Maramec Spring and many smaller springs and can be floated most of the year. Missouri Fishing If you're a professional angler or just a weekend rod and reel enthusiast, southern MO has sparkling lakes and crystal clear streams teeming with a diverse catch. From bass to trout, you're certain to take home something delicious. Missouri Hunting Missouri offers hunters scenic open space with many types of game. You can hunt anything from deer to waterfowl and even bag your own Thanksgiving turkey. University of Missouri at Rolla Miner Athletics Cheer on the Miners as they compete in exciting NCAA Division II athletics. UMR fields teams in many sports including football, baseball and men's and women's basketball.

SHOPPING Shopping Rolla Rolla features charming shops and businesses galore. A highlight is famed doll maker Phyllis Parkins' "Collectables" factory and shop. Shopping St. James Enjoy a sweet small town atmosphere when you shop in St. James. Don't miss the Book Addict used bookstore with more than 20,000 volumes for sale as well as locally made stained glass objects and art. Shopping Central Missouri From malls to main streets, you can shop till you drop and take home something special. Phelps County Shops and Business From antiques and collectables to everyday essentials, whatever you need is certain to be found close by.

DINING Dining in Rolla If eating good food is a priority, you'll find fine family owned restaurants as well as nationally known franchises in Rolla. You can also discover local flavors at regular church picnics and dinners. Dining in St. James Enjoy several delightful dining options in St. James including a barbecue, diner and a chic European style café at the Meramec Vineyards. Dining in Phelps County and the Surrounding Areas Spend the day enjoying locally made wine and German sausages or fresh trout from a local pond, there's something delicious cooking everywhere you look in Phelps County. Wine Tasting The area around St. James is comparable to California's famed Napa Valley with charming wineries set along country roads. Be sure to stop for a tasting! Missouri Restaurant Locator Hungry? Too tired to cook? Enjoy life, eat out more often

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS University of Missouri at Rolla UMR is one of the nation's premier universities for science, technology and engineering awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees in 35 fields. It has a strong tradition of academic excellence and a beautiful campus in Rolla where its presence creates an environment of intellectual stimulation. UMR Campus Attractions The UMR campus isn't just a center of learning but also any interesting destination with unique attractions. You can view a modernist replica of England's mysterious Stonehenge, tour an experimental underground mine and stroll under the fifteen foot tall Millennium Arch, a monument made of red Missouri granite sculpted by technologically innovative pressurized water jets. America's First Wine District The area overlooking the Missouri River is officially recognized as America's First Wine District where today, wineries are receiving considerable attention for producing fine wines that have been wining national and international wine competitions. In addition to tasting fine wines, visitors can enjoy the tour the wineries and vineyards. Bonebrake Center of Nature and History The 12 acres of Bonebrake property include a major spring-fed pond, a smaller pond and natural wetland area, which is a destination for birds and bird watchers. There are walking paths, a "pocket prairie" of native warm season grasses and hundreds of native trees planted on the grounds. Phelps County Courthouse Tour this historic building constructed in 1860, which was used as a union hospital during the civil war and served as the courthouse until 1994. It has been impressively restored and is Rolla's most prominent architectural landmark. Route 66 Rolla holds a yearly festival celebrating its association with historic Route 66, known as the "Main Street of America", and the first US cross-country highway. Old Route 66 runs right through Phelps County and offers a historic driving experience that will take you back to the days of diners, motels and unique roadside attractions. Rolla Free Attractions Rolla offers several family friendly activities you can enjoy for free. Visit unique local attractions including the Blue Bonnet Special, a 1923 steam locomotive as well as the circa 1857 Dillon log cabin constructed with hand-hewn logs and tour famed doll maker Phyllis Parkins' factory where her highly prized "Collectables" are made.

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