![]() At one point, my niece looked around and said, “I can’t believe there used to be roller coasters right here!” The kids were on their best behavior inside the museum, so when we left the building, we let them burn off some energy on the Schifferdecker Park playground behind the museum. Were the kids excited to be going to a museum?ĭid they change their minds after they discovered some cool things inside of it, like mammoth fossils, glowing rocks, and the jewelry left behind at the site of a Joplin shootout by Miss Bonnie Parker of the infamous duo of Bonnie and Clyde? They ate breakfast at their hotel, then met us at the Joplin History & Mineral Museum in Schifferdecker Park. We let the Phoenix family members sleep in on Friday morning, knowing that they would need all of their energy for the activities I had planned for us. But this mama did – and she was grateful to witness it. Having a break from everyday schedules and technology, and just being able to enjoy each other’s company was strengthening their connections as cousins in ways that they wouldn’t even realize until years down the road. There’s art, music, and dancing, as well as food trucks and activities for the kids.Īs I watched my girls stroll down Main Street, each one paired with a cousin, I thought about how the simplest things can have such meaningful impact. ![]() Held on the third Thursday of each month, from March through October, people gather on Joplin’s to celebrate the businesses, restaurants and cultural amenities that make our city vibrant. ![]() While we had been busy solving our puzzle, the sun had finally peeked out from behind the broken clouds, which meant that it would be a good evening for downtown Joplin’s Third Thursday event. When we emerged from Escape Joplin, our eyes had to adjust to the brightness outside. With tireless teamwork, we managed to escape with two minutes left on the clock. There were eight of us working on this puzzle, each person offering a unique insight into uncovering the clues that would lead us to the Key to the Seven Seas. When found, this key would bring peace to the open waters. That day’s escape room experience, Blackbeard’s End, immersed us in a world of pirates, where we had to search Captain Blackbeard’s ship for the Key to the Seven Seas. I had hoped it would be warm enough to go swimming at Schifferdecker Aquatic Complex, or maybe get wet at the splash pad at Parr Hill Park, but morning storms and cloudy skies kept the temperature too cool for water fun, leading me to enact my backup plan: having an indoor adventure at Escape Joplin. The Phoenix family arrived in Joplin in the early afternoon. So when I learned that the Phoenix family members were coming to Joplin for a few days, I wanted to show them that our little part of Missouri also offers attractions that are unique and fun – and cool enough to impress big-city kids. When we visit them, my girls get to see awesome places like discovery museums, amusement parks, and yes, even the beach. My kids have cousins who live in big urban areas: Tampa, Phoenix, and Chicago.
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