Bennett Spring State Park

Bennett Springs State Park is located in Southern Missouri about 5 miles from where I grew up. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the Ozarks (yes, I am biased!).
There are so many things for anyone (young/​old/​family/​individual) to do —
* Most obvious — Fishing! Given it is «spring-​fed» — it is freakin’ cold. Sometimes on the opening day of trout season, it will be snowing since it is March 1^st. I don’t know anything about fishing but it must be good for people to travel from all over the country to Lebanon!
* Camping/​Lodging — There are cabins for rent and a large campground you can take an RV or even pitch a tent.
* Hatchery — there are large trout hatcheries all over the place. You can buy fish food on-​site and feed fish for hours.
* Playgrounds — there are several large playgrounds located throughout the park.
* Trails — for walking, running and even areas for horseback riding. There are plenty of areas to have picnics as well.
* Hillbilly Days — an annual local festival that includes copious amounts of food, music, crafts, all all different type of events for kids.
Bennett Springs is a fantastic place to take a family and not kill a budget!

This spring fed trout park and fishery is tucked away in a gorgeous valley outside of Lebanon Missouri. It is worth the long drive from St. Louis to fish these waters. Different areas on the stream have different baiting requirements, (all of which can be found on the Missouri Department of Conservation website linked above).
The park offers campsites, cabins, and RV accommodations. Some sites do have water and electricity hook-​ups. There are plenty of spots to dispose of garbage and there are permanent restrooms.
There is a general store (full of fly tackle, food stuffs, and souvenirs) as well as other fly shops in the area. There is an on-​site museum full of interest local history.
There are good size rainbow and brown trout that are stocked in the spring throughout the year by the on-​site fishery. Do not forget your waders though or else you’ll find yourself roll-​casting from the brush-​heavy banks. (I won’t make that mistake again.)
There are few spots in Missouri that offer as good as fishing, gorgeous scenery, and quality camping. I can’t reccommend this park enough and cannot wait to return.