Out-of-state visitors pick Missouri's top destinations

The Missouri Division of Tourism surveyed visitors from Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma to find out where they like to go in Missouri.

Because competition for tourist dollars pushes the Top 5 spots to evolve, even people who have visited them before may find that they’re worth a second trip. One of the easiest ways to figure out each area’s most popular attractions is to look at what the locals do for fun.

Branson bound

As the top Missouri destination chosen by out-of-state travelers, Branson offers several attractions. Its most popular ones are big draws for visitors and locals alike, according to Lynn Berry, director of public relations for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“They love Silver Dollar City, Celebration City, Showboat Branson Bell, Titanic, Ride the Ducks and White Water,” Berry said.

Berry said the busiest travel times for area residents are September, April and May, and around the beginning and the end of the school year.

What’s Berry’s personal favorite attraction?

“I’m going to have to go with Silver Dollar City,” Berry said. “I’ve been going there since I was very young.”

Free fun

According to St. Louis natives, the best attractions in that city are those that are free, according to Donna Andrews, director of public relations with the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.

“The big draw in St. Louis would be Forest Park,” Andrews said. “That’s where people really gather. There are people playing baseball and on the golf courses, not to mention the zoo, history museum and art museum. The St. Louis Zoo is one of the few zoos in the country that is absolutely free.”

Andrews remembers Forest Park trips from childhood and a favorite rainy day destination, St. Louis Science Center.

“I’ve been going to the science museum since I was in the third grade,” Andrews said. “Now, it’s three times that size.”

Big-city changes

“There is something like $4.5 billion in development going on in the downtown Kansas City area, adding major new attractions that people are excited to start exploring,” said Alan Carr, director of communications for the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association. “The Sprint Center, our new arena, opens Oct. 13 with a concert by Elton John. We have a new downtown entertainment district that will open in the spring.”

Carr said Kansas City also is known as a festival city, ranked by The Urban Institute as a Top 10 city for fairs and festivals.

“The fall is a really great season for festivals in Kansas City,” Carr said. “You’ve got Irish Fest, which is one of the largest Irish festivals in the country, and the Plaza Art Fair which is one of the largest art festivals in the country. We’ve got a new event this year called Waterfire, where there will be an art installation in a creek running along the plaza.”

Heading for the lake

“The water is why everybody is here,” said Tim Jacobson, executive director of the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau. Beyond the water, Jacobson said funding levels separate Lake of the Ozarks from the other Top 5 destinations.

“Those other destinations have a lot more funding than we do,” Jacobson said. “We are funded from a lodging tax, as they are, but many of them get additional dollars from the general tax fund. We’ve had a lot of condo growth that has taken some of our smaller resorts away, maybe (closing) about 500 rooms over the last couple years.”

Two new events are slated there for September – Ozarks Bike Fest on Sept. 13–17 and the Off-Shore Super Series National Championships on Sept. 28–30.

During the Off-Shore Super Series, boaters from around the nation will compete for a chance to race on Lake of the Ozarks, but Jacobson said there is still plenty of room on the water.

“You really just need to know where to go,” he said.

Options galore

Springfield has a solid mix of attractions, according to Susan Wade, public relations manager for the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.

She notes Battlefield Mall, which gets about 12 million visitors a year, and Bass Pro Shops, which also draws in the millions. Hammons Field is a draw for baseball fans, but Wade said there are also plenty of natural attractions with the local parks and greenways trails.

“In my job, I go to a lot of the attractions off and on, and I really enjoy them,” Wade said. “I love the Discovery Center, and I love the zoo. Isn’t it fun to feed the giraffes?”

Tourism legislation

Two bills this legislative session tackled tourism, providing marketing funds to reach travelers and setting guidelines for a more uniform school year, thereby creating a more predictable summer vacation window for students and families.

Senate Bill 376, sponsored by Sen. John Greisheimer, R-Washington, ensures marketing funds for the Missouri Division of Tourism through 2015. SB 64, sponsored by Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, authorizes each school district in Missouri to set its own opening date, but the bill stipulates that it must be no more than 10 days before Labor Day each year.