Keeping in Touch with Tourism: Think local for short weekend vacations
By: Beth Wiles, Pulaski Tourism Director
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009 2:05 pm
Tourism Director Beth Wiles
Spring is here and along with it brings the tourist season. Many folks don’t think of Pulaski County as a vacation destination, but in these economic times, our area fits perfectly into the budget of families.
Even just for a weekend getaway there is plenty to do.
On Saturday, grab the family and explore Pulaski County. Where else can you visit state-of-the-art military museums? Three indoor museums are housed at the Army museum complex. There is also a World War II barracks area filled with history of how our soldiers have lived as well as the German prisoners that were housed on the fort.
Two museums down in Waynesville are open to the public on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from April through September. The Old Stagecoach Stop, which also served as a Civil War hospital, boasts more than 10 rooms of history from the log cabin room to the 1950s apartment. You can also step back in time at the Pulaski County Courthouse Museum. Every nook and cranny of this museum is full of rich history of the local area as well as military history from the days of Fort Waynesville to current military conflicts.
Other opportunities include taking the family out for a great dinner at one of our 70 restaurants. Take our scenic driving tour of Route 66 and learn why Historic Route 66 is so important to our nation and why people from Europe and Asia come to the United States to drive Route 66 from Chicago to California. Then take the family out for a great dinner; your choices are wide open from national franchises to the unique choices of American, Asian, German, Greek and Italian cuisine.
On Sunday, get ready for an adventure! Pack some sandwiches and drinks and head out to one of our nine outfitters that offer float trips along the Big Piney or Gasconade rivers. It’s your choice if you want to meander down the river in a canoe, as a group in a raft, or to go it solo in a kayak. Or for great fun, rent inner tubes! Our gentle, lazy rivers will make you forget about the stresses of everyday life.
The Pulaski Fine Arts Association beings auditioning for the play “Once Upon A Mattress” on April 13. Those who are interested may visit their website at www.pfaa.org for more information. Fort Leonard Wood will be celebrating Earth Day on April 25, which features a 5K run. May also brings the 12th Annual Frog Fest, to be held the first full weekend in May. On May 9, the Freedom of the Road Riders Spring Poker Run starts at the Shrine Club in Buckhorn. May closes out with several big music events; Dixon’s four day Bluegrass Festival is held at the Carol Jones Music Park, along with the Freedom of the Road Riders MidAmerica Freedom Rally and the second Annual Route 66 Summer Jam on the Square.
Contact information: Beth Wiles, Executive Director Pulaski County Tourism Bureau and Visitors Center 137 St. Robert Blvd., Suite A St. Robert, MO 65584 Phone: (573) 336-6355 ext 104 Toll-Free: (877) 858-8687 E-mail: bethw@visitpulaskicounty.org Internet site: www.visitpulaskicounty.org
