Settlers arrived at the Bennett Springs area in Missouri during the mid-19th century. They found fast-moving water perfect for milling grist and flour. Today, people visit these old mills at Bennett Spring State Park, which protects springs producing over 100 million gallons of crystal clear and refreshingly cold water each day, to canoe, fly fish or hike the wooded trails. Inside the park, concessionaires run a state-owned motel. Visitors staying outside the park have several motel options.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources owns several lodging options inside the state park, including cabins and a motel. Although the state owns the property, a private concessionaire runs it, so make reservations through the concessionaire. Located in the center of the park, the motel offers direct access to the swimming pool and campground. All the rooms feature refrigerators, microwaves and air conditioning. The motel is near the trout stream, which is stocked daily with rainbow trout.
The Bennett Spring Inn is one of the closest motels to the over 3,000-acre Bennett Spring State Park, known as the trout fishing capital of the Midwest. The Inn's rooms have fully-equipped kitchen and separate bedrooms making them more like a suite than a motel room. Luckily, the prices are inexpensive. The rates in 2011 ranged from $47 to $77 with the fourth consecutive night free. The Inn offers an outdoor pool and a playground.
The Vogels Homestead Resort is another motel just outside Bennett Spring State Park. It offers dog-friendly rooms ranging from a bare-bones room with just a television, bed and small refrigerator to units with fully-equipped kitchens. In 2011, prices ranged from $39 a night to $99 a night. The resort rents canoes, rafts, inner tubes and kayaks for use on the nearby Niangua River. Trips range from six miles to 14 miles and include a shuttle service to get you back to your car.
Lebanon, Missouri is a 14-mile drive away from Bennett Spring State Park, so for visitors looking for more motel and restaurant options, it's a good option that's only 15 minutes away. Several major motel chains, such as Best Western, Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn, have lodging options in Lebanon. Because the old Route 66 runs through Lebanon, several motels capitalize on the old highway. The Munger Moss Motel offers Route-66-themed rooms.
