Enjoy the sounds of local musicians at the Old Time Music-Ozark Heritage Festival. Taking place over the course of two days in June, the festival features bluegrass, country and Americana music, storytellers, jig dancers and performance of an old-fashioned melodrama. Participate in such activities as turkey calling contests, Dutch oven cooking competitions and square dancing.
Twice a year you can grab a lawn chair and retreat to the aptly titled Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Park for the Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Festival. Held each June and September, the event lasts three days. Chow down on free beans, cornbread, biscuits and gravy as local bluegrass musicians entertain the crowd, rain or shine.
Enjoy the activities of country living at the nearly week-long Heart of the Ozarks Fair. Held each July at the Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds, you can take in such attractions as the rodeo, ATV races, tractor pulls and professional lawn mower races. While adults view the outcome of the fair’s fine arts, livestock and agricultural competitions, kids can entertain themselves on the slew of carnival rides.
Embark on a leisurely hike through Galloway Creek Nature Park, a rustic preserve equipped with a footbridge and a dirt trail along the park’s namesake waterway. Each Halloween the park hosts Haunting in the Hollows, a one-night event with haunted walk-through attractions, food vendors and a pet costume contest.
If you’re in search of high-speed action, head to the West Plains Motor Speedway. With the season running from April through September, stock car racing dominates the speedway’s 3/8-mile track each Saturday night. True racing enthusiasts may purchase a season pass for the yearly event.
Cool off during those muggy summer days with a trip to West Plains Aquatic Center. The large pool with a big water slide caters to adults while the zero-entry small pool, outfitted with a mother’s bench, mushroom waterfall and frog slide, is geared toward kids. Novice swimmers can take lessons throughout the summer to sharpen their skills.
Support the local West Plains community with an evening of live theater at the Avenue Theatre. The venue opened in 1950 as a movie theater before being transformed into a 475-seat community theater in the early 1990s. The theater stages everything from melodramas to Broadway musicals to Shakespearean productions.
Explore the Ozark's world of art and history at the Harlin Museum. Once the private home of West Plains mayor James P. Harlin, the building now showcases the artwork of Lennis L. Broadfoot, a local resident who used charcoal drawings to depict early pioneer life in the Ozarks. Historic items on hand also include clothing, farm tools and even an entire wagon from pioneer times.
