Kid-Friendly Lakes Within 50 Miles from Springfield’s Center
Springfield, Missouri is popular for a whole lot of reasons. It could be its title as the third-largest city in Missouri, its vast recreational options, or maybe it’s because of the hunting privileges which residents and visitors are entitled to. Whatever it is, Springfield is undoubtedly blessed with a whole lot of natural and artificial resources, one of which is lakes. Lakes are magnificent water bodies and Springfield has a lot of them. Some of these lakes flow naturally, others are created by the establishment of dams. Nevertheless, with several lakes within a 50mile radius from Springfield’s center, the choice of which one to visit alone or with family is now dependent on the features of these individual lakes. Hence, this piece is highlighting some of these beautiful lakes around Springfield where you can take your kids to without fear as they have kid-friendly amenities. Here they are:
- Lake Springfield
It wouldn’t be Springfield if its self-named lake didn’t make the cut, now would it? This 318-acre lake was created to cool the James River Power Plant. It came into existence by the erection of a dam by the James River and now it satisfies the purpose as a cherished fishing and recreation center. Lots of amenities have been established around this lake just to facilitate its usage. These amenities include a park, a boathouse, a marina, a bridge, and many more. Hence you and the kids can get strapped for a boat ride on the lake or you can enjoy a picnic at the park. Both options are kid-friendly and quite picturesque too. If this isn’t your scene you can try walking around the park, maybe play catch with your kid and bask in the beauty of nature’s elements that you’re engulfed by. You and your kids will love it.
- Fellows Lake
This lake is an 860-acre water source for the people of Springfield, Missouri. This lake came to exist as a result of the impoundment of that which is known as the Little Sac River right behind what we now call the Fellows Lake Dam. This lake poses as a great location to kayak and it has lots of great spots for picnics. Due to its proximity to Springfield, Fellows Lake also has public areas that can be used for barbecuing, outdoor functions, playgrounds, and lots more. You can do everything from flying a kite to launching a boat and even fishing on this lake. The lake is gradually developing into one of Missouri’s premier fisheries for Muskellunge. Hence, fishing activities are pretty popular in this particular lake. You can do it all on Fellows Lake and it’ll be just as fun with a kid around.
- McDaniel Lake
The McDaniel Lake covers an area of about 300-acres and it is a good source of water for the city. Although it is privately owned by the City Utilities of Springfield, and the Springfield Police Department has primary jurisdiction over this lake, you can still have a great time on it. This lake is somewhat restricted to activities like boating, floating, or swimming, but one can still have a great time fishing as far as such person is away from the 50yard concrete Grant St bridge which runs west to east. Hence, get your hooks, lines, or gigs, whichever you prefer, and go on the McDaniel Lake for a great fishing experience. You might even get to catch your lunch or dinner with your kid while you’re at it.
In these Springfield lakes, there are quite fun activities one can do with the kids, and the most occurring activities in the three highlighted lakes are fishing. Fishing is an encouraged activity in Springfield, Missouri and it’s indeed an activity that’s kid-friendly. Matter of fact in Springfield, kids under the age of 16 can fish without having a fishing license. Although other regulations have been put in place to checkmate this gray area as kids can’t just go around hunting fish without certain regulations put in place.
These regulations include the specie regulations which control the methods, quantity, and types of fish classified as ‘other fish’, or ‘game’ which can be hunted in a day. It also includes the fishing seasons and this too is dependent on the fish species. In essence, Springfield’s fishing seasons can be all day every day for a whole year, it could be a few months or weeks depending on the type of fish to be hunted. However, residents and visitors are implored to check out the Missouri Department for Conversation website where there’ll be armed with all the information needed to fish at either of these lakes. For activities like picnics, barbecuing, or playing games at the parks around these lakes, no permit is necessary. So you can your kids can have a great time regardless.
Finally, Springfield, Missouri is a city bustling with the finer things of life. This includes educational, recreational, and entertainment resources. On the list of these resources for recreation are natural resources like lakes, caves and so much more. With so many lakes in Springfield, the quest for the best ones arise. However, this piece uses kid-friendliness and public adherence to rules as a yardstick for determining the best. The highlighted lakes are close to Springfield’s center and they possess a fine tapestry of nature’s elements be it the water, the land, and animals of different shapes and sizes.
These parks are known for their beauty, picturesque sceneries, and the amount of fun one can have on them. with lakes as such, there are a plethora of activities one can do on them. from boat-riding to kayaking, fishing to barbecuing, and lots more. These are all activities any kid would cherish. However, because of the restrictions on some of the lakes like McDaniel Lake, only fishing is allowed. Hence, you can utilize Lake Springfield and Fellows lake for any other activity you can think of.