Play, Stay, Dine, Shop, and Find Your Adventure

 This article is presented in partnership with Benton County Tourism.

Travel is an alluring pastime, and staycations afford a host of new and unique experiences without going far. The beauty of a staycation is that you can rest, relax, and restore while visiting nearby destinations without breaking the bank.  

Centrally located in Missouri, Benton County has several trails surrounded by nature on Army Corps of Engineers public land with more than one hundred thousand acres of adventure surrounding two of Missouri’s most beautiful lakes. In and around Warsaw, there are several hiking and biking trails, including the scenic, multi-skill level, twenty-two-acre Truman Lake mountain bike and hiking park and nine miles of flat waterfront trails where you can spy waterfowl, bald eagles, deer, turkey, and more. You might even come across a couple of swimming holes to jump in.

On both Truman Lake and the Osage Arm of Lake of the Ozarks, boating, fishing, and other water sports can cool you off on warm summer days. Truman Lake offers a relaxed and slower-paced lake on which to enjoy quality family time, while the Osage Arm adds dining and nightlife options to your stay.

Landlubbers will appreciate the unique shops and dozens of locally owned (no chain stores here) boutiques, antique malls, quilt shops, and thrift stores where one-of-a-kind treasures can be found. If this is your thing, bring comfortable walking shoes because it could take two full days to get through them all.

No matter your activity, whether it be hiking, biking, water sports, or shopping, a diverse offering of locally owned restaurants are ready when you are with home-cooked meals, German cuisine, the number one pizza in Missouri, and more to accommodate your taste buds and fill your belly. 

If you’re ready to find adventure, Benton County might just be the staycation you’ve been dreaming about. Visit VisitBentonCoMo.com for more information.