JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 5, 2024 – Winter at Missouri state parks and historic sites provides something for everyone from tree lighting to public meetings. There’s bound to be something for fit your interest.

  • Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m. – Conceptual Development Planning Public Meeting at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. 
    Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend a conceptual development planning meeting for both Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Jay Nixon Backcountry Saturday, Dec. 7 at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. The meeting will be held in an open house format starting at 9 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., a guided hike to Taum Sauk Mountain State Park’s Mina Sauk Falls will be available for those attending the meeting. This is a strenuous 3.5-mile hike. As the long-range plans for the facilities are updated, the public is encouraged to come learn more about the planning process, ask questions and provide input regarding the future facility use and development. A 30-day comment period begins Dec. 7 with a survey available online at mostateparks.com/page/90071/conceptual-development-plans. For those who are interested in seeing Jay Nixon Backcountry, a guided overnight hike and camping trip will be offered in the spring of 2025 in conjunction with the second conceptual development planning meeting. Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is located off Highway CC in Ironton.
     
  • Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Christmas Candlelight Open House at Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site. 
    The public is invited Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to experience an 1860s Victorian Christmas during a candlelight open house of the Hunter-Dawson home. The mansion will be aglow with the warmth of oil lamps and candles and decorated with fresh greenery, Christmas trees and 1860s-style ornaments. Site staff will be dressed in period clothing and will be present to answer any questions. Standard daytime tours on those days will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The open house is free and open to the public, and reservations are not required. However, there are fees for the daytime tours. For more information about the daytime tours, visit mostateparks.com/page/58550/interpretive-programs-and-tours. Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site is located at 312 Dawson Road in New Madrid.

For detailed information on any of these activities, please visit mostateparks.com/events. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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