Springfield, Missouri

==Parks and recreation==

The Springfield-Greene County Park Board manages 3,200 acres and 103 sites,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkboard.org/152/About-Us|title=About Us &#124; Springfield-Greene County Park Board|website=www.parkboard.org}}</ref> including the Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, which contains the historic Gray-Campbell Farmstead, Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, Master Gardener demonstration gardens, Bill Roston Native Butterfly House, and Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center;<ref>[https://friendsofthegarden.org/fog-blog/2011/08/12/history-and-background-of-nathanael-greeneclose-memorial-parks/ "History and Background of Nathanael Greene Close Memorial Park"]</ref> the Rutledge-Wilson Farm Community Park; the [[Mediacom Ice Park]]; the Cooper Park and Sports Complex; [[Dickerson Park Zoo]]; and various other public parks, community centers, and facilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkboard.org/148/Parks-Facilities|title=Parks & Facilities &#124; Springfield-Greene County Park Board|website=www.parkboard.org}}</ref>

The non-profit Ozark Greenways Inc. promotes trail recreation and local bicycling through the establishment of greenway trails, including a 35-mile crushed-gravel trail, the Frisco Highline Trail connecting Springfield to the town of Bolivar, and smaller trails connecting parks and sites of interest within the town and county.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ozarkgreenways.org/resources/maps/|title=Maps &#124; Ozark Greenways|website=ozarkgreenways.org}}</ref>

The [[Missouri Department of Conservation]] operates the Springfield Nature Center and numerous nearby conservation areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/springfield-cnc|title="Springfield CNC"}}</ref>

The [[National Park Service]] operates the nearby [[Wilson's Creek National Battlefield]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/wicr/index.htm|title=Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)|first1=Mailing Address: 5242 S. State Hwy ZZ|last1=Republic|first2=MO 65738 Phone: 417 732-2662 Contact|last2=Us|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

Springfield's metropolitan area is situated within close distance of recreational lakes, waterways, caves, and forests, such as the [[James River (Missouri)|James River]], [[Busiek State Forest]], [[Lake Springfield (Missouri)|Lake Springfield]], [[Table Rock Lake]], [[Buffalo National River]], [[Ozark National Scenic Riverways]], [[Fellows Lake]], and [[Fantastic Caverns]].