B Berry Farms

You don’t necessarily have to snooze as soon as night falls. The Baker Observatory (10 minutes’ drive) puts together free public events on selected dates. That’s if you’re not too sleepy after a day out on the 860-acre Fellows Lake (25 minutes), which has trails and fishing activities (with bass, crappie and walleye). Next up: historic caves? To get into Crystal Cave, Springfield Missouri (25 minutes), you’ll pass through iron gates belonging to the old Springfield jail. Underground, there are two-feet-tall stalagmites, flowstone and other cool formations, as well as the site of a 1900s mushroom garden. Fantastic Caverns (40 minutes) is another impressive cave. This place might feel like a theme park ride, as you’ll go underground on a tram drawn by a jeep. And the scenery? Expect to see an underground river, flowstones and stalagmites. Those after some urban action can track down Springfield (35 minutes) too. The city has a zoo and a discovery centre with dinosaur and DNA exhibitions.