A fall drive in the country
Touring southwest Missouri

by Jeff Joiner

There’s just something about a drive through the countryside in the fall and Missouri has no shortage of great places to visit on one of those backroad tours.

One such place is southwest Missouri where on a bright, sunny afternoon you can still find plenty of locally grown garden produce at farmer’s markets like the one shown on this page. Bailey Richardson of Neosho is a regular at a farmer’s market on the Newton County Courthouse square.

Neosho is a beautiful stop on a fall drive. The town offers several parks and other public places including one on the eastern edge of town which features what’s claimed to be the world’s largest flower box. The box is actually a 66-foot-long railroad gondola car. In fact, Neosho is known as the “Flower Box City.”

Other parks include the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, the oldest operating federal hatchery in the country, and Big Spring Park, which features its namesake spring bubbling out from a bluff. Neosho is also rich in history and offers a number of museums to tour including the Newton County Historical Park which has three.

For information about attractions in Neosho and Newton County contact the Neosho Chamber of Commerce at 308 West Spring St., Neosho, MO 64850, (417) 451-1925; or visit on line at www.neoshocc.com.