Lebanon, MO Outdoor Activities

Dream Valley Golf Course’s 18-hole layout unfurls across 6,255 yards of pristine fairways kissed by seven ponds amid a farmland perimeter teeming with lush foliage. Though mostly characterized by forgiving, tree-lined fairways, the course’s inventive layout requires adept course management with many twisting hole designs and flagsticks that double as jousting sticks during golf-cart battles. A dramatic dogleg right on the par-4 fourth forms the course’s hardest-rated hole, wherein golfers must either attack the 365-yard corridor by crushing a forced carry over a large pond or lay up about 160–180 yards for a safer but less rewarding tee shot. Clubbers can careen across the emerald meadows on their own spiky-soled feet or enlist the help of the club’s stock of rental carts, which help loop the links efficiently while insisting on being called a Mars rover-in-training.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-71 course
• Length of 6,255 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 68.5 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 113 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Click here for scorecard

Along the pristine waters of the Niangua River, banked by lush, green foliage and colorful, mature trees, visitors and locals leisurely float in kayaks, rafts, and canoes supplied by the team at Riverfront Camp Canoe. The staff is eager to share its passion for the outdoors and the splendor of the Missouri Ozarks with visitors to their more than 200 acres of scenic campsites along Niangua's riverfront. The sites welcome families and friends to pitch a tent or pull up in their RVs for a tranquil experience hiking nature trails, swimming, tubing, and sleeping under the stars to the soundtrack of a rushing river. To assure campers enjoy a comfortable stay, the grounds are equipped with hot showers and bathrooms, as well as a convenience store stocked with snacks, beverages, bait, tackle, and Bigfoot repellent.

Celebrated by Golfweek as one of the 40 Best New Courses of 2010, the site where Civil War–bushwhacker Alfred Bolin and his gang once ambushed unsuspecting travelers is now John Daly’s Murder Rock Golf and Country Club. The 18-hole course plots an oscillating, 6,727-yard path over the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. The first hole sets the tone for the round with an elevated tee box that looks out 363 yards downhill into the mountainous contours that ripple against the horizon. The par 71 course concludes at the daunting 18th hole—the course’s longest par four and most difficult hole—where an aggressive drive can cut off the corner of a dog-leg right on the way to a severely sloped green and portal into Space Jam.

Legs weary from ascending steep hills or squat-thrusting golf carts can take a load off at Glenn’s at Murder Rock. Amid dark-stained wood paneling and leather-upholstered chairs, the eatery serves an inventive grill menu including steak flatbread sandwiches and pitas stuffed with Cajun-seasoned chicken or shrimp.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course

• Length of 6,727 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 72.0 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 129 from the farthest tees

• Four tee options

• Scorecard

Inside the more than 8,700 square feet of space, Jump Mania offers dual slides, obstacle courses, and a 31-foot tall basketball bounce house. Elsewhere, a toddler area enthralls little kids with age-appropriate attractions such as a farm-themed inflatable play area. Apart from inflatables, the facility houses a concession stand replete with snacks, beverages, National Geographic back issues, and free WiFi for parents. The staff also hosts birthday parties alongside open-jump sessions. Its soirees even earned Jump Mania a runner-up spot on 417 Magazine's 2011 list of Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party.

Zip Line USA’s steel cables carve more than three miles of winding trails through Ozark Mountain treetops, all ripe for exploration by guests. Designed by the respected brains at Universal Zipline Technology, the ziplines soar higher than 350 feet in the air at some points—just high enough to make eye contact with low-flying spaceships—and are dissected into chunks as long as 3,250 feet. Between each section stands a sky bridge or platform, where guides securely hitch tourgoers to cables, which they inspect each morning. Patrons zoom through the open skies for up to two hours during the day or 90 minutes at night, when only the soft glow of lanterns beckons them to the next platform like a lightning-bug mother welcoming its family home at night.

The guides at Adventure Ziplines of Branson show how to navigate the treetop canopies year-round. While zipping between platforms at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, guests get unique views of the surrounding Ozarks and the unsung puppeteers that control them. The secure lines use a backup-cable system that prevents accidents, ensuring trips along the 2-mile tracks occur without snags.