Things to Do in Ozark

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.

Equipped with likenesses of military-issue firearms, masked marksmen maneuver throughout a 10,000-square-foot warehouse, pelting each another with plastic BBs as they strafe down halls and overtake rooms. This is the home base of So Go Airsoft, where team members welcome combatants of all skill levels into 20- to 25-minute games that range from classics such as Capture the Flag to scenario matches such as VIP Escort, Hostage Rescue, and Car-Key Find. The facility also organizes at least one scenario event each month—designed for beginners, but challenging for experienced players as well—plus a twice-monthly pistol and shotgun night. So Go Airsoft also engages large groups by opening up their spacious arena to private parties.

Adults and kids immerse themselves in southwest Missouri’s natural beauty at Indian Point Family Fun Park, where tree-skimming ziplines are supplemented with a grocery convenience store. A recent expansion more than doubled Indian Point Zipline's length. Its six ziplines employ a sitting harness trolley system that safely secures riders as they zoom 2,700 feet through the forest and receive picturesque—albeit slightly motion-blurred—views of the treetops.

Though the Ozark Murder Mysteries' plotlines center on dark whodunits, the actors' humorous takes on each story leave audiences of all ages grinning. Performers challenge audiences to pinpoint the perpetrator as they act out interactive scenarios during regularly rotating shows. A complete feast fuels deeper belly laughs, quicker thinking, and sprightlier backflips during Ozark Murder Mysteries' scheduled performances, and the troupe also travels to private events via its Murder Mystery To Go! program.

Rated a 5-Star Gun Range by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Sound of Freedom USA’s 16-lane indoor range gives marksmen a clean, friendly environment to hone their firearm know-how safely and responsibly. NRA-certified instructors lend their experience in Sound of Freedom's classes, offering guidance on everything from cleaning a firearm to nailing an Elmer Fudd impersonation. The facility also extends to a pro shop, where staff members rent more than 60 guns for guests to shoot printed silhouette targets, empowering guests to eliminate paper-based foes without the hassles of bringing a shredder to the range.

Using the Ozark Mountains as a striking backdrop, Kings River Golf Course invites clubbers to swing and putt their way across 18 holes of gently undulating terrain. Dogwoods and redbuds cast cool shadows over each fairway, their leaves showcasing rich shades of green in the summer, fading to an impressionistic tapestry of reds, oranges, and yellows in the fall, and assuming a velvety purple once a year to celebrate Prince's birthday. As golfers split fairways with soaring drives, views of the Ozark Mountains appear through the tree lines, including a greenside vista of Table Rock Lake on the 15th hole.

After sunset, greenskeepers mark flags with glow sticks, inviting golfers to swing through the darkness in rounds of night golf. The course fosters post-round relaxation at a rustic patio, where guests can sip drinks and insist that nearby deer, red fox, and turkeys—commonly encountered on the grounds—stay off their lawn.