Sedalia, MO Outdoor Activities

The Bouldering Garden presents a thriving, indoor oasis of climbing apparatuses, including a pair of copious caves, a 45-degree wall, and a large stalactite. Designed primarily for bouldering, the facility brims with training opportunities for advanced climbers, as well as learning opportunities for students of the sport. Professional instructors consistently roam the grounds to maintain a safe environment, and soft landing pads strewn across the floors absorb falls in a cushy manner that justifies their annual spot atop the Christmas lists of crash-test dummies. In addition to its rocky endeavors, The Bouldering Garden also leads zip-lining adventures, and its onsite shop stocks visitors with the latest in climbing gear.

The course at Perche Creek Golf Club is comprised of 18 par-3 holes that gently introduce beginners to the game while still challenging veterans with ample opportunities for short-game improvement. Nine ponds delineate the holes and loom large as players line up their attacks from the tee, ready to gulp down errant shots. The flat layout allows players to nail down their iron distances, a crucial ingredient for proper course management. On nice evenings, course superintendents turn on the front nine's area lights, making for easier night play without having to give an alien a Walkman in exchange for plutonium golf balls. Perche Creek's driving range gives players a variety of targets to attack from 50 hitting stations and 20 synthetic-grass mats, earning it a spot on Golf Range Magazine's list of the top 100 ranges in the nation. The club also encompasses an 18-hole miniature-golf course, which challenges players with curvy putting corridors flanked by rocks and water hazards.

Powell Gardens is Kansas City's botanical garden, just east of KC on Hwy 50. With two cafes, a chapel, the nation's largest edible landscape + acres and acres of gorgeous gardens, it's an outing the entire family will enjoy.

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.

Under the helm of the eponymous Captain himself, Captain Mike Fink's Marina’s friendly crew of youthful staff––well-versed in the art of boating––helps guests sprout their sea legs with a well-maintained fleet of rental boats and jet skis. Nestled alongside the fish-filled waters of Lake of the Ozarks, the marina serves as a jumping-off point from which nascent captains can pilot their buoyant steeds out onto the serene lake to partake in sun-bathed revelries or practice their sea-monster-lassoing skills. As longtime locals, Captain Mike and his team happily dole out thoughtful recommendations regarding area attractions and restaurants to inquisitive guests, pointing out all manner of hidden gems from waterside bars to tasty breakfast joints.

The artificial-pond curators at Washington Park Ice Arena cultivate year-round winter sports with a smooth, indoor ice rink designed for blade-footed glides. Public-skate sessions pop up day and night, and private rentals make for memorable birthday parties or helping pet rocks make the curling team. Ravenous ice dancers can gently stride over to an attached food dispensary to replenish on a sampling of food available for purchase. In addition to daily public-skating sessions, the arena and its helpful staff offer lessons for youth ice trotters, speed skaters, and pubescent snowmen learning to shave with skate blades. The oft-zambonied arena also plays home to a yearly smattering of University of Missouri hockey games, entertaining recitals, and seasonal festivals.