Wilson's Creek Visitor Center & Museum
Address: 6424 W. Farm Road 182, Republic, MO 65738
On August 10, 1861, the first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi raged here; Union General Nathaniel Lyon died on Bloody Hill in a defeat that nearly lost Missouri. The five-mile tour road circles the battlefield past the Ray House, used as a field hospital.
Walk the Bloody Hill trail, visit the Ray House, and drive the tour road; young kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge. For a challenge, hike or ride the park's longer trail loops across the preserved battlefield ridges and hollows.
Coordinates: 37.11562, -93.41973