Get outside
Things to do
State parks and the Old Lead Belt's mining history, the Big River, city parks, museums, and the yearly events worth planning around — all within the county. For places to stay, see the business directory.
State Parks & Historic Sites
Two state parks and a state historic site, all in the heart of the Old Lead Belt.
St. Joe State Park
More than 8,000 acres between Park Hills and Farmington, on land that was once St. Joe Lead Company property. Its 2,000-acre off-road vehicle riding area, laid out over old mine tailings, makes it one of only two ORV parks in Missouri’s state park system. The park also has four lakes with two swimming beaches, fishing for bass, bluegill, crappie, and catfish (electric motors only), equestrian, hiking, and bicycling trails, two campgrounds sized for ORV and horse trailers, and a shooting range.
St. Francois State Park
A 2,735-acre park on the Big River north of Bonne Terre, established in 1964. Easy river access makes it a favorite put-in for canoeing and floating. Three hiking trails, one open to horses, wind through the Coonville Creek Wild Area, and the 49-acre Coonville Creek Natural Area protects the creek’s narrow valley. The campground has more than 150 sites, from basic to full hookup.
Missouri Mines State Historic Site
Federal Mill No. 3, a lead mill built in 1906–07, bought by the St. Joseph Lead Company in 1923, and run until 1972, when the last Old Lead Belt mine closed. The mill’s former power building is now a museum of the region’s mining history, with machinery that was used in the mines and one of the Midwest’s finest mineral collections. Tours and interpretive programs are offered; check hours before visiting.
Rivers, Lakes & Conservation
Float the Big River, or fish and hunt around DiSalvo Lake.
Big River
The Big River winds through the north end of the county and through St. Francois State Park, which offers the easiest public access for canoeing, kayaking, and floating. Because of lead left from the county’s mining past, Missouri advises against eating fish caught in the Big River; catch-and-release is the way to fish it.
Bismarck Conservation Area
A Missouri Department of Conservation area of about 1,188 acres southwest of Bismarck, reaching into Iron and Washington counties. At its center is 210-acre DiSalvo Lake, built by the Hanna Mining Company in 1944 and bought by MDC in 1981. The lake is shallow, 15 feet at its deepest, and is fished for black bass, catfish, and crappie (pole and line only; small boats at no-wake speed). Camping, hiking, cycling, horseback riding, and hunting are allowed, with deer the most popular game.
Parks & Recreation
City parks, golf, a water park, and plenty to keep kids busy.
Engler Park
A Farmington city park with fishing lakes, playgrounds, picnic shelters, walking and bike paths, and an 18-hole, par-62 disc golf course built with Gateway Disc Sports. It also hosts seasonal events such as fall hayrides.
Farmington Civic Center & Water Park
The city’s community center has multi-use courts, a 1/8-mile indoor track, a fitness room, a six-lane pool, a leisure pool, and a small indoor water park. Next door, the outdoor water park (open Memorial Day to Labor Day) has slides, a lazy river, the River’s Edge Splash Pad, and a giant tipping water bucket.
Long Park & Skate Park
A downtown Farmington park that is home to the historic Long House and to what the city calls the largest outdoor concrete skate park in Southeast Missouri, free and open to the public.
Crown Pointe Golf Club
A public 18-hole course in Farmington, par 72 and 7,069 yards from the back tees, with the Crown Pointe Lodge hotel on the grounds.
Columbia Park
A Park Hills city park with a walking track, playground, disc golf course, and public pool.
Historical Sites
A courthouse square, an 1870 jail, and a house that witnessed the Trail of Tears.
Farmington Courthouse Square Historic District
Downtown Farmington’s 8.5-acre historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, with 26 contributing buildings around the St. Francois County Courthouse (about 1926). Landmarks include Long Memorial Hall (1924), the Rottger Building (about 1904), the Masonic Temple (about 1911), and storefronts dating back to the 1860s, now home to shops and restaurants.
St. Francois County Jail Museum
The county jail and sheriff’s residence, built in 1870 and used as a jail until the early 1990s, now holds artifacts from the Farmington area and exhibits on the town’s founders and notable residents. It sits on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and has an interpretive panel on the Cherokee removal. Open weekdays; ring the doorbell at the front entrance or call ahead.
Historic Long House
Farmington’s oldest house, built in 1833 by Phillip Graham Long and Isabella Murphy Long. A Cherokee detachment on the Trail of Tears passed through the county in late 1837, and in 2024 the National Park Service recognized the house as an original witness structure on the trail. It is open for tours the first weekend of June and on select holiday dates.
Bonne Terre Mine
The St. Joseph Lead Company’s first mine, opened in 1864 and worked until 1962. Flooded with spring water after it closed, it became a well-known scuba diving site with walking and boat tours, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Closed until further notice: tours stopped in February 2025 during a legal dispute between the operator and the Doe Run Company, and the mine’s site still says it is closed. Check before planning a visit.
Museums & Entertainment
A space museum, a 1924 theater, racing, and berry picking.
The Space Museum & Grissom Center
A space-exploration museum in Bonne Terre with historic spacesuits, an actual moon rock, fired rocket engines, and space-flown artifacts, including a flag that went to the moon on Apollo 17. Open Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 1–5 p.m.
Long Memorial Hall
A 1924 theater on Farmington’s courthouse square that kept its original 1920s architecture through later renovations. It hosts concerts, musicals, and holiday events, including a bluegrass concert series run by the tourism bureau, and is available to rent.
Farmington Centene Center
A performing arts auditorium and banquet center next to the Farmington Civic Center, with 525 permanent seats plus about 200 movable ones. It hosts comedy shows, musicals, and tribute concerts.
Farmington Empire Speedway
A racetrack in Farmington with a full season of race nights; see its site for the current schedule.
Liberty Farms Blueberry Farm
A family-owned farm near Farmington where visitors pick their own blueberries and blackberries in season.
Annual Events
A few yearly traditions worth planning a trip around.
St. Francois County Fair
The county fair, held for the 152nd time in 2026, at the fairgrounds in Farmington in late July and early August. The week includes a PRCA pro rodeo, truck pulls, 4-H and FFA livestock shows, and the fair queen and Little Miss and Master contests.
Farmington Country Days
A yearly festival in historic downtown Farmington, held in early June.
Desloge Labor Day Picnic & Parade
A four-day Labor Day picnic at Desloge City Park with carnival rides, music, food, and vendors. The highlight is the annual Labor Day parade, when union members from the area’s trades march through town.
Verify before relying on this. Compiled from Missouri State Parks, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the City of Farmington, and each venue’s own site. Hours, fees, and regulations change — check directly before a trip, especially for hunting and fishing seasons and limits.
