They’re going to hate me for this. If I were from Willard, I would not want the secret out.
But guys. My 5-year-old son and I just had a blast in this small town just 20 minutes northwest of Springfield.
Willard is home to a charming public pool with a nearby new playground, and just down the road is an Ozarks-style piazza with yard games, snow cones, a fancy taproom, and — on Friday nights — live music and a farmer’s market.
These summer hotspots are clustered around downtown, making it easy to turn the trip into a half-day outing. I’ll share a little about each spot so you can plan your own afternoon or evening in Willard.
My suggestion? Start with the pool in the late afternoon, then change into dry clothes and head downtown for dinner, drinks, yard games and a cool treat under brightly colored umbrellas.
I send a “things to do” email every Sunday night to tons of moms in the Springfield, Mo. area. It’s full of free, often outdoorsy ideas that always match the season we’re in.
Willard’s Aquatic Center is amazing for families
Location: 222 W Jackson St., Willard, Mo.
The anchor of our day trip was the Willard Aquatic Center, which was built in 2009 and yet seems so nice I thought it must be new. There were shaded lounge chairs, picnic tables, swirling slides, a high dive, and my favorite feature: an extremely large wading pool with jets and fountains for littles just learning to swim.
Kids 3 and under are free, and 4 and older are $6. The pool is open Monday-Saturday, 12-7 p.m., and closed on Sundays.
The Jackson Street Park property also boasts a huge new accessible playground (220 W. Jackson St., Willard, Mo.) built in 2024.
But do not stop with swimming and playing. Just 4 minutes down the street is a sweet gathering place for dinner, drinks, snow cones, and yard games.
Snomobile Tropical Sno is perfect for a before-or-after-swimming treat
Location: Snomobile Tropical Sno, 109 E. Jackson St., Willard, Mo.
This sweet snow cone truck — equipped with shaded picnic tables and yard games — is situated on a lawn bordering the popular Frisco Highline Trail. The famous 35-mile paved path is great for stroller walks on cooler days.
The truck, owned by Nate Wessley and helped run by his children, was bought four seasons ago when the previous owner put it up for sale.
“We prayed about it a lot and felt like God wanted us to buy it to be able to establish deeper roots in the community and make an impact,” Wessley said.
The truck serves a dazzling array of flavors, including a couple of sugar-free options and several without artificial dyes. My young son was delighted by his color-changing spoon, which turned from yellow to pink when it got cold from the ice.
Wessley said he added cornhole and Connect 4 last year, when shop students at the Willard Middle School built him brand new picnic tables and a privacy fence behind the truck. Then Willard Middle School art students painted a mural on the fence.
The Snomobile is also a neighbor to an eye-catching building across the grassy yard, where another mural stretches across a brick building.
A taproom, live music, and farmer’s market
Location: 115 E. Jackson St., Willard, Mo.
Springfield Brewing Company’s new Mile6 Taproom, which opened in 2025, has both an indoor and outdoor beer garden that overlooks some nearby greenspace and flanks the other side of the Frisco Highline Trail.
A local parent tells me that this area comes alive on Friday nights, when Mile6 Taproom has live music, food trucks gather, and a farmer’s market assembles nearby. The farmer’s market runs from 5-8 p.m. every Friday from Memorial Day until September.
If you plan a Willard excursion, tell me how it goes and if you find any other spots I should visit. Happy exploring.
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