Photo Credit: bankheadchocolates.com

Bankhead Chocolates
810 Business Highway 61
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-2312
bankheadchocolates.com

Four generations of workers help operate this small hometown chocolate factory and bistro. Take in the sweet smell of chocolates and the surroundings of its ice cream parlor. Devour sweet, hand-dipped chocolates and then stay for lunch at the bistro. Bankhead Chocolates in Bowling Green has been hand dipping chocolates since 1919.

Photo Credit: woodssmokedmeats.com

Woods Smoked Meats
1501 Business Highway 54 W
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-2247
woodssmokedmeats.com

Follow your nose to the delicious aroma or look for the log cabin shop. Savor delicious hickory-smoked and award-winning meats. Bite into choice steaks or crunch into flavorful bacon, poultry, brats and a variety of Sweet Betsy from Pike brand meats. Eat from the lunch deli open every day except Sunday or enjoy its barbecue sauce and rubs. While you are there, have an order shipped to friends or family as a gift.

Photo Credit: champclark.org

What To Do

Honeyshuck Historical Home of Champ Clark
207 E Champ Clark Drive
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-6707
champclark.org

Visit the historic home built in 1898. The original owners were a 13-term Congressman and Speaker of the House from Missouri, Champ Clark and his wife. They affectionately called the house “Honeyshuck” because of the locust tree’s seed pods that accent the yard. Bring your camera and your eye for architectural detail as you observe the Victorian house that is described by locals as “elegance on the cheap.” The design expresses an honest view of small-town, middle America life from the turn of the century and is now a national historic landmark. The home is open in June, July and August from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and throughout the year by appointment.

Jack Floyd Memorial Lake
County Road 280
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 248-2530
mdc.mo.gov

Click here for a map of the lake.

Drive three miles east of Bowling Green and you will find one of two lakes maintained by the city. Park in the parking lot near the 38-acre lake and then enjoy canoeing, fishing or boating at Jack Floyd Memorial Lake. Stocked with catfish and bass, you may just go home with a whopping fish tale to share. Launch your boat from the concrete ramp or fish on the dock. Restrooms are located near the parking lot.

Photo Credit: batcreekbrewery.com

Bat Creek Brewery
4 W Main St
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-3258
batcreekbrewery.com

Visit Bat Creek Brewery in Bowling Green for some great time and some good beer. The entire operation, run out of a machine shed, is the dream and passion of owners Ryan Daffron and Jeremy Gilbert. Tours are offered with advance reservations by phone, and you are welcome to stop in to take a look and say hello. Taste brews with names like Midwest Farmer’s Daughter Ale or Machine Shed Stout at Southside Bar and Grill in Bowling Green and at special events in nearby Hannibal.

Related: Getaway Guide: One Tank Trip to Hannibal, MO

Photo Credit: visitbowlinggreenmo.com

Where To StayCozy C RV Campground
16733 Highway 54
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-3055
cozyccampground.com

Tucked away just two miles northeast of the heart of Bowling Green is the Cozy C RV Campground. Visitors enjoy nightly bonfires, miniature golf and nearby Mark Twain Lake. The campground offers sewer hookups, an ice cream shop, a meeting hall, a picnic area, on-site laundry and bath houses. Pets are welcome and dogs enjoy the dog walk area. WiFi is available for an additional charge.

Super 8
1216 E Champ Clark Drive
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-6000
super8.com

The Super 8 is the only hotel in Bowling Green and it welcomes guests with amenities that feel like home. Stay in a standard room or enjoy a suite with a hot tub. Enjoy the complimentary continental breakfast with biscuits and gravy in the morning and popcorn and coffee in the hotel lobby throughout the day. Every room comes with an in-room refrigerator and microwave. Pets are welcome for a $10 non-refundable charge per stay.

Tere Scott is a freelance writer and author of e-books and two educational blogs. She loves to research information to share. She currently resides in St. Louis. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.