Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo
Golden lions at the entrance welcome you to this picturesque park founded in 1914. Take a five-cent carousel ride, a miniature train excursion for a quarter, and play a game of miniature golf for a dollar (on a course that features the history of Independence!). The Corythosaurus from the Sinclair Dinoland display at the 1964 World’s Fair resides in Kiddy Land, along with Humpty Dumpty, Cinderella, and a really big shoe. The park’s flower and sculpture gardens are exquisite in the summer. The 1925 Ralph Mitchell Zoo adjoins the park and features bears, cougars, and a 1932 WPA-built monkey island. The zoo’s most famous inhabitant was Miss Able, the first (1959) American primate to ride a Jupiter rocket into space. Park ride hours, April-October, hours vary according to weather, check Facebook page or call ahead; zoo hours, April-October, daily 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and November-March, daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.