Discover Excelsior Springs

Excelsior Springs brings together the history of its mineral waters with a museum, historic buildings, golf history, and nature. If you’re looking for a hotel in Excelsior Springs, considering these different highlights can help you choose what to explore: Are you most interested in learning about the history of the mineral waters, the museum collection, or the landscape and golf history? The features described below offer specific points of reference.

Mineral Water History at Hall of Waters

Hall of Waters was built in 1935 as a WPA project and served as the central distribution point for the various mineral waters of Excelsior Springs. The Hall of Waters Museum offers detailed information about each type of water, spring, and well. Its former role as a distribution point adds a specific historical dimension to the mineral water story: the focus was not just on individual springs, but also on distributing the different waters. For travelers interested in local history, this provides a distinct focus that brings together the building’s history and the story of the mineral waters.

Museum, Collections, and Tours

The collections and archives of the Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives are housed in the former Clay County State Bank building and the adjacent Francis Hotel. The collections document the history of the mineral waters. Museum volunteers lead tours of the historic bank, Francis Hall, and the exhibits. The collections and tours offer different perspectives: one focuses on the history of the mineral waters, while the other explores the named buildings and exhibits. This allows you to consider these topics as distinct aspects of local history.

Golf Course and Historical Dates

The Excelsior Springs Golf Course opened in October 1915 with the completion of an 18-hole championship course. The walnut cabin of pioneer settler Edwin O’Dell, dating to 1825, is preserved in the dining area of its clubhouse. Another historical date belongs to today’s The Elms Hotel, which opened on September 7, 1912. These dates place early settlement history alongside two developments from the early 20th century. The cabin also connects the golf course’s history with an earlier chapter of local history.

Landscape, Parkland, and Trails

The landscape of Excelsior Springs is characterized by hills, valleys, rivers, and waterfalls. Within the city limits, there are more than 90 acres of parkland and trails. The trail at Fishing River Linear Park is 0.7 miles long; check trail conditions before your visit. The Hall of Waters Historic District includes Fishing River Linear Park. The park is home to the Superior Well Pagoda, the only intact spring pagoda in Excelsior Springs. Isley Park Woods is a “Missouri Natural Area.”

The acreage refers to parkland and trails within the city limits, while the trail length refers specifically to the named trail at Fishing River Linear Park. This places an overall measure of the city’s outdoor areas alongside a specific trail distance. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between a general interest in the landscape and nature and a visit focused on a particular park trail.

Wine Tastings

Fence Stile offers wine tastings. If wine tastings are among your travel interests, this adds a distinct food-and-drink focus to the historical and landscape themes.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Liberty, North Kansas City, Holt, Randolph, Trimble

Return to the higher-level travel overview: Clay.