Alley Spring is a place that must be visited at least twice to be fully appreciated. The first visit should be made during a busy time when the Park Service has everything open and on display. I had the opportunity to stop by this past Labor Day and the mill was open to visitors. All of the machinery is in place and still operable and definitely worth seeing.
The old one-room school house was open as well and all the kids were having a grand time ringing the bell. Actually I could have lived without all that clanging, but the faithfully restored classroom was a delight as always.
I hadn't been by in a number of years and something that was new this time was the period general store.
A Park Service employee in period dress was there to answer questions as well as, I'm sure, to keep visitors from "liberating" the antiques. I walked inside and she was standing so still that took her for a mannequin. When she spoke it startled me so badly that I nearly did a backflip off the porch. I can laugh about it now.
The second visit to Alley should be made during the off season when you have the place almost to yourself. Late Fall or even Winter are good choices. Wear sturdy shoes and walk both the upper and lower trails around the spring. Trust me on this.
This would make an excellent destination for anyone that enjoys Fall colors and scenic drives. The park is located just west of Eminence, MO on Route 106. There aren't one hundred feet of continually straight road for 50 miles in any direction and there are several places where you'll be able to see your own brake lights, so allow plenty of time. If you'd like to bone up on your history before hand here is a good web site:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/ozar/history.html#anchor142535
On a final note I'll mention that good eateries can be few and far between in the more remote areas of the Ozarks so I'll make recommendations when I can. If you find yourself in Eminence at meal time I highly recommend Winfields
I have a particular fondness for historic buildings that have been resurrected and this is a fine example. The homestyle cooking looked and smelled great but I opted for the Saint Louis style pizza (Not exactly Imo's for those familiar with the gold-standard of pizza but pretty darned good all the same). I look forward to stopping by again.
Enjoy yourselves!
