Annually held in Kimberling City, the Wilderness Road Festival is an all encompassing look at the culture and heritage of some of the first European Missouri settlers. Through a barrage of crafts, music, storytelling and reenactors the wilds of Missouri will come to life right before your senses. Come rough it like the travelers of old, and be entertained by the same stories and tunes that kept the journey bearable when Missouri was first being founded.
In particular, the Wilderness Road Festival focuses on the Wilderness Road. This is a trail that was built in 1860 that provided a suitable travel route through the Ozarks. Today much of this trail is still around, and many of the festival's events take place near different sections of the trail. This summer come experience the history of the Ozarks in life-like detail with the Wilderness Road Festival.