Editing Joplin, Missouri (section)

=== Tourism ===
After the May 22, 2011 tornado came through a number of unofficial murals and monuments popped up across the city. These popups also showcased the beginning of an arts renaissance in Joplin which still can be seen throughout the city today. One of many monuments which popped up was the Rainbow Tree, which was found on 20th Street between Indiana Avenue and Illinois Avenue. The Rainbow Tree, not to be confused with the since-fallen Spirit Tree, was a tree which was destroyed in the May 22, 2011 tornado that the community decorated with bird houses, bird feeders, colored paint, and a sign saying "Help Us Feed The Birds"; as of November 2022, it had also fallen. After the tornado butterflies became a major part of the artistic works in the city due to the stories of children seeing butterfly entities carrying people through the sky shortly after the tornado which spread across the community of Joplin. One of the first works in Joplin to incorporate Butterflies was the "Butterfly Effect: Dreams Take Flight" Mural which is located on the Northwest corner of 15th and Main Street. The piece was painted by Dave Loewenstein with the support of a 20 community member design team and more than 300 community volunteers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://connect2culture.org/joplinpublicart/butterflyeffect/|title=Butterfly Effect: Dreams Take Flight Mural|access-date=September 22, 2019|archive-date=September 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922011738/http://connect2culture.org/joplinpublicart/butterflyeffect/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Joplin Rainbow Tree.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Former Joplin Rainbow Tree|alt=]]
On March 15, 2018, the City of Joplin conducted an independent tourism study which covered the purpose of the study, evaluation process, competitive market summary, recommendations, and implementations. In the overview, the City states its strategic priorities for tourism which were improve the visitor experience, increase the number of visitors, capture visitor spending, and emphasize results-driven tourism marketing. The purpose of the study was to provide direction for Joplin to help define the focus for future tourism efforts. In the study the city mentions the [[SWOT analysis|strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats]] of the tourism market in the region as well as recommendations to increase tourism in the city. One of the recommendations in the study was to develop a conference center with an incorporated or adjacent hotel which could accommodate groups up to 2,500 and include multi-use exhibit space, breakout rooms and the newest technology. Another recommendation was to enhance downtown by encouraging hotel development in downtown, supporting and promoting development of empire market and food culture, supporting development of an Arts & Entertainment complex, supporting efforts of Connect2Culture and the broader art community relating facilities and programs downtown, hosting a variety of special events downtown, promoting downtown as a location for dining, shopping and culture, and continuing Main Street and downtown core improvements. It is recommended that the first step for the CVB Board is to discuss and decide which of the recommendations they see as priorities and take these to City Council for their recommendation. Additionally, the CVB should start collecting visitor data, undertake Identity and Branding study (with the city as lead or in partnership with the city), work on increasing lodging tax, ear-marked for conference center use the Tourism Study as a roadmap for future decision-making.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joplinmo.org/DocumentCenter/View/7405/Joplin-Independent-Tourism-Study-Final-Report-3-15-2018|title=Joplin-Independent-Tourism-Study-Final-Report-3-15-2018}}</ref>

In September 2019, Joplin unveiled the Rotary Sculpture Garden in Mercy Park which is home to 9 new sculptures with more on the way. The project was a joint effort of Joplin Rotary Club and Joplin Daybreak Rotary Club and all the Sculptures were donated. One by Sharon and Lance Beshore, one by Barbara and Jim Hicklin, and seven by Harry M. Cornell Jr., an art collector and chairman emeritus of Leggett & Platt Inc.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-09-21|title=Our View: Take a walk to enjoy new Rotary Sculpture Garden|work=The Joplin Globe|url=https://www.joplinglobe.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-take-a-walk-to-enjoy-new-rotary-sculpture/article_e5aede87-b446-5ff6-80fd-c64a7bc44743.html|access-date=2020-07-04}}</ref> On February 7, 2019, the Joplin Rotary Club donated over $9,800 which funded signage at the entrance of the walking paths in Mercy Park.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newstalkkzrg.com/2019/02/07/joplin-rotarians-donate-to-sculpture-garden/|title=joplin-rotarians-donate-to-sculpture-garden|work=KZRG News Talk}}</ref> The sculpture garden represents a $200,000 investment by community members who looked for the works of art, bought them, and donated them for permanent display.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/news/mercy-park-unveils-rotary-sculpture-garden/|title=mercy-park-unveils-rotary-sculpture-garden}}</ref>

Joplin's local heritage, including its mining heritage, is celebrated by the [[Joplin History and Mineral Museum]] in Schifferdecker Park.  The museum contains wings dedicated to (a) local history, and (b) the minerals of the world, particularly those found during the era of lead and [[zinc]] mining in Southwest Missouri and the Tri-State Region.  An outdoor display near the museum features used [[mining equipment]] used for production in the Joplin region, including pieces of heavy machinery.

The Ghost Light or [[The Spooklight|Spooklight]], a mysterious orb supposedly spotted by locals and tourists, is also located in the region around Joplin.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fleury|first=Larry|date=2020-10-20|title=The Spook Light: This Creepy, Glowing Orb Might Give You Nightmares|url=https://www.farmersalmanac.com/what-spooklight-150132|access-date=2021-06-17|website=Farmers' Almanac|language=en-US}}</ref>