Missouri's largest continuously flowing waterfall doesn't make the lists it deserves. Grand Falls, just a few minutes downstream from Wildcat Park in Joplin, drops 12 feet over a 163-foot-wide ledge of solid chert and keeps flowing year-round, which puts it in a different category from the state's spring-fed cascades that go seasonal.
The falls don't try to be dramatic. Twelve feet isn't going to make anyone gasp. But the width is what gets you — standing on the bank and seeing that whole horizontal expanse of falling water, the mist rising, the chert ledge worn smooth by thousands of years of flow, is more impressive in person than any photo I've managed. The rock is a particular reddish-brown that goes darker when wet and catches the afternoon light in a way I kept trying to photograph.
Above the falls, a man-made dam helps manage the water supply for Joplin. Below, Shoal Creek runs into the Neosho River. The surrounding area has picnic spots and informal swimming access. Locals have been fishing and swimming here for generations, which gives the place a used and comfortable feeling that formal parks sometimes lack.
The "Plaza" in the Instagram tag refers to Grand Falls Plaza, a small retail area nearby. The falls themselves are the destination, not anything commercial. Walk to the bank, find a spot on the rocks, and watch it go. It's the kind of place you appreciate more for being understated.