Missouri's Tallest Christmas Tree
N 36° 40.103 W 093° 18.598
15S E 472301 N 4058130
Inspiration Tower,Missouri's Tallest Christmas Tree
Waymark Code: WM114E
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 12/10/2006
Views: 115
Atop Inspiration Point, the highest point in Southwest Missouri and the second highest point in the entire state, sits the 230 foot Inspiration Tower at the Shepherd of the Hills.
Each year it is lit as a Christmas Tree and displays the Trail of Lights.
Since Opening in 1989 the tower has greeted over 300,000 visitors.
Inspiration Tower is the tallest structure of its kind made entirely out of pre-stressed concrete. There is actually a total of 92,064 pounds of structural steel weight in the tower. The total amount of rebar in the foundation totals 34 ½ tons (equaling 5 miles!!). It took forty-three concrete trucks in convoys to fill the 13' 6 deep by 51'6 diameter foundation. There are 115 cables that run inside the concrete walls of the tower, and each one of these can withstand over 200,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. The tower can easily withstand a constant wind of 172 miles per hour.
As a beautiful counter-balance to all this concrete, the tower also contains windows - and lots of them! There is 4,400 square feet of glass in the tower, this equals 1/3 of a football field! You can ride one of two glass elevators to the large enclosed observation deck on top. Here you can relax and enjoy the 360 degree view while and audio tour tells you exactly what you're looking at and a little bit about the history of the area. Then, one flight of stairs takes you down a level to the open air observation deck where telescopes give you an even better view of the area. In the summer, you can actually see the people in boats on Table Rock Lake!
Originally built as a memorial to Harold Bell Wright, the tower is a glorious tribute to the raw beauty of Ozark Mountain Country. Open seven days a week all year long, (weather permitting) anytime is a good time to experience the landmark on the horizon. It's all part of the legend of the Ozarks at The Shepherd of the Hills!
Inspiration Tower
Route 1 - Box 770
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 334-4191
Holiday: Christmas
When is this viewable?: From: 01/01/2006 To: 12/31/2006
Public or Private?: Private
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Visit Instructions:
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