Missouri

Top 10 Places

(Pictures and places in bold are places I have been to.)

City of Saint Charles Historic District
City of Saint Charles Historic District

10. Saint Charles

      • Saint Charles Frenchtown Historic District
      • First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site
      • Frontier Park – Lewis & Clark Monument
      • Katy Depot & Katy Trail
      • Lewis & Clark Boathouse and Museum

Marceline, Missouri
Uptown Theater, Kansas Avenue “Main Street USA”, Marceline, Missouri

9. Marceline (Hometown of Walt Disney – from which Main Street USA in Disneyland is based off of)

      • Kansas Avenue “Main Street USA”
      • The Original Walt Disney Hometown Theater & Hotel
      • Walt Disney Hometown Museum
      • Walt Disney Dreaming Tree and Barn
      • Ripley Park

Pony Express Museum
Pony Express Museum, Saint Joseph, Missouri

8. Saint Joseph

      • Pony Express National Historic Trail, Museum, & Monument
      • Hall Street Historic District mansion row
      • Robidoux Hill Historic District
      • Missouri Theater
      • Patee House Museum and Jesse James Home

7. Ozark National Scenic Riverway

      • Alley Spring and Mill
      • Round Spring and Cave
      • Rocky Falls
      • Klepzig Mill
      • Welch Spring and Hospital

Chain of Rocks Bridge
Chain of Rocks Bridge

6. Missouri’s portion of old Route 66

      • Chain of Rocks Bridge, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, and Donut Drive-In in Saint Louis
      • Gasconade River Bridge near Hazelgreen
      • Munger Moss Motel and Wrinks Market in Lebanon
      • Gillioz Theatre and the original Steak ‘n Shake in Springfield
      • Woody’s Wood-Fired Pizza in Joplin

Jean-Baptiste Vallé House, Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park

5. Ste. Genevieve – Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park

      • Felix Valle House State Historic Site
      • Jacques Guibourd Historic House
      • Beauvais-Amoureux House
      • Janis-Ziegler Home (Greentree Tavern)
      • The Centre for French Colonial Life & the Bolduc House Museum

Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, Hannibal, Missouri

4. Hannibal

      • Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
      • Mark Twain Cave Complex
      • Mark Twain Riverboat
      • Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
      • Nearby: Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site

Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri
Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri

3. Kansas City

      • “The City of Fountains”
      • Kansas City Barbecue
      • Historic Jazz District – 18th & Vine
      • Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
      • National World War I Museum and Memorial

Saint Louis Union Station

2. Saint Louis

      • Gateway Arch National Park (former Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) (see below)
      • Market Street – The Wheel at Saint Louis Union Station
      • Forest Park (Site of the 1904 World’s Fair)
      • The Delmar Loop – Blueberry Hill (famous Chuck Berry venue)
      • National Blues Museum and Sugarfire Smoke House Barbecue

Gateway Arch National Park, Saint Louis

1. Gateway Arch National Park (former Jefferson National Expansion Memorial)

      • Gateway Arch
      • Old Courthouse
      • Dred and Harriet Scott Statue
      • Museum of Westward Expansion
      • Museum at the Gateway Arch

State Info

A) State Nicknames+

      • The Show Me State
      • The Ozark State
      • The Lead State
      • Motto: Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto (Latin: “Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.”)

B) State Symbols

      • Flower: Hawthorn (Crataegus punctata)
      • Bird: Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
      • Tree: Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
      • Mineral: Galena
      • Rock: Mozarkite
      • Musical instrument: Fiddle
      • Tree nut: Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra)
      • Animal: Missouri mule
      • Fish: Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
      • Grass: Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)
      • Invertebrate: Crayfish
      • Fruit tree: Pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba)
Park Central Square
Park Central Square, Springfield, Missouri

C) Major Metros

      1. Saint Louis
      2. Kansas City
      3. Springfield, MO
      4. Columbia
      5. Saint Joseph
      6. Saint Charles
      7. Joplin
      8. Jefferson City (state capital; 15th largest city in state)

D) Top State Parks

      • Ha Ha Tonka State Park
      • Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park
      • Elephant Rocks State Park
      • Hawn State Park
      • Lake of the Ozarks State Park
      • Onondaga Cave State Park

E) Historic Sites

      • George Washington Carver National Monument
      • Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
      • Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Burnt Ends
Kansas City-Style Barbecue from Char Bar, Kansas City, Missouri

F) Iconic Foods

      • Kansas City-Style Barbecue
      • Toasted Ravioli
      • Gooey Butter Cake

G) Famous People

      • Calamity Jane
      • George Washington Carver
      • Harry S. Truman
      • Jesse James
      • John J. Pershing
      • Langston Hughes
      • Mark Twain
      • Maya Angelou
      • Omar Bradley
      • Walt Disney (boyhood home)

H) Other Places of Interest

      • Hermann
      • Arrow Rock State Historic Site