Missouri sits at the geographic and cultural crossroads of America — the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the departure point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the jumping-off point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails, and a state where the line between North and South, East and West has long been negotiated rather than settled. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the clearest symbol of this crossroads character, but Missouri’s diversity runs deeper: the jazz and barbecue culture of Kansas City (the only major U.S. city to occupy both sides of a state line), the natural beauty of the Ozark Highlands, and the Mark Twain country of the northeast combine to make the state one of the Midwest’s more genuinely interesting travel destinations.
St. Louis: River City and Art Crossroads
St. Louis’s Gateway Arch, completed in 1965 and designed by Eero Saarinen as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, is one of the country’s most recognizable works of monumental architecture — a stainless steel catenary arch rising 630 feet above the Mississippi River levee, accessible by a system of tram pods inside the arch legs that carry visitors to an observation room at the apex with views extending 30 miles on clear days. The Gateway Arch National Park (redesignated from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 2018) includes the Museum of Westward Expansion beneath the Arch, which chronicles the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the trails migration with artifacts and immersive exhibits of genuine historical depth.
The St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM), in Forest Park, ranks among the finest free art museums in the country — the only major U.S. art museum established through a popular referendum, funded by a property tax that voters approved in 1907 and that still pays for free admission to every permanent collection gallery. The holdings span Egyptian antiquities through contemporary art, with particular strength in pre-Columbian work, German Expressionism, and African art. Forest Park itself — 1,371 acres that hosted the 1904 World’s Fair and is larger than New York’s Central Park — surrounds the museum with the Saint Louis Zoo (free, and consistently ranked among the best in the nation), the Missouri History Museum, the St. Louis Science Center, and the Muny (the largest outdoor musical theater in the country). No other U.S. park packs this many major cultural institutions into a single green space.
The Soulard neighborhood — the city’s oldest continuously occupied quarter, centered on the Soulard Farmers Market (established 1779, the oldest farmers market west of the Mississippi, open Wednesday through Saturday) and ringed by 19th-century brick row houses — offers one of the most genuine St. Louis neighborhood experiences. The Soulard blues and rock bars (Hammerstone’s, the Broadway Oyster Bar) and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery (with tours of the historic 142-acre complex, including the famous Budweiser Clydesdales stables) sit within walking distance of the market.
Kansas City: Jazz, BBQ, and the 18th and Vine District
Kansas City’s jazz and blues heritage centers on the 18th and Vine Historic District — the neighborhood where Charlie Parker grew up, where Count Basie got his start, and where the distinctive Kansas City jazz style took shape during the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by the blues-drenched riffing of the Count Basie Orchestra and the bebop innovations of Parker. The American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine holds an extraordinary collection of instruments, photographs, and recorded performances that trace the music from its Kansas City origins through its national flowering. The Blue Room, a jazz club inside the museum that books live performances most nights, lets you hear the music in the very neighborhood that shaped it.
Kansas City barbecue is among the most fiercely debated regional food traditions in the country — a style defined by thick, sweet, tomato-based sauce, slow-smoked beef and pork, and burnt ends, the charred, crispy tips of brisket that Arthur Bryant’s first served as a free side and that have since become one of the most sought-after items in American barbecue. Arthur Bryant’s, Gates Bar-B-Q, Joe’s Kansas City, and Jack Stack are the institutions that set the standard. Cycling through several of them in a single afternoon is one of the great food experiences in the Midwest.
The Ozark Highlands
The Ozark Plateau of southern Missouri is a geological and ecological anomaly in the Midwest — an ancient mountain range worn down to a plateau of chert-bedded limestone and dolomite, carved by the Current, Jacks Fork, Eleven Point, and other spring-fed rivers into clear-water streams, forested hills, and Big Spring, the largest spring in Missouri, which flows 286 million gallons daily near Van Buren. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park area created to protect a river system (covering 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers), preserves what may be the clearest and coldest canoe water in the Midwest — spring-fed streams that hold at 58–64°F year-round, gin-clear over the gravel and bedrock bottom.
Branson, in the southwestern Ozarks, is Missouri’s most visited tourist destination — a concentration of live entertainment theaters, amusement parks, and Table Rock Lake recreation that draws millions of visitors a year to a small town essentially rebuilt around the tourism industry. The Branson experience is distinctly American in its mix of country music, faith-based entertainment, and family recreation; it is not for every traveler, but for families with children who want live shows, water recreation, and that particular Midwest entertainment atmosphere, Branson delivers exactly what it promises.
Mark Twain Country
Hannibal, on the Mississippi River in northeastern Missouri, was the childhood home of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and the model for St. Petersburg, Missouri — the fictional town of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and the other novels that made Twain the defining voice of 19th-century American literature. The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum preserves the white-clapboard house where Clemens grew up, the restored fence that became Tom Sawyer’s fence-painting humiliation, and a collection of Twain manuscripts, first editions, and biographical artifacts that gives the most complete physical context available for the world that produced the writer. Hannibal itself — a river town that has kept much of its 19th-century character — recreates the setting Twain described with such precision that wandering its streets while reading Tom Sawyer is among the richest American literary experiences available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Gateway Arch and what can you see from it?
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, completed in 1965 and designed by Eero Saarinen, is the tallest man-made monument in the United States — a stainless steel catenary arch rising 630 feet above the Mississippi River levee. A system of tram pods inside the arch legs carries visitors to an observation room at the apex with views extending 30 miles on clear days. The Gateway Arch National Park (redesignated from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 2018) includes the Museum of Westward Expansion beneath the Arch, which chronicles the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the westward trails migration with artifacts and immersive exhibits. The Missouri and Mississippi River confluence — the geographic reason for St. Louis’s founding — is visible from the top.
What makes Forest Park in St. Louis exceptional?
Forest Park in St. Louis — 1,371 acres that hosted the 1904 World’s Fair and is larger than New York’s Central Park — holds the most concentrated collection of free major cultural institutions in any single American park. It houses the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM, among America’s finest free art museums, funded by a property tax voters approved in 1907 and still providing free permanent collection admission), the Saint Louis Zoo (free admission, consistently ranked among the best in the country), the Missouri History Museum, the St. Louis Science Center, and the Muny (the largest outdoor musical theater in the country). The Soulard Farmers Market nearby (established 1779, the oldest west of the Mississippi) adds to the city’s cultural infrastructure.
What is Kansas City’s jazz and barbecue heritage?
Kansas City’s jazz heritage centers on the 18th and Vine Historic District — the neighborhood where Charlie Parker grew up and Count Basie got his start. The American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine holds an extraordinary collection of instruments, photographs, and recorded performances tracing the music from its Kansas City origins. The Blue Room, a jazz club within the museum, books live performances most nights. Kansas City barbecue is among the country’s most fiercely debated regional food traditions: thick, sweet, tomato-based sauce, slow-smoked beef and pork, and burnt ends (the charred, crispy brisket tips that Arthur Bryant’s began serving as a free side) define the style. Arthur Bryant’s, Gates Bar-B-Q, Joe’s Kansas City, and Jack Stack are the institutions that set the standard.
What is the Ozark Highlands and what outdoor activities does it offer?
The Ozark Plateau of southern Missouri is an ancient mountain range worn to a plateau of chert-bedded limestone carved by spring-fed rivers into clear-water streams and forested hills. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways — the first national park area created to protect a river system, covering 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers — preserves some of the clearest, coldest canoe water in the Midwest: spring-fed streams staying 58–64°F year-round with gin-clear water over gravel and bedrock. Big Spring near Van Buren, within the riverways, is the largest spring in Missouri, flowing 286 million gallons daily. The Eleven Point River and the Eleven Point National Scenic River offer additional float trip opportunities through Ozark woodland canyon country.
What is Mark Twain country and where is it in Missouri?
Hannibal, on the Mississippi River in northeastern Missouri, was the childhood home of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and the model for St. Petersburg, Missouri — the fictional town of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum preserves the white-clapboard house where Clemens grew up, the restored fence that became Tom Sawyer’s fence-painting humiliation, and a collection of Twain manuscripts, first editions, and biographical artifacts. Wandering Hannibal’s streets while reading Tom Sawyer is one of the most complete American literary experiences available. The Mississippi River itself — the setting of Huckleberry Finn’s journey — is visible and navigable from Hannibal’s waterfront. The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site at Hartford, Illinois (across the river) marks the departure point of the 1804 expedition.
