LOCATION: Missouri, meaning "town of the large canoes", is considered to be a mid-western state, but it has many cultural traits of the Southern states. Jefferson City is the capital city. The state's border touches eight different states. It borders the Iowa on the north and across the Mississippi River by Illinois on the east, Kentucky, and Tennessee; on the south by Arkansas; and on the west by Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.

NORTHWEST REGION

Children's Peace Pavilion combines a variety of experiences, presentations, learning centers, hands on activities and communications.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum features a 10,000 square-foot multi-media exhibit including two film exhibits, two video exhibits, and 15 computer interactive stations.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art brings together masterpieces from every culture and period of the world.

The Coterie Theatre is Kansas City's professional theatre.

Conception Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1873.
Science City combines the best of science centers, theme parks, restaurants, and four unique theaters all rolled into one.

American Jazz Museum showcases the essence and living spirit of jazz legends.

Arabia Steamboat Museum: Learn how the steamer Arabia prospered plying on the rivers of the state, how it perished in 1856 and how it was rediscovered 132 years later with its precious cargo intact.

Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is home to an extraordinary group of colonial portraits, rich holdings of American landscapes as well as distinguished examples of American Impressionism and post-Impressionist artists of the Boston School.

National Military Heritage Museum teaches you about all five branches of US military and their roles throughout world history.

Other Attractions:
American Royal Museum & Visitors Center
Children's Museum of Kansas City
Pony Express Historical Association
Pony Express Museum
Airline History Museum
Kansas City Zoo

SOUTHEAST REGION

Stars & Stripes Museum features collections of the soldiers' newspaper and artifacts associated with the history of the American military.

SOUTHWEST REGION

Silver Dollar City offers five unique festivals, 60 craft shops, 50 daily shows, 15 rides and attractions, and dozens of dining opportunities.

General Sweeny's Museum of Civil War History displays artifacts and weapons of the war in the Trans-Mississippi region.

50's At The Hop must-visit for rock-n-roll enthusiasts. At this show you can "Splish, Splash" with "Dream Lover", "Peggy Sue" and "Jim Dandy".

At Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum you'll find family photos dating back to Roy and Dale's childhood, Roy's real-life safari adventures, fan mail, comic strips, tributes to his friends and sidekicks.

Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum has a collection of the unbelievable and inexplicable.

Talking Rocks Cavern is 400-acre nature preserve of breathtaking Ozark Mountain Country views.

Other Attractions:
Dickerson Park Zoo
The Precious Moments Chapel
Exotic Animal Paradise

CENTRAL REGION

Auto WorldCar Museum and Kingdom Expo has about 70 rare cars, arrowheads and china doll heads.

Museum of Art and Archaeology has a comprehensive collection of more than 14,000 works representing periods and cultures from prehistory to the present.

Bridal Cave and Thunder Mountain Park was formed millions of years of struggle between water and rock.

Jacob's Cave is famous for it's depth illusion, reflective pools, ceiling sponge-work, prehistoric bones and the world's largest geode.

Other Attractions:
Missouri Governor's Mansion
Powell Gardens

NORTHEAST REGION

Historic Bethel German Colony offers the public opportunity to step back into a time when they shared their crops, clothing, crafts and even their earnings.

Six Flags St. Louis is home to some of the biggest, fastest rides in the county.

Lewis & Clark Boat House and Nature Center is the Discovery Expedition's permanent home. The educational facility features exhibits relating to the Lewis and Clark expedition, historic St. Charles, and the Missouri River ecosystem.

The Magic House is dedicated to providing hands-on learning experiences for children.

Other Attractions:
Mark Twain Riverboat
St Louis Children's Aquarium
Meramec Caverns
Missouri Botanical Garden
St. Louis Zoo
International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame

St. Louis Science Center features a planetarium, an OMNIMAX® theater, a variety of hands-on exhibits and lots more.

Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is the original boyhood home of Mark Twain. Tour the home and adjoining museum for a view of wonderful collections of historic items.

Mark Twain Cave is the oldest show cave in Missouri. The cave has also served as a place of hiding for Indians, trappers of animals for trade, the infamous Jesse James and slaves searching for freedom via the Underground Railroad.

Sawyer's Creek Funpark offers visitors an opportunity to relive The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in the town where Mark Twain lived as a boy.

American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog has the world's finest collection of art devoted to the dog. The 14,000 sq. ft. facility has over 500 original paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, sculptures in bronze and porcelain depicting man's best friend throughout the age.

The Saint Louis Art Museum features permanent and visiting collections.

MISSOURI NATIONAL PARKS

CALIFORNIA NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL: Gold-seekers and farmers to look for gold fields and rich farmlands in 1840's and 1850's used this Trail. Today, more than 1,000 miles of trail can still be seen in the vast lands between Casper Wyoming and the West Coast.

George Washington Carver National Monument is a 210-acre park with a nature trail, museum, and an interactive exhibit area for students.

Harry S. Truman National Historic Site includes the Truman Home in Independence, Missouri, and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri.

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse.

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail celebrates the heroic expedition of the Corps of Discovery, led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark.

Oregon National Historic Trail was the pathway to the Pacific for fur traders, gold seekers, missionaries and others. The 2,170 mile long trail passes through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways protects 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. The clear waters of these two beautiful rivers provide excellent opportunities for boating, canoeing, swimming, fishing and tubing.

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site consists of 9.65 acres holding five historic structures.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield: The 1,750 acre battlefield commemorates the war battle fought here on August 10, 1861. It was the first major Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River, involving about 5,400 Union troops and 12,000 Confederates.

THINGS TO DO IN MISSOURI

The Lewis & Clark Center is dedicated to the adventures and accomplishments of the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Airline History Museum contains a collection of photographs, artifacts, printed material, and audio/visual displays that will bring you the true flavor of an age gone by.