There are many reasons to take your family to Missouri for a vacation. If you live nearby, a weekend is all you need to enjoy the unique history to be found in what is called the ‘Show Me’ State. However, a week long vacation will allow you even more time to explore what lies within this historically wealthy state’s borders.
Famous Characters
There are several sites you can visit to learn about the famous characters of Missouri and how they lived. The best place to start is the Jesse James farm and museum in Kearney. The house looks like it did when Jesse James and his brother lived in it. It is a testament not only to the man, but to the way of life in those times. You can also see the original grave site of Jesse James, although his body was moved to Mount Olivet cemetery, in 1902.
Another museum that is relevant to Jesse James is the Bank Museum. Here you can step back in time and see what banks looked like a century ago. You can also enjoy listening to tales of the James Gang and learn how they executed bank robberies. Little boys will love this tour, on the square in Liberty and just a few miles from the James home.
To keep the girls in your family happy, you can visit the Laura Ingles Wilder home and museum, located north in Mansfield. This is the home where Laura Ingles Wilder wrote the Little House books. Her daughter Rose also started her career here. There are many artifacts of their life and times featured throughout the Little House on the Prairie books. There is also a tour available that will give you interesting and relevant information about this outstanding and world famous historic writer.
Famous Places
The Santa Fe Trail winds its way through Missouri. There are a number of places you can visit to take advantage of guided tours of a section of the trail. You get to learn about the history of those pioneers who traveled through this state to populate the west. Historical centers can be found in both Independence and Kansas City.
A family could spend a week in St. Louis alone with all of its history and museums. The Gateway Arch is a worthwhile site to see. There are museum tours both inside the Arch and within the building alongside it. You can discover how people lived in Missouri before it became populated more than a century ago. St. Louis is also the location of one of the best zoos in the US.
Carthage features the Precious Moments Inspirational Park founded by Samuel J Butcher. This artist is famous for drawings of ‘tear-dropped eye’ children. You can make your way through a park and museum and then purchase mementos including figurines and other art work of Precious Moments characters. You can admire impressive life size figures and you can make a stop at the Precious Moments chapel. The Precious Moments theme is founded on the religious beliefs of the artist Samuel J Butcher. This location and his art work is loved by many but also regarded as kitsch by some. However, it is a very popular venue with accommodation in Missouri.
