7 Incredible Vacation Spots In Missouri

As the weather warms up, many of us start daydreaming about our next getaway. Should it be a lake trip? A mountain escape? Or maybe even a journey abroad? For Missouri locals, the good news is that a wide variety of vacation destinations are waiting right in their own backyard. If you are hoping to spend the week sunbathing by the lake in your waterfront resort, Branson is a great option. Want to experience some French culture without leaving the state? Ste. Genevieve is full of French traditions. Travelers who want to explore the nostalgia of Route 66 will love towns like Carthage. As you begin to plan your trips this year, be sure to keep these seven incredible spots on your radar.

Branson

With three gorgeous lakes, waterfront resorts, and live entertainment venues, a trip to Branson guarantees a week filled with fun. Table Rock Lake is one of Branson’s most popular attractions, perfect for bass fishing, camping, and hiking. If you are seeking a comfortable stay, there are also 100 resorts surrounding the lake. Still Waters Resort is a great option, which features lakefront condos, three outdoor pools, and free amenities such as kayak and paddleboard rentals, mini golf, and hiking trails. Famous for its dinner shows, Branson offers performances like Dolly Parton’s Stampede, where guests enjoy a four-course meal while watching impressive stunts in a 35,000-square-foot arena.

Carthage

Thanks to the colorful maple trees that line its streets, Carthage has earned the nickname “America’s Maple Leaf City.” Part of Route 66 since 1920, Carthage is also an excellent town to visit for travelers seeking a bit of nostalgia. From April through October, travelers can enjoy a film under the stars at the 66 Drive-In Theatre, which has been operating since 1949. If you will be spending the night in Carthage, consider lodging at the Boots Court Motel, a historic motel that dates back to 1939. Although it has been recently renovated, it continues to preserve its mid-20th century style, complete with details like a radio in every room. Returning to the town’s maple heritage, October is a wonderful time to visit Carthage, when the town hosts the annual Maple Leaf festival. This festival, beginning in 1966, attracts more than 65,000 visitors and features a barbecue cookoff, motorcycle show, and one of the region’s largest parades.

Ste. Genevieve

Ste. Geneviève is the oldest European permanent settlement in the state and continues to preserve much of its French colonial heritage today. To learn about the area’s French history, travelers can begin at the Centre for French Colonial Life, which features rotating exhibits as well as historic homes like the Beauvais-Linden Living History House and the Bolduc and Lemeilleur Houses. You may want to plan your vacation for the second weekend of June when Ste. Genevieve hosts the annual French Heritage Festival. Throughout the event, festival attendees can enjoy live traditional music, French food, costumed re-enactors, historic home tours, parades, and more. For a day outdoors, travelers can head to the Hickory Canyons Natural Area, where they can explore two hiking trails that offer views of sandstone cliffs and box canyons.

Boonville

With more than 450 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, history lovers will adore Boonville. Travelers can begin their history tour at the Old Jail & Hanging Barn, which operated from 1848 to 1978. Visitors can walk through empty cells and graffitied limestone walls, imagining what life was like for the inmates who once occupied them. Afterward, visitors can head over to the River, Rails & Trails Museum, which exhibits the area’s railroad, riverboat, and early westward expansion trails that were a significant part of the town’s history. Boonville is also famously home to the Budweiser Clydesdales. Travelers can visit these horses for themselves at Warm Spring Ranch, the 300+ acre breeding facility that consists of a mare and stallion barn, rolling green pastures, and a veterinary lab.

Hannibal

After exploring Boonville’s history, travelers interested in literature can head to Hannibal, best known as the boyhood home of author Mark Twain. Here, they can visit the Mark Twain Cave Complex, which inspired the iconic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Also, in the Mark Twain Cave, visitors can attend Mark Twain Live, a one-man show that reenacts the life and spirit of the famous author. After learning about Twain’s life and inspirations, travelers can finish the day at Riverview Park, a 465-acre forested park that offers beautiful views of the Mississippi River. If you prefer to explore the river up close, sign up for a river cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat, which departs from the Port of Hannibal and recounts the town’s history through a variety of tour options.

Cape Girardeau

A lively river town, Cape Girardeau is home to 25 parks and plenty of public art. Capaha Park is the town’s oldest park, dating back to 1914, covering 39 acres and featuring amenities like a trout fishing pond, a disc golf course, a collegiate-sized baseball field, a playground, and a splash pad, allowing visitors to have fun and cool off in the summer. To enjoy views of the Mississippi River, travelers can spend a morning wandering the riverside trails of Riverfront Park. If you are interested in the town’s public art scene, make sure to visit the Mississippi River Tales Mural, which stretches 1,000 feet, illustrating the town’s history.

Weston

Weston has lots of farms and orchards surrounding the town, offering visitors the chance to explore its agricultural scene. In downtown Weston, travelers can stop by The Farmer’s House market, which sells pickled goods, artisan jams, apple butters, and fresh pies. All proceeds support the market’s nonprofit mission of empowering young adults with disabilities through vocational training. The Historic Weston Orchard & Vineyard is another community gem, opening seasonally to visitors who want to u-pick their own apples, cherries, blackberries, peaches, and more. For a day of hiking, travelers can visit Weston Bend State Park, a 1,133-acre park with trails that wind along a bluff and river.

Final Thoughts

With so much to see and do in Missouri, there is no reason to leave the state for vacation this year. Whether you envision spending your vacation visiting local farms, trout or bass fishing in one of the state’s lakes, or exploring 19th-century buildings in the historic district of small towns, you are sure to find the adventure that you are seeking. Sometimes, the most memorable escapes are closer to home than we think.