Missouri Travel Guide

Hannibal is a charming small city on the Mississippi River in northeastern Missouri, world famous as the boyhood home of literary giant Mark Twain. This is where Twain grew up and the setting for his classic novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Strolling through the old streets of Hannibal feels like stepping into the fictional town of St. Petersburg, with white picket fence houses, cobblestone lanes, and riverfront docks full of literary atmosphere. Visitors can explore the Mark Twain Boyhood Home, visit the memorial museum, and ride a vintage steamboat on the Mississippi River. The annual National Tom Sawyer Days celebration in July draws countless literature lovers to pilgrimage and relive the romantic riverfront charm of a nineteenth century American southern town.

Halltown is a historic town in western Missouri along the Missouri River, remembered for the Battle of Halltown during the Civil War. In October 1861, this important early Civil War battle took place here, where Union forces repelled Confederates, controlling the Missouri River transportation route and significantly influencing Missouri's decision to remain in the Union. Today, Halltown retains a strong mid-19th-century Midwest small-town character. The Halltown State Historic Site preserves the battlefield with interpretive trails, historical markers, and a small museum telling the Civil War story. Several preserved 19th-century buildings and historic homes line the town, transporting visitors back over 150 years. The surrounding Missouri River hills display golden-red oaks and hickories in fall.