Things to Do in Missouri 1 guide

Why visit Missouri

Two great rivers, two great barbecue cities and a spring-fed Ozark heart — Missouri is the crossroads where the Midwest turns Southern.

Missouri is where the Great Plains meet the American South, wrapped around the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and anchored by two very different big cities — St Louis with its Gateway Arch, and barbecue-and-jazz Kansas City. Between them lie the spring-fed rivers and caves of the Ozarks, the show-town lights of Branson and Mark Twain's Mississippi river bluffs. Use this hub to plan your trip: browse our city guides below, or read on for the regions, road trips and best times to visit.

Known for
The Gateway Arch, the Ozarks & barbecue
Best for
Rivers, caves, road trips & city food
Capital
Jefferson City
Main gateway
St Louis Lambert (STL) & Kansas City (MCI)
Time zone
Central (CT)

Trip planner Plan your trip to Missouri

Best time to visit — season by season

Spring
Mar–May

Redbud and dogwood bloom across the Ozark hills and the rivers run full and cool. It's prime float season on the spring-fed streams, though this is also peak thunderstorm and tornado weather, so keep an eye on the sky.

Summer
Jun–Aug

Hot and notoriously humid statewide, often into the 90s°F with sticky nights. It's the height of the float-trip and lake season on the Current, the Jacks Fork and the Lake of the Ozarks — get on the water early and save the cities for the evening.

Fall
Sep–Nov

The best all-round window: warm days fade into crisp nights, humidity breaks, and the Ozark hardwoods turn gold and red through October. Wine country around Hermann and the river bluffs are at their finest.

Winter
Dec–Feb

Cold and grey with the odd snowfall, colder and snowier in the north than the southern Ozarks. The cities keep their museums, music and food halls busy, and Branson leans into its Christmas-lights season.

Regions of Missouri

  • St Louis & the eastern rivers

    The Gateway Arch and its riverfront anchor the east, where St Louis pairs Forest Park's free museums and the City Museum with the Anheuser-Busch brewery, and the wine-country town of Hermann and Mark Twain's Hannibal sit upriver along the Mississippi.

  • Kansas City & the west

    Missouri's barbecue-and-jazz capital, where Kansas City brings the National WWI Museum, the 18th & Vine jazz district, the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Country Club Plaza, with Independence and the Harry S. Truman sites just to the east.

  • The Ozarks & Branson

    The state's wild green heart of forested hills, caves and clear spring-fed rivers, where Branson's theatres and Silver Dollar City draw the crowds and Table Rock Lake and the Lake of the Ozarks pull the boaters.

  • Central Missouri & the Missouri River

    The middle of the state along the Missouri River, where the capital Jefferson City, the college town of Columbia and the Katy Trail's long rail-trail run link St Louis and Kansas City through farm-and-bluff country.

  • The southeast & the rivers

    Cape Girardeau and the Mississippi lowlands to the far southeast, plus the wild Current and Jacks Fork of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways — the country's first national park protecting a river system.

Getting around

A rental car is essential for a Missouri trip: St Louis and Kansas City sit at opposite ends of the state, roughly four hours apart on I-70, and the Ozarks, Branson and the river towns in between are barely served by transit. St Louis Lambert and Kansas City International are the two main gateways, with Springfield handy for the south. Within St Louis and Kansas City you can get by on light rail, streetcar and rideshare for a day or two, but everything beyond the metros — the float rivers, Route 66 stops and Ozark caves — needs a car.

The highlights Missouri's signature sights & road trips

Missouri's signature draws

  • Gateway Arch National Park The 630-foot stainless-steel arch on the St Louis riverfront — the tallest man-made monument in the US — with a tram ride to the top and a museum of westward expansion beneath. Basecamp: St Louis
  • Ozark National Scenic Riverways The country's first national park to protect a river system — the wild, spring-fed Current and Jacks Fork rivers, ringed by caves, bluffs and giant blue springs, and made for floating.
  • Branson & Silver Dollar City The southern Ozarks' entertainment town, with its strip of music theatres and the 1880s-themed Silver Dollar City amusement park, set beside Table Rock Lake.
  • Kansas City museums & jazz The National WWI Museum and Memorial, the free Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the historic 18th & Vine jazz district — the cradle of Kansas City jazz. Basecamp: Kansas City
  • Hannibal & Mark Twain country The Mississippi river town where Mark Twain grew up, preserved as his boyhood home and museum, with river-bluff caves that inspired Tom Sawyer.
  • The Katy Trail & wine country A 240-mile rail-trail along the Missouri River bluffs, passing the German wine-country towns of Hermann and Augusta — a favourite for cycling and tasting.

Suggested routes

The cross-state I-70 run

~1 week

The classic Missouri trip, linking the two big cities across the middle of the state with stops for the capital, a college town and the river bluffs. Run it in either direction; this version starts in St Louis.

  1. St Louis — the Gateway Arch, Forest Park & City Museum
  2. Hermann — detour south for the wine country
  3. Jefferson City — the state capitol above the Missouri River
  4. Columbia — college-town food, parks and the Katy Trail
  5. Kansas City — barbecue, jazz and the WWI Museum

Ozarks rivers & Branson loop

3–4 days

A focused southern loop trading the cities for spring-fed rivers, caves and show-town lights — best from late spring through early autumn when the float rivers are running.

  1. Springfield — gateway to the southern Ozarks
  2. Ozark National Scenic Riverways — float the Current or Jacks Fork
  3. Branson — theatres, Silver Dollar City & Table Rock Lake
  4. Table Rock Lake — boating and the dam on the way back
Map of Missouri

Cities in Missouri

States near Missouri

Missouri travel FAQ

When is the best time to visit Missouri?

Autumn — roughly September through October — is the sweet spot, with warm days, cool nights, low humidity and brilliant colour across the Ozark hardwoods and river bluffs. Spring is lovely too and best for river floats, though it brings thunderstorms. Summer is hot and humid but peak season on the lakes and float rivers, while winter is quiet and cold apart from Branson's Christmas crowds.

How many days do you need in Missouri?

A long weekend suits one city — three or four days in either St Louis or Kansas City. To pair the two big cities and drive across the middle on I-70 or the Katy Trail, give it about five days. Adding the Ozarks, Branson and a float trip on the Current River easily fills a week or more.

Do you need a car in Missouri?

Yes, for anything beyond a single city. St Louis and Kansas City are four hours apart at opposite ends of the state, and the Ozarks, Branson, the wine country and the float rivers are barely served by transit. Within each city you can manage on light rail, streetcar and rideshare for a day or two, but a rental car is essential to actually tour Missouri.

What is Missouri best known for?

Missouri is famous for the Gateway Arch in St Louis, the tallest man-made monument in the country and the symbol of America's westward expansion. It's also known for two rival barbecue cities in St Louis and Kansas City, the spring-fed float rivers and caves of the Ozarks, the entertainment town of Branson, and Mark Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal on the Mississippi.

What's the difference between Kansas City and St Louis barbecue?

Kansas City barbecue is the better-known style — a wide range of smoked meats, especially burnt ends, served with a thick, sweet, tomato-and-molasses sauce. St Louis has its own traditions, including St Louis-cut pork ribs and, more loosely, the local pork-steak grilled with a tangy sauce. Both cities take their barbecue seriously, and trying each is half the point of a cross-state trip.

What are the Ozarks and can you go floating there?

The Ozarks are the forested, hilly plateau covering much of southern Missouri, riddled with caves and clear, cold spring-fed rivers. Floating — drifting downstream by canoe, kayak or inner tube — is the classic Ozark pastime, especially on the Current and Jacks Fork rivers in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The season runs roughly late spring through early autumn, with summer weekends the busiest.

Is Branson worth visiting?

If you enjoy live shows, theme-park rides and family-friendly entertainment, yes. Branson is a purpose-built entertainment town in the southern Ozarks, packed with music theatres, the Silver Dollar City amusement park and go-karts, set beside Table Rock Lake. It's touristy by design and very seasonal, busiest in summer and around its big Christmas-lights season, so it suits some travellers far more than others.

What is there to do along the Katy Trail?

The Katy Trail is a rail-trail running about 240 miles across Missouri on the bed of the old MKT railroad, much of it hugging the Missouri River bluffs. It's a favourite for cycling and walking, passing river towns, farmland and the wineries around Hermann and Augusta, and it links up to Columbia and the state capital. You can ride a short stretch for the afternoon or tackle the whole thing over several days.