We list 67 historic sites you can visit in Missouri: 7 National Park Service units, state historic sites, museums, battlefields and house museums. 30 are free. Hours and admission were read from each operator’s own page.
Header photo: White Haven around 1860, where Ulysses S. Grant met Julia Dent; now Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Credit: National Park Service (NPGallery), via Wikimedia Commons.
- 67historic sites
- 30free to visit
- 7National Park Service units
- 7regions covered
- Kansas City Area
- St. Louis Area
- North Missouri
- Central Missouri
- Springfield & Southwest Missouri
- Southern Ozarks
- Southeast Missouri
- Free sites
Download this data: CSV · JSON · 67 sites · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to It’s Missouri. All open data: catalog.json.
Historic sites in Missouri by region
Kansas City Area (15)
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Truman Home and Truman Farm) Free | NPS unit | Independence, Jackson | Truman Home tours and visitor center (223 N. Main St.) Wed-Sun 9am-5pm, closed Mon-Tue; Noland Home Wed-Sun 8:30am-4:30pm; Truman Farm grounds sunrise-sunset | Free; same-day tour tickets required, first come first served, max 8 per tour | Truman Home at 219 N. Delaware St. (lived there 1919-1972); Noland Home exhibits; Truman Farm, 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd., Grandview |
| American Jazz Museum | Museum | Kansas City, Jackson | Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; closed Mon Sept 14, 2026-May 31, 2027 | $15 adults, $12 seniors 65+ and students/educators, $10 youth 6-18, 5 and under free | Museum of American jazz in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District |
| Arabia Steamboat Museum | Museum | Kansas City, Jackson | Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Dec 24-25 | $16.50 adults, $15.50 seniors 60+, $6.50 children 4-14, 3 and under free | Cargo recovered from the steamboat Arabia, which sank in the Missouri River in 1856 |
| Battle of Lexington State Historic Site | State historic site | Lexington, Lafayette | Grounds sunrise-sunset; tours Apr-Jul Tue-Sun, Aug-Oct Wed-Sun (house 10am/noon/2pm, battlefield 11am/1pm/3pm); Nov-Mar by appointment | Visitor center free; combined house + battlefield tour $6 adults, $4 youth 6-17, 5 and under free | Oliver Anderson House with bullet holes and cannon-shot damage from the three-day September 1861 battle; battlefield tour; visitor center |
| Confederate Memorial State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Higginsville, Lafayette | Grounds sunrise-sunset; site office Apr-Sep Thu-Sat 8am-4pm, Sun noon-5pm; Oct-Mar Thu-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-5pm; tours by appointment | Free (tours by appointment) | Grounds of the former Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri, which housed about 1,600 veterans and families for nearly 60 years; restored chapel and cemetery |
| Fort Osage National Historic Landmark | Fort | Sibley, Jackson | Tue-Sun 9am-4:30pm, closed Mon; closed Jan 1-2, Jul 4, Nov 26-27, Dec 24-25 | $8 adults, $4 children 5-13, $4 seniors 62+ | Reconstructed 1808 fort and trading post established under the Treaty of Fort Clark (first treaty with the Osage, Nov. 10, 1808); National Historic Landmark (1961) |
| Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum | Museum | Independence, Jackson | Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun noon-5pm Apr-Dec (closed Sundays Jan-Mar); closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Dec 24, 25, 31, Jan 1 | $12 adults, $10 seniors 62+ and veterans, $8 college students, $5 youth 13-18; 12 and under free | Museum on Truman’s life and presidency; Harry and Bess Truman are buried in the courtyard; museum opened 1957 and recently renovated |
| Jesse James Birthplace Museum (James Farm) | House museum | Kearney, Clay | Jun-Aug daily 9am-4pm; Sep-May Mon-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; closed holidays | $10 adults, $9 seniors 62+, $6 children 8-15, under 8 free | Museum and the James family farm cabin; outdoor cabin tours daily; indoor cabin tours first Saturday of each month |
| Missouri Town Living History Museum (Missouri Town 1855) | Historic village | Lee’s Summit, Jackson | Apr 1-Nov 15 Tue-Sun 9am-4:30pm; Nov 16-Mar 31 weekends only 9am-4:30pm; last admission 3:30pm | $8 adults, $4 children 5-13, $4 seniors 62+, under 5 free | Living-history village of relocated 19th-century buildings |
| National Frontier Trails Museum | Museum | Independence, Jackson | Year-round Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun closed; May-Sep Sun 1-5pm; last tour an hour before closing | See official site | Museum on the overland trails that began in Independence |
| National WWI Museum and Memorial (Liberty Memorial) | Museum | Kansas City, Jackson | Labor Day-Memorial Day Wed-Mon 10am-5pm, closed Tue; Memorial Day-Labor Day daily 10am-5pm | General admission $19.50 adults, $15.50 seniors 65+ and military, $11.50 youth 6-15, under 6 free; tower and featured exhibition extra | Liberty Memorial (dedicated Nov. 11, 1926 by President Coolidge; National Historic Landmark 2006); Main Gallery; Liberty Memorial Tower; designated by Congress as the nation’s official WWI museum (2004) |
| Negro Leagues Baseball Museum | Museum | Kansas City, Jackson | Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm | See official site | Only national museum on African American baseball, two blocks from the Paseo YMCA where Andrew ‘Rube’ Foster founded the Negro National League in 1920; self-guided |
| Shoal Creek Living History Museum | Historic village | Kansas City, Clay | Park closes daily at sunset; buildings open for events/tours – see official site | Grounds free; event admission e.g. $10 ages 10+, $5 ages 3-9 | 80-plus-acre living-history village in Hodge Park with 19th-century buildings incl. Thornton Mansion; walking trails |
| Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site | State historic site | Kansas City, Jackson | Mon and Thu-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; closed Tue-Wed; guided tours only | Tour $5 adults, $3.50 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | Benton’s home and carriage-house studio left as he left it (he died in the studio in 1975); guided tours only |
| Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site | State historic site | Lawson, Clay | Apr 15-Oct 31 Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm, Sun 10:30am-5pm; Nov 1-Apr 14 Mon-Sat 9:30am-4:30pm, Sun 10:30am-4:30pm; call for tour times | Tour $5 adults, $4 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | Waltus Watkins’s three-story woolen mill (the only 19th-century U.S. textile mill with original machinery intact, per the state), gristmill, 1850 Classic Revival house and outbuildings; visitor center |
St. Louis Area (13)
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Arch National Park (Arch, Museum and Tram) | NPS unit | St. Louis, St. Louis City | Visitor center/museum 9am-6pm daily (to 8pm Fri-Sat Memorial Day-Labor Day); grounds 5am-11pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day | Museum free; From $15 (tram), adults 16+; from $11 ages 3-15; infants free; prices vary by date | 630-foot stainless steel Arch completed Oct. 28, 1965 (Eero Saarinen design); free Museum at the Gateway Arch; Tram Ride to the Top |
| Old Courthouse (Gateway Arch National Park) Free | NPS unit | St. Louis, St. Louis City | 9am-5pm daily | Free | Courthouse begun 1839 where the first two Dred Scott trials were held (1847 and 1850); Virginia Minor’s voting-rights case tried here in the 1870s; reopened May 3, 2025 after a $24.5 million 2020-2025 renovation |
| Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (White Haven) Free | NPS unit | Grantwood Village, St. Louis County | Visitor center 9am-5pm daily; closed Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25, Jan. 1 | Free (incl. guided Main House tours) | White Haven, Dent family home where Grant met Julia Dent; from 1854 to 1859 the Dents, Grants and an enslaved African-American workforce lived on the property; free guided tours of the Main House |
| Campbell House Museum | House museum | St. Louis, St. Louis City | Wed-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; Mon-Tue by appointment | See official site | Built in 1851, first house in the Lucas Place neighborhood; home of fur trader and entrepreneur Robert Campbell and his family from 1854 until 1938; original furnishings |
| First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site | State historic site | St. Charles, St. Charles | Apr-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; Nov-Dec Tue-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; Jan-Feb Tue-Sat 10am-4pm; Mar Tue-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; tours on the hour (no noon tour) | Tour $5 adults, $3 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | Rooms where Missouri’s first legislature met in St. Charles, the first seat of state government |
| Gov. Daniel Dunklin’s Grave State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Herculaneum, Jefferson | 8am to one-half hour after sunset daily | Free | Bluff-top grave of Missouri’s fifth governor above the Mississippi River |
| Mastodon State Historic Site | State historic site | Imperial, Jefferson | Grounds 8am to half-hour after sunset; museum Mar 16-Nov 15 Wed-Sat 9am-4:30pm, Sun noon-4:30pm; Nov 16-Mar 15 Thu-Sat 11am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm | Museum $4 ages 13+, 12 and under free | Kimmswick Bone Bed, first site in eastern North America where human coexistence with mastodons was conclusively shown (Clovis point found with mastodon bones, 1979); museum with mastodon skeleton replica |
| Missouri Civil War Museum | Museum | St. Louis, St. Louis County | Tue-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; last tickets 3pm; closed New Year’s Day, 9/11, Thanksgiving, Dec 24-25 | $9 individual, $7 veterans and active duty, under 5 free | Museum on Missouri’s Civil War history at historic Jefferson Barracks |
| Missouri History Museum | Museum | St. Louis, St. Louis City | See official site | See official site | Exhibits on St. Louis and Missouri history in Forest Park |
| Route 66 State Park visitor center Free | Other | Eureka, St. Louis County | See official site | Free (state park admission) | Visitor center in the former Bridgehead Inn, a 1935 roadhouse on original Route 66, with Route 66 displays; park occupies the former town of Times Beach |
| Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Hillsboro, Jefferson | 8am to one-half hour after sunset daily | Free | Red Howe-truss covered bridge built in 1872 by John H. Morse on the Hillsboro-St. Louis road |
| Scott Joplin House State Historic Site | State historic site | St. Louis, St. Louis City | Mar-Oct Tue-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; Nov-Feb Thu-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; tours hourly | Tour $7 adults 18-64, $5 seniors 65+, $5 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | Flat on Delmar Boulevard where Joplin rented rooms in 1902; player piano; museum exhibits; Rosebud music hall |
| St. Charles Historic District (Main Street) Free | Historic district | St. Charles, St. Charles | Streets open; businesses vary | Free to walk | Earliest European settlement on the Missouri River (trading outpost circa 1769); Clark and about 42 men docked here May 14, 1804 and the expedition set out May 21, 1804; First Missouri State Capitol |
North Missouri (8)
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Athens State Historic Site | State historic site | Revere, Clark | Grounds sunrise-sunset daily; Thome-Benning House tours Apr-Oct Wed-Sun 10am-4pm, Nov-Mar by appointment | Free entry; Thome-Benning House tour fee not stated – see official site | Battlefield on the Des Moines River where about 500 Union soldiers repelled nearly four times their number of pro-Southern State Guardsmen; Thome-Benning ‘Cannonball House’ pierced by a cannonball |
| Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site | State historic site | Laclede, Linn | Site office and museum Tue-Sat 10am-4pm year-round; guided home tours temporarily unavailable (construction) | Museum free; home tours $4 adults, $3 youth 6-17 when running | Nine-room Gothic-style house where Pershing grew up; Pershing Memorial Museum and Leadership Archives with free 30-minute presentation |
| Iliniwek Village State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Alexandria, Clark | Sunrise-sunset year-round | Free | Only Illinois Indian village site found in Missouri, occupied about 1640 to the late 1670s; perhaps 8,000 people lived here when Jolliet and Marquette passed in 1673; short interpretive trail |
| Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Meadville, Linn | Sunrise-sunset | Free (bridge itself closed while approaches are built) | 1868 Howe-truss bridge, 151 feet, longest of Missouri’s four remaining covered bridges; now relocated to the Pershing State Park day-use area |
| Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Florida, Monroe | Museum Apr-Oct Tue-Sat 10am-4pm; Nov-Mar Fri-Sat 10am-4pm | Free museum tour | Two-room rented cabin where Samuel Clemens was born, first editions, a handwritten manuscript of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, furnishings from Twain’s Connecticut home |
| Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum | House museum | Hannibal, Marion | Mar 16-Nov 2 daily 9am-5pm; Nov 3-Mar 15 daily 10am-4pm; closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas | $20 adults 18-59, $15 seniors 60+ and veterans, $6 students 6-17, 5 and under and Hannibal residents free | Boyhood Home (National Historic Landmark), Interpretive Center, Huck Finn House, Becky Thatcher House, J.M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Building, Grant’s Drug Store, Mark Twain Museum Gallery (two-day ticket) |
| Pony Express National Museum | Museum | St. Joseph, Buchanan | Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm; Dec 1-Mar 1 Mon-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm | $10 adults, $9 seniors 60+, $5 students, $3 kids 4-6, 3 and under free | Museum telling the story of the Pony Express, which started its first run from St. Joseph on April 3, 1860 |
| Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Paris, Monroe | Sunrise-sunset daily | Free | 1871 bridge, the only one of Missouri’s four remaining covered bridges with a Burr-arch truss; served Monroe County travelers for 99 years |
Central Missouri (14)
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| America’s National Churchill Museum | Museum | Fulton, Callaway | Tue-Sun 10am-4:30pm; closed Mon and Thanksgiving | $18 adults, $16 active military and veterans, $10 youth 8-18/college students, 7 and under free | Museum at Westminster College where Churchill delivered the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech on March 5, 1946; Westminster College Gymnasium is a National Historic Landmark |
| Arrow Rock State Historic Site | State historic site | Arrow Rock, Saline | Grounds 7am-10pm daily; visitor center Mar-Nov 10am-4pm daily, Dec-Feb 10am-4pm Fri-Sun | Grounds free; village tram tours by Friends of Arrow Rock for a ‘nominal fee’ (see official site) | J. Huston Tavern (1834), billed by the state as the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi; Old Courthouse; George Caleb Bingham’s house; visitor center exhibits and video |
| Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Butler, Bates | Sunrise-sunset year-round | Free | Site of the Toothman Farm (‘Fort Africa’), HQ of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry; first time Black soldiers engaged in combat in the Civil War; 0.5-mile Courage Trail with wayside exhibits |
| Boone’s Lick State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Boonesboro, Howard | Sunrise-sunset year-round (may close in heavy snow/ice) | Free | Short trail to remnants of the salt springs commercialized by Daniel Boone’s sons; outdoor exhibits on salt making |
| Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site | State historic site | Sedalia, Pettis | Grounds 8am-sunset; lodge tours Apr 1-Sep 15 Thu-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; Sep 16-Mar 31 Fri-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; last tour 3pm | Lodge tour $4 adults, $3 youth 6-17 | 31-room, 12,000-sq-ft lodge built atop two natural caves by lawyer John Homer Bothwell; mostly original furnishings; 3-mile trail |
| Clark’s Hill/Norton State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Osage City, Cole | Apr-Oct 6am-8pm daily; Nov-Mar 7am-7pm daily | Free | Trail past two American Indian mounds to the overlook William Clark climbed on June 2, 1804, viewing the Missouri-Osage confluence (expedition camped here June 1-3, 1804) |
| Deutschheim State Historic Site | State historic site | Hermann, Gasconade | Tours Apr 1-Oct 31 daily 10am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm; Nov 1-Mar 31 Thu-Sun same times | Tour $5 adults, $3 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | Pommer-Gentner House (1840, one of the oldest buildings in Hermann) and Carl Strehly House (1842); German Settlement Society of Philadelphia founded Deutschheim in 1836 |
| Graham Cave State Park Free | Archaeological site | Danville, Montgomery | See official site | Free (state park admission) | Cave mouth where excavations show people occupied the cave 8,000 to 10,000 years ago (Graham Cave is a National Historic Landmark) |
| Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Columbia, Boone | Sunrise-sunset | Free | Grave of Gov. Charles Hardin and Jewell family members incl. William Jewell (founder of William Jewell College) |
| Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Jefferson City, Cole | Capitol 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat-Sun and state holidays; Jefferson Landing/Lohman Building Mar 1-Fri before Thanksgiving Mon-Fri 9am-3pm (closed rest of year); Union Hotel closed for construction | Free (Capitol tours free) | Missouri State Museum in the Capitol (natural and cultural history exhibits); free guided Capitol tours; Jefferson Landing’s Lohman Building (steamboat-era commerce); Union Hotel/Rozier Gallery |
| Missouri State Penitentiary tours | Other | Jefferson City, Cole | See official site | 2-hour history tour from $30 (age 5 and under not permitted); ghost tours from $40 | Guided tours of the decommissioned penitentiary, the first to open west of the Mississippi (first prisoner March 8, 1836) |
| Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Arrow Rock, Saline | Sunrise-sunset year-round | Free | Cemetery set aside in 1856 by Dr. John Sappington for people he enslaved; about 350 burials, most unknown; used by Black families of Arrow Rock after emancipation (last burial 2012) |
| Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Arrow Rock, Saline | Sunrise-sunset year-round | Free | Graves of Dr. John Sappington and Governors Meredith Miles Marmaduke and Claiborne Fox Jackson |
| State Historical Society of Missouri – Center for Missouri Studies | Museum | Columbia, Boone | Columbia research center Tue-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm; art gallery Tue-Fri 10am-4:30pm, Sat 10am-2pm; closed Sun-Mon | See official site | Research center, art gallery (incl. Missouri artists) and bookstore; research centers also in Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis |
Springfield & Southwest Missouri (6)
Springfield & Southwest Missouri events →
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Carver National Monument Free | NPS unit | Diamond, Newton | 9am-5pm daily; closed Thanksgiving, Dec. 25, Jan. 1 | Free | Birthplace and boyhood landscape of George Washington Carver; Carver Trail; ranger-led Carver trail tours daily at 10am and 2pm (about 1 hr 15 min); park established July 14, 1943 |
| Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Free | NPS unit | Republic, Greene | Grounds 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset; motorized tour-road access from 8am; visitor center and museum 8am-5pm daily | Free | Site of the Aug. 10, 1861 battle, first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi where the first Union general (Nathaniel Lyon) was killed; 4.9-mile paved tour road loop with 7 stops incl. Ray House; museum with 28-minute film; Lyon bed |
| Battle of Carthage State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Carthage, Jasper | Daylight hours | Free | Meadow and spring used as an encampment during the July 5, 1861 Battle of Carthage, which the state calls the earliest full-scale battle of the Civil War (11 days before Bull Run) |
| Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Lamar, Barton | Grounds sunrise-sunset; site Apr-Oct Wed-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; Nov-Mar Wed-Sat 10am-4pm | Free tours | Small frame house where Harry S Truman, the only U.S. president born in Missouri, was born |
| Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site | State historic site | Ash Grove, Greene | Apr-Oct Wed-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1-4pm; Nov-Mar Fri-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1-4pm | Tour $5 adults, $3 youth 6-17, 5 and under free | Last home of Nathan Boone (youngest son of Daniel Boone) and Olive Boone; family cemeteries |
| Osage Village State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Walker, Vernon | Sunrise-sunset year-round | Free | Hilltop site of a village of 2,000-3,000 people in about 200 lodges, inhabited 1700-1775; walking trail with outdoor exhibits |
Southern Ozarks (3)
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Pilot Knob, Iron | Grounds sunrise-sunset; visitor center Apr 16-Oct 31 10am-4pm daily, Nov 1-Apr 15 Thu-Sun 10am-4pm | Free (free tours during visitor center hours) | Fort Davidson earthworks and battlefield of Sept. 1864 battle in which Maj. Gen. Sterling Price led 8,000 men against the Union post; visitor center with fiber-optic diorama |
| Dillard Mill State Historic Site Free | State historic site | Davisville, Crawford | Grounds May-Oct 8am-8pm, Nov-Apr 8am-5pm daily; mill tours May-Oct Wed-Sun, Nov-Apr Fri-Sun at 10am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm | Free entry; no mill tour fee stated – see official site | Red gristmill on Huzzah Creek completed in 1908, one of the state’s best-preserved, with mostly original machinery |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum | House museum | Mansfield, Wright | Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12:30-5pm | $18 adults, $8 children 6-17, 5 and under free | Rocky Ridge Farm house where Wilder wrote the Little House books (National Historic Landmark); museum |
Southeast Missouri (8)
| Site | Type | Where | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Free | NPS unit | Ste. Genevieve, Ste. Genevieve | 9am-5pm daily; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day | Free (house tours free; same-day reservation, 15-person cap) | First permanent European settlement in Missouri (established by 1750); rare vertical-log French colonial houses incl. Jean Baptiste Vallé House, Bauvais-Amoureux House, Green Tree Tavern; Le Grand Champ (Big Field); Welcome Center at 66 S. Main St. |
| Bollinger Mill State Historic Site | State historic site | Burfordville, Cape Girardeau | Grounds sunrise-sunset; mill Apr-Oct Tue-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; Nov-Mar Thu-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; last tour 3pm | Guided mill tour $5 adults, $4 youth 6-17, 0-5 free; self-guided first floor/basement | Four-story Civil War-era gristmill and the Burfordville Covered Bridge |
| Felix Vallé House State Historic Site | State historic site | Ste. Genevieve, Ste. Genevieve | Apr-Oct Wed-Sun 10am-4pm; Nov-Mar Thu-Sun 10am-4pm; tours 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm | Tour $6 adults, $4 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | American-Federal style house built 1818, furnished as in the 1830s, showing American influence on French Ste. Genevieve |
| Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site | State historic site | New Madrid, New Madrid | Tours Apr-Oct Tue-Sat 10am-3pm on the hour, Sun noon-3pm; Nov-Mar Tue-Sat 10am-3pm | Tour $5 adults, $3 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | 15-room mansion completed in 1860 with much of the Hunter family’s original furniture |
| Missouri Mines State Historic Site | State historic site | Park Hills, St. Francois | Apr-Nov Wed-Sun 9am-5pm; Dec-Mar Sat-Sun 9am-5pm | Museum $5 adults, $3 youth 6-17, 0-5 free | Former St. Joe Lead Co. mine-mill powerhouse turned museum with mining machinery and one of the Midwest’s finest mineral collections |
| Ste. Genevieve Historic District | Historic district | Ste. Genevieve, Ste. Genevieve | Streets open; buildings vary – see official site | Free to walk | National Historic Landmark district (1960) incl. the Louis Bolduc House NHL and NPS-managed houses |
| Towosahgy State Historic Site Free | State historic site | East Prairie, Mississippi | 6am-dusk daily | Free | Mounds of a fortified Mississippian village and civic-ceremonial center; exhibit panels on archaeological excavations |
| Trail of Tears State Park Free | Other | Jackson, Cape Girardeau | See official site | Free (state park admission) | Riverside park where nine of the 13 Cherokee detachments crossed the Mississippi in the winter of 1838-1839; visitor center exhibits |
Free historic sites in Missouri
These list no admission charge on their own pages (parking, tours or special programs may still cost money):
- Battle of Carthage State Historic Site, Carthage
- Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site, Butler
- Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site, Pilot Knob
- Boone’s Lick State Historic Site, Boonesboro
- Clark’s Hill/Norton State Historic Site, Osage City
- Confederate Memorial State Historic Site, Higginsville
- Dillard Mill State Historic Site, Davisville
- George Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond
- Gov. Daniel Dunklin’s Grave State Historic Site, Herculaneum
- Graham Cave State Park, Danville
- Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site, Lamar
- Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Truman Home and Truman Farm), Independence
- Iliniwek Village State Historic Site, Alexandria
- Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site, Columbia
- Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site, Meadville
- Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site, Florida
- Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site, Jefferson City
- Old Courthouse (Gateway Arch National Park), St. Louis
- Osage Village State Historic Site, Walker
- Route 66 State Park visitor center, Eureka
- Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site, Hillsboro
- Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Site, Arrow Rock
- Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site, Arrow Rock
- St. Charles Historic District (Main Street), St. Charles
- Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park, Ste. Genevieve
- Towosahgy State Historic Site, East Prairie
- Trail of Tears State Park, Jackson
- Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (White Haven), Grantwood Village
- Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site, Paris
- Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Republic
Types of sites on this list
| Type | Sites |
|---|---|
| State historic site | 36 |
| Museum | 11 |
| NPS unit | 7 |
| House museum | 4 |
| Other | 3 |
| Historic village | 2 |
| Historic district | 2 |
| Archaeological site | 1 |
| Fort | 1 |
What we could not verify
- The Gateway Arch tram price is shown two ways on the NPS fees page: “Starting at $15” for adults and a “$19.00” cost header. The page’s FAQ says adult prices range from $15 to $19 depending on the day, so we list it as “From $15”.
- The Patee House Museum in St. Joseph (a National Historic Landmark) and the Bingham-Waggoner Estate in Independence no longer have working official websites: their old domains now show unrelated businesses. We could not confirm their hours or prices, so we do not link to them.
- The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis lists hours and admission only on a page that needs JavaScript, so we could not read them. Missouri tourism lists it as free, but the museum’s own page did not confirm that.
- An older NPS page for Wilson’s Creek (last updated in 2022) still mentions an entrance receipt and a $35 park pass. The current fees page says no entrance pass is required, and the park ended entrance fees in 2023.
- The Pershing Boyhood Home in Laclede has paused guided home tours during construction, and the Locust Creek Covered Bridge is closed to walkers while its approaches are built. Neither page gives a reopening date.
We re-check these when the source pages change. Spot something we missed? Use the corrections page.
Frequently asked questions
What Civil War battlefields can you visit in Missouri?
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near Republic, site of the August 10, 1861 battle, is free with no entrance pass required. Missouri State Parks also runs five battle sites, all free to enter: Carthage (1861), Athens (1861), Lexington (1861), Island Mound (1862) and Pilot Knob (1864) (source: NPS: Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield – Fees & Passes).
How much does it cost to visit the Gateway Arch?
The Museum at the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse are free. The Tram Ride to the Top starts at $15 for adults 16 and up and $11 for children 3-15; the NPS says adult prices range from $15 to $19 depending on the day. Tickets are sold at gatewayarch.com (source: NPS: Gateway Arch National Park – Fees & Passes).
Where are the Harry Truman sites in Missouri?
Harry S Truman National Historic Site has the Truman Home in Independence and the Truman Farm in Grandview; entry is free, with same-day tickets for home tours (8 per tour). Nearby are the Truman Presidential Library and Museum ($12 adults) and the free Truman Birthplace State Historic Site in Lamar (source: NPS: Harry S Truman National Historic Site – Fees & Passes).
Where can you see Mark Twain sites in Missouri?
In Hannibal, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum (a National Historic Landmark) costs $20 for adults and is open daily. In Florida, Monroe County, the free Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site shows the cabin where Samuel Clemens was born and a handwritten Tom Sawyer manuscript (source: Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum: Hours & Admission).
Last checked October 20, 2026 by the It’s Missouri editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.
Sources
- Gateway Arch National Park (Arch, Museum and Tram)
- Old Courthouse (Gateway Arch National Park)
- Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park
- Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Truman Home and Truman Farm)
- Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
- George Washington Carver National Monument
- Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (White Haven)
- Arrow Rock State Historic Site
- Battle of Athens State Historic Site
- Battle of Carthage State Historic Site
- Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site
- Battle of Lexington State Historic Site
- Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
- Bollinger Mill State Historic Site
- Boone’s Lick State Historic Site
- Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site
- Clark’s Hill/Norton State Historic Site
- Confederate Memorial State Historic Site
- Deutschheim State Historic Site
- Dillard Mill State Historic Site
- Felix Vallé House State Historic Site
- First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site
- Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site
- Gov. Daniel Dunklin’s Grave State Historic Site
- Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site
- Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site
- Iliniwek Village State Historic Site
- Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site
- Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site
- Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site
- Mastodon State Historic Site
- Missouri Mines State Historic Site
- Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site
- Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site
- Osage Village State Historic Site
- Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site
- Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Site
- Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site
- Scott Joplin House State Historic Site
- Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site
- Towosahgy State Historic Site
- Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site
- Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site
- Trail of Tears State Park
- Graham Cave State Park
- Route 66 State Park visitor center
- Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
- National WWI Museum and Memorial (Liberty Memorial)
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- American Jazz Museum
- Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
- Pony Express National Museum
- Jesse James Birthplace Museum (James Farm)
- Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum
- America’s National Churchill Museum
- Missouri Civil War Museum
- Arabia Steamboat Museum
- National Frontier Trails Museum
- Fort Osage National Historic Landmark
- Missouri Town Living History Museum (Missouri Town 1855)
- Shoal Creek Living History Museum
- Campbell House Museum
- Missouri History Museum
- State Historical Society of Missouri – Center for Missouri Studies
- Missouri State Penitentiary tours
- Ste. Genevieve Historic District
- St. Charles Historic District (Main Street)
Cite this page: It's Missouri, “Historic Sites in Missouri: Hours, Admission and What to See”, itsmissouri.com/history/historic-sites/ (updated ). By the It's Missouri editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.