Missouri’s best-known things to do are its caves, springs, trails, Route 66 and the Gateway Arch, and every guide below dates the pages it read and says what it could not confirm.
Each topic guide copies hours, prices and rules as printed on an official or operator page, names the page, and lists what we could not check. Prices and hours change, so confirm before you go.
Topic Guides
Caves
Tour caves in state parks and private show caves, with prices, hours and temperatures as printed.
Springs, Rivers and Trout Parks
Big Spring, Greer Spring, the Current River, float rules and trout seasons.
Route 66
Nineteen stops from St. Louis to Joplin on the road that was named in Springfield.
National Park Sites
The Arch, the Ozark Riverways, Wilson’s Creek and the other NPS units.
More Topic Guides and Seasons
Missouri Museums
Kansas City and St. Louis hold the major museums read here, and two of them (Nelson-Atkins and Saint Louis Art Museum) print free admission.
Missouri Zoos and Aquariums
Saint Louis Zoo has free entrance; Kansas City Zoo, Dickerson Park Zoo, Wonders of Wildlife and SEA LIFE print their own hours.
Free Things to Do in Missouri
Nelson-Atkins, Saint Louis Art Museum and the Saint Louis Zoo entrance each print free admission, and Governor's Mansion tours are free.
Rainy-Day Places in Missouri
Indoor options read on official pages include the Nelson-Atkins, Saint Louis Art Museum, WWI Museum, City Museum, SEA LIFE and the Missouri State…
Missouri State Capitol and State Government
The Missouri State Museum sits on the first floor of the State Capitol in Jefferson City, and its staff give Capitol and Governor's Mansion tours.
Kansas City and St. Louis Barbecue
Kansas City calls itself the barbecue capital of the world and VisitKC counts more than 100 barbecue restaurants in the metro, while St. Louis'…
St. Louis Food: Toasted Ravioli, Gooey Butter Cake, St. Louis-Style Pizza and More
Explore St. Louis names seven emblematic local foods (slinger, toasted ravioli, St. Paul sandwich, St. Louis-style pizza, pork steak, gooey butter…
Missouri Breweries and Distilleries
The Missouri Craft Brewers Guild represents more than 170 independent craft breweries, and the Missouri Craft Distillers Guild runs the statewide…
Missouri Farmers Markets
The Missouri Department of Agriculture's Missouri Grown program lists farmers markets, and big-city markets such as Soulard in St. Louis and City…
Mark Twain Sites in Missouri
Hannibal holds the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum and Mark Twain Cave, while the cabin where Samuel Clemens was born stands at a state historic…
Civil War Sites in Missouri
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield near Republic is the National Park Service site for the August 10, 1861 battle, and state historic sites at…
Lewis and Clark Sites in Missouri
St. Charles has the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Museum and the First Missouri State Capitol, and the Katy Trail between Cooper and St. Charles…
Westward Trails in Missouri
Missouri is a listed state on the Oregon, California, Santa Fe, Pony Express and Trail of Tears national historic trails, with the Pony Express…
Harry S. Truman Sites in Missouri
Independence has the Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Wednesday to Sunday) and Lamar has the small house where Truman was born, run as a state…
German Heritage in Missouri River Towns
Hermann's Deutschheim State Historic Site interprets German American life from 1840 to 1890, and Washington's history page traces German settlement…
Missouri Covered Bridges
Missouri has four remaining covered bridges: Burfordville at Bollinger Mill, Sandy Creek in Jefferson County, Union in Monroe County, and Locust…
Fishing in Missouri
Missouri Department of Conservation runs the fishing rules and permits, and the four trout parks (Bennett Spring, Montauk, Roaring River, Maramec…
Scenic Drives and Byways
MoDOT lists 11 designated Missouri byways, from Historic Route 66 to the Little Dixie Highway of the Great River Road in Pike County and three Ozark…
Eagle Watching and Birding
MDC lists 13 winter eagle viewing places and an Eagle Days event at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge on Dec 5 to 6, 2026.
Waterfalls and Overlooks
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park has Mina Sauk Falls, which the state parks page calls Missouri's tallest waterfall at 132 feet in wet weather, near the…
Mountain Biking and Bike Trails
Finger Lakes State Park near Columbia has the 3.8-mile Kelley Branch Mountain Bike Trail, the only park the state bicycling page describes as having…
Missouri in Spring
Spring in Missouri is turkey season for hunters and trout-park season for anglers, with state parks running campground programs (all read 2026-10-30).
Missouri in Summer
Summer in Missouri centers on floating the Ozark rivers with licensed outfitters, state park swimming, and extended summer hours at attractions like…
Missouri in Fall
Fall in Missouri means leaf color: MDC posts weekly Fall Color Reports from late September to about mid-November, with peak usually around…
Missouri in Winter
Winter in Missouri brings catch-and-release trout fishing at four trout parks from November 13 and eagle viewing events, including Eagle Days…
More Ways to Plan
What We Could Not Verify
- Hours, prices and rules on every guide change; each says the date it was read.
- We have not written guides for museums, hiking beyond the long trails, camping, festivals by season or Kansas City, Branson and Columbia day trips yet; we will add them once we have read official pages for them.
Questions People Ask
What are the best things to do in Missouri?
The Gateway Arch, the Katy Trail, the Ozark springs and caves, and Route 66 are the guides that draw the most interest on this site.
Are Missouri state parks free?
Yes. Entry to every state park and historic site is free; camping, lodging and some tours cost extra.
Sources
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/things-to-do/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.