WHY VISIT MISSOURI

Sophisticated cities, lazy summer road trips, and adventures in the Ozark Mountains: all this, and more, awaits in Missouri.

Arrive in St Louis, the state’s largest city, and the distinctive Gateway Arch, which soars above the Mississippi River, might be the first thing you spot. But the city is also home to the stunning Forest Park, a fantastic art museum, and more microbreweries than you can shake a stick at.

On the other side of the state lies Kansas City. Your mouth starts to water as you approach this western Missouri metropolis and snatch a whiff of its legendary barbecue joints, hickory-smoked meat, and dry-rub ribs. It’s a sports-mad city that also lays claim to a thriving arts scene and terrific live music.

Away from the hustle and bustle, Missouri is ripe for road trips and outdoor adventure. You won’t find it marked on any modern maps, but historic Route 66 slices southwest from St Louis, mostly replaced today by I-44. Explore underground caves, snap colorful murals, stroll through turn-of-the-century towns, and pull up for the night at vintage motels.

Missouri has its share of quirky roadside attractions, too. The biggest is surely the rather incongruous Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, a half-scale replica of the ship (complete with iceberg poking into its hull) where you can walk the Grand Staircase and cabins, stand on a sloping deck, and touch chilly water for the full sinking experience.

For a smaller-scale (and more realistic) floating adventure, you can raft or canoe the Current or Jacks Fork Rivers. On dry land, scramble over billion-year-old boulders in Elephant Rocks State Park, bike the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad on the 386km (240 miles) Katy Trail, or saddle up and ride through the stunning Mark Twain Forest.

WHAT TO SEE IN MISSOURI

• St Louis: the Gateway to the West has been the front door of the frontier since the beginning of the country. Its massive Arch celebrates the role of St Louis in America’s development and is one of the US’s most exciting cities with top-notch museums, great parks and rich musical heritage. Cruise the Mississippi River on an old-time paddlewheel steamboat, stroll the city’s incredible botanical gardens and catch inspiring blues in the Delmar Loop district. St Louis barbecue is legendary, its urban zoo a real treat, and the Cardinals baseball is a universal source of pride.
• Branson: Missouri’s Ground Zero for family fun and entertainment is the touristy town of Branson. Catch country bluegrass music at the Grand Ole Opry, ride the PowderKeg roller coaster in the superb Silver Dollar City amusement park or beat the summer heat in White Water water park. This all-American town is chock-full of 50 theaters playing musical tributes, live concerts, plays, comedy, and other G-rated entertainment.
• Mark Twain Cave: honoring one of Missouri’s most famous native sons is the state’s coolest cave. Samuel Clemens himself explored it before writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It’s a beautiful large cavern, flat enough for anyone to enjoy the 55-minute tour through its winding passages and towering rooms. Jesse James hid out here, as did runaway slaves seeking refuge via the Underground Railroad. It’s this mix of colorful history and natural beauty that makes Mark Twain Cave such a popular attraction and a good choice among the state’s 5,500 underground hideaways.
• Kansas City: once a trading post established in 1821, Kansas City evolved into the starting point of Oregon, Santa Fe, and California trails that led half a million pioneers into the American West. A lot of history has taken place here, and today its 1880s brick warehouses are home to trendy restaurants, bars, and shopping complexes exemplified by the new Power & Light District. An engaging mix of old and new, Kansas City is large, yet still feels intimate and friendly. Its barbecue, jazz, steaks, and rich frontier heritage are all highlights found nowhere else in America. Enjoy the parks, fountains, and lively neighborhoods filled with real people and diverse amenities.
• Elephant Rocks State Park: of the 49 state parks in Missouri, few are as otherworldly and enchanting as Elephant Rocks. Towering granite formations litter the area, many of which resemble elephants. The park is accessible to visitors of all ages and abilities and even has a special one-mile trail with signs marked in Braille. Enjoy a leisurely hike among the surreal boulders, go rock scrambling or bring a picnic. There’s nothing else like it in Missouri.
• Forest Park: this urban park in the heart of St Louis is one of the largest of its kind in America. Bigger than even Central Park in New York, this leafy green area is host to many of St Louis’ top attractions. The 1904 World’s Fair was held here, and today visitors can enjoy the city’s zoo, art museum, St Louis Science Center, the Missouri History Museum, and countless other recreation facilities. Lakes, woodlands, and walking paths cover the 1,371-acre park where you can easily spend an entire day exploring.
• The Ozarks: more than just a beautiful mountain range, the Ozarks are a rich repository of folk culture like nowhere else in the country. Rolling hills covered in hardwood forests and hundreds of lakes create a lifetime of outdoor recreation from hiking the 550-mile Ozark Trail to boating and fishing on the massive Lake of the Ozarks. There are fascinating rural hamlets with a rich heritage of crafts, music, and folklore such as Eureka Springs and Pocahontas. There is also an entertainment district on par with Branson.

WHEN TO GO TO MISSOURI

The best period to visit Missouri is from May to September.

Due to its central location in the heart of the country, Missouri has a reliably humid continental climate. This translates to hot summers and cold winters with four distinct seasons and extreme fluctuations in temperature. Spring is typically the wettest time of the year with rain between March and May. Spring is also when most of Missouri’s tornadoes occur, with an average of 35 touching down a year. The temperatures in spring, however, are a pleasant 65°F in April and 75°F in May.

Summers tend to be hot and humid, with daytime highs around 90°F from June through August. The high humidity levels during summer make that feel even hotter, uncomfortable, and sticky. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, but overall precipitation is no more than at any other time of year. Winters are the harshest time in Missouri. They can be very cold, with highs only at 40°F in December and January with lows of 20°F. An average of 20 inches of snow falls on the state in winter, and big snowstorms occasionally hit.

WHAT TO DO IN MISSOURI

Party on Lake of the Ozarks

Those in the Midwest know the wildest boat parties in America aren’t off the coast of Nantucket or on a sandbar in Florida. They’re along Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, where summers at Party Cove are like spring break, minus the rules. Revelers ranging from college kids to parents escaping their kids tie up here for weekend-long ragers. Floaties fill the water and people walk across boats from party to party. The human scenery is almost as great as the natural surroundings, and as long as you can keep up you’ll have a trip that makes Vegas look tame.

Following is a list of typical festivals and celebrations of Missouri.

• World Festival at Silver Dollar City: each spring in April or May, Branson’s popular Silver Dollar City amusement park hosts what it claims is the country’s largest international festival. Visitors can enjoy dance, music, food, and entertainment from countries and cultures across the globe.
• St Louis Art Fair: at least 150 artists from across America converge on St Louis’ Clayton neighborhood for Missouri’s biggest annual art celebration every September. Original work and creations are on display, many for sale, along with living entertainment, food, and kid-friendly activities.
• Ozark Empire Fair: since 1936, Springfield’s Ozark Empire Fair has been one of Missouri’s most popular annual events. This state fair-style carnival features everything you’d expect including carnival rides, concerts, awesome food, and livestock shows. It runs for several days in late August and early September.
• American Royal Barbecue: the planet’s biggest open barbecue competition happens every September at Kansas City’s American Royal Center. Around 500 teams compete to create the tastiest dishes possible with both meat and sauce. With big prize money at stake, the grilling is taken very seriously. As a spectator, you get the luxury of watching the masters in action and the chance to sample a few of the goodies.
• Kansas City Renaissance Festival: for seven weekends every fall, Kansas City goes medieval with one of the region’s most popular Olde World fairs. Beginning on Labor Day weekend, Bonner Springs transforms into a realm of knights in armor, jesters, maidens, and other colorful characters. Each weekend, 500 costumed people take part in jousting, period music, food, and endless other fun for families, kids, and anyone with a love for fantasy.
• Ranch Rodeo: Kansas City’s American Royal Center is the site of Missouri’s big rodeo event each October. The popular western event is held in the Kemper Arena every year. Enjoy watching calf-roping, bucking broncos, bull riding, and races of horsemanship.

HOW TO REACH AND TRAVEL THROUGH MISSOURI

Having your own car in Missouri will greatly enhance your experience, even if you don’t plan to travel far from your primary destination. Public transportation options are limited so a car is useful even within a single city. All of the big-name rental firms can be found in the airports and at downtown offices in large cities like Branson, St Louis, and Kansas City. Good interstate connections and rural roads make it quick and easy to get between Missouri towns.

Amtrak operates trains that cut right through the center of Missouri in an east-to-west direction. There are daily connections between Chicago, St Louis, and Kansas City that offers a slow, but scenic travel option between Missouri’s two main hubs. Between St Louis and Kansas City, there are stops in Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee’s Summit, and Independence. Amtrak trains are comfortable, but fares aren’t much cheaper than a domestic flight.

The Greyhound Bus and Jefferson Lines operate long-distance buses on the same route. Buses offer more stops, but the experience is notably less memorable than by train or car. Fares are cheap, but ultimately most travelers find they still need their own car at some point.

Kansas City only has the Metro public bus network for transportation around the city. It’s useful to reach the main tourist districts and is cheap. St Louis has a light rail Metrolink system to go with its bus service. The trains run from the airport to most of the popular districts at low fares.

Main airports are:

• Lambert-St Louis International Airport
• Kansas City International Airport

GENERAL INFORMATION ON MISSOURI
health tips & vaccination:

health tips & vaccination: none

local currency: US Dollar

local time zone: GMT-6 (-5)

electricity: [su_lightbox type=”image” src=”http://www.traveltv.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/A_plug.png”]type A[/su_lightbox] and [su_lightbox type=”image” src=”http://www.traveltv.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/B_plug.png”]type B[/su_lightbox] (120V – 60 Hz)

WHAT TO DO IN MISSOURI

Typical food in Missouri

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Souvenirs from Missouri

• Nascar merchandising

Source

http://www.thebesttimetovisit.com/
http://www.roughguides.com/
https://www.iexplore.com/