Without meaning to, I accidentally planned the most bookish vacation. Each fall we take a vacation to a new state and this year we visited Missouri. When researching, we decided to visit places that sounded interesting or were relevant to our children. By the fourth day of our vacation I realized that nearly every stop coincided with a book! So here I'm detailing out our entire vacation so you can take this bookish trip too!
Hannibal
We spent the first few days in Hannibal, Missouri. I had visited here as a child but didn't remember much of it. We booked a little house near the downtown area which ended up being a great spot since it was close to everything.
We didn't know it, but the downtown was hosting a festival called the Hannibal Folklife Festival, so everything was decorated so beautifully for fall and there were so many lovely booths set up.
We visited the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum first and my kids really enjoyed it. My 5th grader was reading Tom Sawyer for the first time so he loved reenacting the classic scene from whitewashing the fence.
The museum pass takes you to many different buildings throughout the downtown area, and the last building had many artifacts from Mark Twain's life. The coolest was seeing the original Norman Rockwell drawings he did for his series on Tom Sawyer. Many of Rockwell's drawings were inspired by his visit to the Mark Twain Cave, where we went next.
The Mark Twain Cave Tour was very unique. We've visited a few caves in our area this last year, but none were like this cave. This one you could interact with. At one point we sat on a ledge on the cave wall, and we weren't afraid to touch the cave (other caves we've visited scold you for brushing up against a cave wall).
It was covered in thousands of signatures, including Mark Twain's and Norman Rockwell's, which is also something we've never seen before. There's a lot of history there!
Click here to see all of the books we read to prepare for this trip!
Stoutsville
The next day we visited Mark Twain's birthplace in Florida, MO. It's basically a field, a marker and a little hiking trail.
But the weather was incredible so we hiked down to the beach near there and collected feathers (there were 100's on the beach) and enjoyed the sunshine on the trail. The actual house he was born in was moved to a small museum within the Mark Twain State Park.
This was closed the day we went, so we weren't able to see it, but we did a lot of hiking in the state park and it was beautiful. We ate lunch down by the beach and then hiked the White Oak Trail and I can't express how pretty it was! The fall colors were out in full force.
Mansfield
My favorite part of the trip was probably our stop in Mansfield at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Home & Museum. Last year we visited her home in De Smet, South Dakota so I went in expecting it to be similar but it was very different!
This spot focused much more on Laura's life as a woman, a mother and an author, and what her life was like as an adult. The books only cover her life up to the age of 19 or so, and she died at age 90!
Click here to see all of the books we read to prepare for this trip!
Laura lived in Missouri for 60 years of her life. One house on the property was built by her and Almanzo, being added on to slowly over time. The other nearby house was a home her daughter Rose customized and built for them and they occupied it for 7 years.
The homes and the museum were full of many amazing artifacts that are mentioned in the books. We saw some of her original manuscripts, clothes she wore, the Christmas clock, photographs, her library and Pa's fiddle!
Branson
Then we headed to Branson, where we went to the Shepherd of the Hills park. It was decked out in pumpkins and fall decor everywhere because the next day they were having a special night event.
That meant that the park was extra quiet the day we went. We mini-golfed, pet animals in the petting zoo, walked across the giant treehouse trails, went on the giant slide about 50 times, and enjoyed all of the sites to see.
There's a historical chapel, and the original cabin on the property (where the book Shepherd of the Hills was written) and a giant lookout tower where you can see for miles.
There was so much to do in the park that we didn't add on seeing a show, but the park was a bit busier when it got closer to showtime. We ate lunch in their cafe and the prices were really reasonable.
Click here to see all of the books we read to prepare for this trip!
We also went to some of the shops downtown, but they really weren't that great. There's a lot to do in Branson but we spent a decent amount of our time relaxing, watching movies and playing board games.
The Titanic Museum was the highlight for most of my kids. They do a wonderful job of making it kid friendly with lots of interactive exhibits but they also remind you of the tragedy of the entire event.
There is an exhibit where the air was as cold as it was on the deck that night and a place where you can stick your hand in the water and feel how cold it would have been.
My favorite was seeing every single passenger listed and named with information about what happened to them after the Titanic (if they survived). It was inspiring and a bit overwhelming too, just sitting with the massive impact of this tragic event in history.
Click here to see all of the books we read to prepare for this trip!
Kansas City
As we headed back home we stopped overnight in Kansas City and visited a museum called The Rabbit Hole.
I wish we had a museum like this in my city. Every exhibit is based on a children's book! If you're a book-loving family and live anywhere near Kansas City, I would definitely recommend a visit. It seems like it's best for kids ages 10 and under, and it's very interactive.
I was a bit disappointed because they had one exhibit on My Father's Dragon closed due to short staffing (they were preparing for an event that night) but otherwise it was fantastic. My kids enjoyed it so much and I loved their book selection in their bookstore!
A Bookish Trip
If you're looking for a place to visit next, put Missouri on your list! I honestly was surprised by how much we enjoyed our trip. I think reading books about the places you're visiting, for parents and for kids, can make such an impact on what you get out of it. There are so many beautiful places in this state to see and I hope you get a chance to visit some of these places!
