Recreation & Entertainment

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Missouri offers tremendous opportunities for recreation and entertainment. Between the two different, dynamic cities of Kansas City and St. Louis, and a varied terrain, numerous options exist whether for urban or outdoor pursuits throughout the Show Me State.

Missouri boasts many outstanding museums covering a broad range of subjects. The Saint Louis Art Museum in St. Louis offers free admission to view its collection of over 30,000 works of art, with pieces as disparate as Oceanic art and late 19th and 20th century American art, to its strong representation of 20th century German painting. The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis features historical exhibitions as well as Missouri Historical Society Research Collections documenting regional history for St. Louis, Missouri, the Mississippi and Missouri Valleys, the Louisiana Purchase Territory, and the American West. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City showcases an internationally renowned collection of over 33,500 objects dating from ancient to modern times. The Kansas City Museum in Kansas City, located in a historical mansion, offers regional history displays, a 50 seat planetarium, and natural history dioramas related to the city and the region. Modern art aficionados will want to visit the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City featuring works of contemporary and modern art from around the world, and also featuring fascinating outdoor sculptures. Aviation fans will enjoy visiting the Airline History Museum in Kansas City, a memento to historic airline transportation featuring photographs and other paraphernalia, in addition to historic aircraft such as the Lockheed L1049 "Super G" Constellation. The National World War One Museum in Kansas City is located at the Liberty Memorial and features highly interactive exhibits and a collection of objects from World War I. Music aficionados should not miss the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, featuring interactive exhibits, a performing arts theater, and a working jazz club, all dedicated to American Jazz.

Performing arts lovers have excellent options in the Show Me State. Classical music aficionados can enjoy the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the second oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S., which performs for over 325,000 people each season; and the Kansas City Symphony, founded in 1982 and featuring 80 full time musicians. Fans of opera will enjoy the Opera Theater of St. Louis, with its history of English performances using both familiar and unconventional repertory sung by young Americans. The Muny Theatre in St. Louis prides itself as the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor theater. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, formed in 1966, is the region’s premier live, professional theatre. The State Ballet of Missouri in Kansas City, celebrating its 50th season, features a 25 member professional ballet company performing three mixed repertory seasons annually, as well as the Nutcracker.

Missouri’s interesting history provides the state with many locales for history buffs to enjoy. At Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a World Heritage Site, visitors can witness the location of an archaeological site of a prehistoric native civilization that lived here from A.D. 700 to 1400. This is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. Many sites throughout the Show Me State commemorate the expansion of the U.S. into the frontier of the West. Several of these are managed by the National Park Service. The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail traces the famed expedition of William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, their guide Sacagawea, and their team of explorers across 11 states to the Pacific Ocean. The Pony Express National Historic Trail is famed for the young men on horseback carrying the U.S. mail at high speed from Missouri to California. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail extends from western Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, another 19th century route important to traders and expansion. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail follows the tragic plight of the Cherokee Indians, who were forcibly removed to Oklahoma from their southeastern homes. The Oregon National Historic Trail follows the former pathway to the Pacific Ocean for those seeking gold, trading fur, and missionaries from Missouri to Oregon; thousands of pioneer families traversed this route to settle the West. The California National Historical Trail follows the route of gold seekers and farmers on their way west to California in the 19th century. Another important site is the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis, which commemorates the lives of the former President and Civil War general and his wife at her family home. The western expansion is memorialized at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, which includes the Museum of Westward Expansion and the famed Gateway Arch. The park celebrates Thomas Jefferson’s role in opening the West to pioneers, and to Dred Scott, who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse. The George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond celebrates the "Plant Doctor", George Washington Carver, who learned as a boy how to garden and became influential as an agricultural scientist. Wilson's Creek National Battlefield near Springfield marks the site of the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River and offers a museum with artifacts dating to the war west of the Mississippi. Former President Harry S. Truman is celebrated at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Independence and Grandview, and showcases the home where Truman spent many years of his life. The Harry S. Truman Memorial Library in Independence features exhibitions and collections from Harry S. Truman’s time as President and also outside of politics.

Family friendly attractions abound in Missouri. City Museum in St. Louis features an eclectic mix with a funhouse, children’s playground, and pavilion, many made with salvaged objects; the vast space includes "Enchanted Caves", "MonstroCity", and "World Aquarium", among other delightful exhibits. At Kaleidoscope in Kansas City, children and their families can explore exciting environments while using art supplies and recycled materials to create new works themselves. At the St. Louis Science Center, visitors can enjoy the OMNIMAX Theater, a planetarium, and such exhibits as the Marvel Super Heroes Exhibition. Children will rejoice in the animal-friendly attractions in the Show Me State. The St. Louis Zoo is home to an amazing 17,900 animals in various habitats, and the Kansas City Zoo houses approximately 900 animals throughout the 202 acre (0.82 square kilometer or 81.7 hectare) park. The World Aquarium in St. Louis houses approximately 10,000 animals on display, and focuses on hands-on learning about the Mississippi River, the Amazon River, and the connecting oceans.

Missouri offers eclectic attractions throughout the state. Some noteworthy sites include the Anheuser-Busch Brewer Tours in St. Louis, home of the largest brewer; the Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the oldest botanical institutions in the country and the site of 79 acres (0.32 square kilometers or 32 hectares) of beautiful gardens; the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, one of North America's largest facilities for the conservation of birds; and the fountains of Kansas City, the "City of Fountains", with over 40 public water works.

Outdoor adventures await in all parts of the Show Me State. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Van Buren, Eminence, and Salem feature two of the nation’s clearest and loveliest spring-fed rivers, and represent the first national park area to protect a wild river system; visitors can expect rugged bluffs and water excursions. Mark Twain National Forest contains some of the best of the Ozark Mountains in the state, and features rivers, hiking trails, and mountain biking routes. Buffalo National River is one of the last remaining rivers in the lower 48 states without dams, and offers tremendous scenic beauty among limestone bluffs as it wends eastward. Bell Mountain Wilderness is a 9,027 acre (36.5 square kilometer or 3,653 hectare) wilderness and is part of the ancient St. Francois Mountains; the Wilderness offers rugged hiking experiences. Taum Sauk Mountain State Park features the state’s highest waterfall and provides 7,448 acres (30.1 square kilometers or 3014 hectares) to explore. Missouri is also home to many cave systems. At Ozark Caverns, visitors can experience the protected cave environment of soda straws, helictites, stalagmites, and other formations, including the unusual Angel Showers, which presents as a never-ending shower of water falling from a solid ceiling of rock. Fisher Cave and the Cathedral and Onondaga caves should also be enjoyed by cave buffs.

Sports fans have several professional teams to enjoy in Missouri. Football fans can enjoy NFL teams Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams. Major League Baseball fans have the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. Soccer fans can cheer the Kansas City Wizards, and hockey fans enjoy the St. Louis Blues.

The Show Me State offers endless opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy.

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