Hannibal, MO – A true Gem of a Town

Have you ever been to this amazing town?! Hannibal, MO is the CUTEST place! The childhood home of Mark Twain AKA Samuel Clemens and the setting for his books; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Papa Gnomie and I went to this charming town on the Mississippi River over the 4th of July weekend. What a blast! The town is cute and full of small quaint shops, yummy cafe’s and friendly people! Just north of St. Louis, and about a 3 hour drive from our house, we wandered through the back woods of MO and took our time gawking and pointing as we drove. Missouri isn’t all flat and treeless…it has rolling hills, tons and tons of trees and quaint picturesque small towns to explore. We have been pleasantly surprised that MO is every bit as beautiful as the PNW! Before visiting MO, we envisioned flat, corn fields for miles and miles and not much else. LOL Granted, there are those areas here but they are definitely not the majority of the state but only a small part.

“The true Patriotism, the only rational patriotism, is loyalty to the Nation ALL the time, Loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.” ~ Mark Twain

We so enjoyed our time staying in a restored historic hotel (it was formerly a brothel on the riverfront), loved all the local food (Be sure to try Maid Right sandwiches and the locally made Root beer) as well as watching the annual 4th of July parade full of locals showing up loud & proud (the high school band was AWESOME – video below).

Last, but certainly NOT the least, and the main reason we came to Hannibal, was to see and take in all that is “MARK TWAIN”.

The town has done an excellent job at preserving and promoting Mark Twains early life. They boast 3 museums and all are nicely done! We were pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the price points were for each one – very much worth the cost. Of course, I felt it was my duty to support their endeavors and purchase a lot of merchandise and souvenirs. 🙂

We capped off our fantastic adventure with a sunset view of the “Mark Twain” sternwheeler docking and a huge firework show over the Mississippi River. If you ever get a chance to visit Hannibal MO you should take it! A ‘must do’ for any Mark Twain fan. (raising my hand here!)

We LOVED Hannibal Missouri and can’t recommend it enough. A true gem!

Have a Blessed and Wonderfully Gnomie Day!

Eileen