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The white dome of the Missouri State Capitol rises over the bluffs of the Missouri River, and almost everything in Jefferson City orbits it. Chosen as the capital in 1821 and named for Thomas Jefferson, the city of about 43,000 is small enough to walk, yet full of the stories of a frontier state.
Inside the Capitol, Thomas Hart Benton's mural of Missouri life covers the walls of the House Lounge, and the Missouri State Museum fills the ground floor. A few blocks east, the Missouri State Penitentiary, opened in 1836 and closed in 2004, offers some of the most gripping prison tours in the country. German immigrants left their mark on the Old Munichburg neighborhood, and Lincoln University was founded in 1866 by Black Civil War soldiers.
The Bicentennial Bridge carries walkers out to Adrian's Island for a view back at the Capitol, and across the river the Katy Trail heads off through farmland and Missouri River wine country. Runge Nature Center and the Museum of Missouri Military History round out a trip.
Completed in 1917, the Capitol has a 238-foot dome, a grand rotunda and bronze doors facing the Missouri River. Its most famous room, the House Lounge, holds Thomas Hart Benton's mural A Social History of the State of Missouri. Free guided tours run daily; check times at the visitor desk on the ground floor.
A red-brick Renaissance Revival mansion completed in 1871 on a bluff beside the Capitol, home to Missouri's governors ever since. Free guided tours show the grand staircase, parlors and period furnishings when the schedule allows, and the garden is decorated for the holidays. Check tour days before visiting.
Located on the first floor of the Capitol, the museum has two halls: one on Missouri's natural and cultural history, the other on its resources and industry, from lead mining to riverboats. Admission is free, and it pairs naturally with the Capitol tour. Allow about an hour for both halls.
At the Ike Skelton Training Site east of town, this free museum traces Missouri citizen soldiers from the frontier militia through the world wars to recent conflicts. Uniforms, weapons and personal letters fill the galleries, and aircraft and vehicles stand outside. Bring photo ID to enter the base.
Opened in 1836 and closed in 2004, this prison once held boxer Sonny Liston and James Earl Ray, who escaped in 1967. Guided tours lead through stone cell blocks, the dungeon cells and the gas chamber, and evening ghost tours are offered too. Tours often sell out on weekends, so book ahead.
One of the few surviving Missouri River landings of the 1800s, centered on the stone Lohman Building of 1839 and the Union Hotel. Exhibits recall the steamboat era, when goods and travelers arrived here by river. It sits near the Capitol and the Bicentennial Bridge, so combine them on one walk.
A historically Black university founded in 1866 by veterans of the 62nd and 65th Colored Infantry regiments, who pooled their pay to open a school. The hilltop campus has historic buildings and a memorial to its soldier founders. Visitors can walk the grounds and see the original university hall.
The historic German neighborhood south of downtown along Dunklin Street, settled by immigrants in the 1800s. Brick storefronts now hold local restaurants, bakeries and a brewery, and the district celebrates its heritage with a fall Oktoberfest. Wander a few blocks and look for the old storefront signs.
Opened in 2018 for the state's bicentennial, this pedestrian bridge spans the railroad tracks from Capitol Avenue to Adrian's Island on the Missouri River. Trails on the island follow the water, and the walk back gives one of the best views of the Capitol dome. It is especially pretty at sunset.
Across the river in North Jefferson, a trailhead gives access to the Katy Trail, a crushed-gravel path of about 240 miles on a former railroad. Heading east, riders pass farmland, bluffs and small wine towns along the Missouri. A connector path links it to the Capitol over the Missouri River bridge.
A free nature center run by the Missouri Department of Conservation on the edge of the city. Inside are exhibits on Missouri wildlife, an aquarium and a window onto busy bird feeders; outside, several miles of trails loop through oak-hickory woods, glades and ponds. It is a calm, easy outing with children.
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