Free Missouri! How to See the Show-Me State Without Showing Any Money
| Jefferson City, Mo. - As Tin Pan Alley lyricists Lew Brown and Buddy DeSylva famously observed, “the best things in life are free.” And some of the best free things are right here in Missouri, where you and your family can experience more than 300 events and attractions at no charge. A complete list is available on the Division of Tourism’s website, www.VisitMO.com by clicking on the “Free Admission” link located in the “Things to See & Do” box on the home page.Summertime is a perfect time to visit Jefferson City, when the legislature has wrapped up its work for the year (most of the time) and several of the city’s 12 free attractions have smaller crowds than during the school year.
The State Capitol is home to the Missouri State Museum, which features two galleries on the main floor of the Capitol, covering Missouri’s history, natural resources, veterans, and the Civil War in Missouri. The Capitol is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and the visitors are free to roam the museum at their own pace. Free, guided tours of the Capitol are available. Be sure to ask for a glimpse inside the House Lounge on the third floor of the Capitol’s west wing, which is home to a floor-to-ceiling mural, “Social History of Missouri,” painted by Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton.
Missouri Supreme Court Building offers free tours Mon-Fri Just across the street is the Missouri Supreme Court Building, which offers free half-hour tours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (tours fill up fast, so call 573-751-4144 in advance to book your tour). Using a portion of the proceeds from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, the general assembly in 1905 appropriated $400,000 to build the present three-story red-brick Supreme Court Building, which opened in October 1907, and features French Renaissance architecture, stone pillars at each wing of the front façade, stone trim and a slate roof. The building houses the offices of the Supreme Court clerk and the clerk’s staff, two courtrooms, the two-story high Supreme Court Library, and, by statute, the office of the state attorney general. Just down Capitol Street to the east of the Capitol itself is the Governor’s Mansion. First occupied in 1872 by Governor B. Gratz Brown and his family, the three-story Second Empire-style Governor’s Mansion has been home to 35 governors. The mansion is open for tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., but no tours are offered in the months of August or December. True stories of the Missouri Highway Patrol are on display (for free) every weekday at the Missouri Highway Patrol Safety Education Center at Museum, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nowhere else in Missouri is there such a comprehensive display of information concerning traffic safety, law enforcement, drug abuse and items relating to the history of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Call the center (573-526-6149) to schedule a tour.
Missouri Veterinary Museum boasts 3,500 artifacts dating from 16th Century By far one of the more unusual museums in Missouri is the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation Museum, located in the headquarters of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and by appointment on Saturdays, and is home to more than 3,500 artifacts dating from the 16th Century to the present, including manuscripts instructing early settlers on how to care for horses, a 1870s-era wooden operating table for small animals, a 1920s Shikles vaccinating kit for hog cholera and a collection of strange objects extracted from a cow’s stomach. Visitors also have the opportunity to touch and explore materials, such as bones, animal skins and hairballs.
Saint Louis Science Center – One of the many free attractions that the city have St. Louis is famous for its free family attractions, a complete list of which is available online at http://www.ExploreStLouis.com/visitors/forFree.asp. Forest Park boasts some of the state’s most popular free attractions, including the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo, featuring more than 6,000 exotic animals from the major continents and habitats of the world, The Saint Louis Art Museum, the first public-funded art museum in the country, and Saint Louis Science Center. Visiting the great outdoors is generally free, but Missouri has 55 State Parks and 46 Conservation Areas listed on the VisitMO.com website, each offering free admission to the public. Conservation areas, featuring wetlands, woodland and grassland habitat, rivers and streams, hiking trails, fishing and boating, can be found in all four corners of Missouri. From Fox Valley Lake Conservation Area in Kohoka to Fort Crowder Conservation Area in Neosho, and from the Otter Slough Conservation Area in Dexter to the Bluffwoods Conservation Area in St. Joseph, you can find an outdoor adventure that is close to home and perfect for your family. For more information about Missouri State Parks and Conservation Areas, visit the Missouri State Park website at www.MoStateParks.com, or the Missouri Department of Conservation website at www.mdc.mo.gov. There are plenty of free summer events in Missouri, too. Chesterfield will host the Faust Historic Village Open House events from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends of July 24-25, and Aug. 21-22, 28-29. The Faust Historic Village represents a cross-section of architectural styles and building materials from the 1840s to 1900. The historic homes in the Village offer free tours led by knowledgeable guides in period dress. The homes vary from a modest log cabin and a brick cottage built by German immigrants to larger and more sophisticated two-story homes, built by established landowners. For more information call 314-615-8329. Nearby Faust Park will offer a free summer concert series on Tuesday nights featuring musical acts Trilogy on July 20, The Ralph Butler Band on July 27 and Non-Stop Band on August 3. Gates and concessions open by 5:30 p.m.; music begins at 7 p.m. Call 636-532-3399 for more information. Dixon will host its 8th Annual Show-Me Shrimp Festival on Sept. 11-12, celebrating the harvest of the farm-raised prawns beginning at 9 a.m. Shrimp dinners are available, along with hamburgers, hotdogs, brats, chips, and beverages. The event includes a wine and cheese tasting, music, shirt giveaways, and games throughout the day. For more information call 417-664-2307. Mark Twain Lake will be the site of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica, The Wall That Heals Exhibit, Sept. 23-26 in Monroe City. This exhibit features a 250-foot replica of the original Memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring the more than 58,000 men and women whose names are inscribed on The Wall. The town of Fair Grove will hold its Heritage Reunion offering more than 300 arts and crafts, food, and fundraising booths and featuring country music; dancing; period entertainment from the 1800s; horse and mule obstacle course demonstrations; antique small engines; tractors; threshing; and lots of food. There is a parade on Saturday and church service on Sunday. Visitors can also visit the Wommack Mill; Bell Hotel; Miller’s Cabin; Blacksmith Cabin; Duke School House; Farm Machinery Museum; and other restored buildings on the square. For more information on great free attractions in Missouri, visit www.VisitMO.com or call 800-519-4800 to order a free copy of the Official 2010 Missouri Travel Guide. Contact: Related Links: Jefferson City: |
