The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge was opened to traffic in 2000, and connects Illinois and Missouri…read moreover the mighty Mississippi. It is the gateway to get to Hannibal, the boyhood home of Mark Twain.

This truss bridge crosses the Mississippi River connecting Illinois with Missouri on US 72. The…read morebridge is the second bridge to honor author, Mark Twain. The first bridge fell into disrepair and was replaced by this newer structure in 2000. Supposedly, there is a memorial stone near the entrance to the bridge, but I did not see it. I did see great views of the bridge from downtown Hannibal, Twain's hometown. There is no charge to cross the bridge.

We went for a birthday celebration and I am so happy for this experience. Great bed and breakfast,…read moreunlike any other bed and breakfast. If you enjoy historical places, this is one to visit. This gives you an opportunity to see what life was like back in the day, from the plumbing in the bathrooms to the old light fixtures and so much more. Juan and Warren are great hosts. Upon checking in at four, you receive a tour of the home. Afterwards the hosts share a Wine and Cheese reception with their guests and afterwards you are able to explore the home on your own. In the morning coffee and tea is provided prior to breakfast. Breakfast was delicious and served in the dining room on china. Please knWe truly enjoyed this bed and breakfast and look forward to visiting again!

The mansion is breathtaking it is unbelievable with the 100 year old details and exquisite details…read morein every room. When you go for this tour Juan loves to share the knowledge and information about the family and the details. I don't want to give too much away because you really need to visit! But Tiffany stained glass throughout the house, leather wallpaper, and so much more. This mansion was made before its time and is a masterpiece! The only issues we stumbled on were locating the parking and then finding a place to park.

This was a great experience for me, and my family! We stopped here on our way out of town and…read moreabsolutely loved our 60 minute walk-through the cave. Our tour guide was Avery and he was fantastic! From the middle that we stepped out to take a picture in front of the cave until we exited through the gift shop. It was a great experience. We walked through places in the cave that were noted in the adventures of Tom Sawyer, and through the cave history, including the thousands of signatures in the cave. We also participated in 15 through a pay dirt bag. This space is grade for all ages, and they have ample souvenirs. In the gift shop. We even visited the winery across the street. We look forward to potentially camping there in the future.

Very much a definition of a tourist attraction, the Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, MO ended up being…read morea worthwhile stop for my wife and me during Day 4 of our Mississippi River/Upper Midwest road trip. The stop was one of those places where I planned as a possibility if we had time and made sense, so didn't buy tickets upfront and thus paid the full adult price ($29.99 pp) when we got there. Other tours at the attraction included a guided tour of the Cameron Cave, a trolley tour, and Mark Twain Live Show. The Cameron Cave is the sister cave of this one, kept much more in a natural state (so more appropriate for visitors who come to visit a cave vs a museum for Samuel Clemens) , only open during the summer, and has almost twice the number of passages. We bought our tickets just as the 60 minute tour was starting, so we were hurriedly ushered into the starting theater where the short movie was ending. There was one other couple in our tour, and it was nice that our group was so small. Our guide was a young man who made up for his lack of knowledge in some areas with a lot of enthusiasm. The history of the discovery of the cave was given. He guided us around various areas (some a bit tight) and showed how dark the cave was without artificial light (would not want to be down here without a flashlight)...definitely brought to life some of the scenes I read in 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. It also showed how children during that time would play in the cave without adult supervision... made me think of how my lack of sense of direction would have been a big problem. The cave is privately owned, and was declared a National Landmark in 1972. Part of the tour included seeing the famous people who had visited the cave as part of previous tours, leaving signatures. Our guide mentioned that 'Darth Vader' had left his mark there, but couldn't tell us who the actor was. Later I learned that it was Spencer Wilding, who portrayed the Sith Lord in 'Rogue One'...for my generation, Darth Vader is David Prowse (physical) and the iconic James Earl Jones (voice). It was a consistent 55 degrees in the cave which was a nice relief from the outside heat. We also learned how the cave was used for town meetings when it got really hot, and the places where children would doodle and pass time as their parents would deal with the town problems of the day. As we left, we entered a modern room with more information about the history of the cave as well as some small mockups of the passages. The exit led to the same gift shop where we bought our tickets. As we exited, we noticed a set-up for the Mark Twain Mining company, where kids of all ages could prospect for valuable minerals in the 'river'. We came during the low season so it wasn't running. We went to Mark Twain's home as an adult and father in Connecticut last year around this time, so was nice to come to Hannibal to see his childhood home, and experience a little bit of his childhood by coming to this cave and the tourism that surrounds it.

Really impressive dam with spots to park and walk the length of it. It also has a modern and…read moreinformative museum about the dam itself, hydroelectric generation, and the nearby state park. They have a kids' area too. If you're in the area, it's worth a stop. NOTE: This dam is in Ralls County, Missouri.  I keep updating the location on Yelp, but the admins keep rejecting my changes.

Visitors will come across an engineering wonder while traveling along the Great River Road. The…read moreupper Mississippi River has 29 lock and dam structures built along it, forming a "stairway of water" that allows barges, towboats, and pleasure boats to travel from St. Louis to St. Paul (or vice versa). These striking structures aid these barges and boats in adjusting to the elevation change on the northern section of the river. I've seen locks on the Thames from when I lived in the UK but never knew that the Mighty Mississippi had locks. I was surprised and had to check this one out. Sadly, it's completely secured with strong fencing and while you can see some of it from the riverside, a tour would be needed for a proper look. And yes, some of the locks do offer tours - Dubuque Iowa, Fulton Illinois, Rock Island Arsenal Illinois and Illinois City Illinois - this isn't one of them. You won't find locks and dams on lower sections of Mississippi River. Why? The Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Ohio, and other rivers flow into the Mississippi, making the river naturally wider and deeper downstream. [Review 19732 overall - 209 in Missouri - 704 of 2023.]

Samuel Clemens grew up in Hannibal Missouri, though he wasn't using his pen name of Mark Twain at…read morethe time. He learned the trade of riverboat pilot, earning his pilot's license in 1859 at the age of 23. Clemens had signed on as a pilot's apprentice in 1857 while on his way to Mississippi. He had been commissioned to write a series of comic travel letters for the Keokuk Daily Post, but after writing five, decided he'd rather be a pilot than a writer. He piloted his own boats for two years, until the Civil War halted steamboat traffic. Have a read at one autobiographical chapter: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1875/03/old-times-on-the-mississippi-part-iii/537831/ The caption with this statue of Train reads, "In 1857 young Samuel Clemens began to learn the trade of a steamboat pilot on the Lower Mississippi River. When his piloting career ended with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Clemens went to Nevada Territory where he first used pen name Mark Twin in 1863 while writing for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City. Clemens took the name 'Mark Twain' from the River sounding that indicated 12 feet of water which was safe for navigation. This statue was given to the City of Hannibal by the Schwartz Family of East Hannibal, Illinois, July 4, 2003." The statue is located in Riverfront Park where there is plenty of free parking. [Review 19723 overall - round number 200 in Missouri - 695 of 2023.]

Great stop even though we didn't go inside. We climbed up the stairs about 30 minutes before it…read moreclosed. We lucked out and saw the beautiful light show.

When are you going to see a lighthouse in the middle of the country? This little lighthouse was…read morebuilt in 1934 to honor Mark Twain on the 100th anniversary of his birth. The picturesque lighthouse is non-functional and overlooks the Mississippi River. There is a plaque that describes the history of the lighthouse, which was dedicated in 1935 by Franklin Roosevelt. In 1960, the lighthouse was destroyed in a windstorm and rebuilt in 1963. The current building was dedicated by John Kennedy in 1963 and later renovated in 1994. You can see the lighthouse house from downtown Hannibal and climb the steep stairs to view up close. We drove up the windy road to the base where there is free parking for about a dozen cars. After ascending a short flight of steps, we were rewarded with views of the Mississippi River, downtown Hannibal and peeks of the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge. The lighthouse is not open for tours, it's just an outside visit. There is no charge to see the building. There are no amenities at the site except for a bench. The lighthouse is worth a short visit.

An interesting look at another part of Mark Twain's life in Hannibal…read moreWhile visiting the Mark Twain sites in Hannibal, we stopped at Grant's Drug Store. It was next to Becky's house toward the river. It was another very interesting part of the story of Samuel Clemens and his family. There is a large sign that explains this significance to his story. According to it, in 1846, the Clemens family fell on hard times and could no longer afford to live in their own home. The Grant family invited them to live in the rooms above their pharmacy, sharing their home and food with the family while Samuel's father, John Marshall Clemens, tried to get his career and finances back in order. For a short period of time, this building actually became Mark Twain's home. The building is nicely maintained and has two stories of displays and information to explore. There is a short movie that helps explain the history of the building and its connection to the Clemens family. I enjoyed the displays and video about the drug store itself and how medicines were prepared during that period. Seeing some of the equipment and learning how a pharmacy operated in the 1800s made the visit more than just a connection to Mark Twain and his story. There is quite a bit of information packed into a relatively small building, so take your time and look around both floors.SOme of the plexiglass can make parts of it hard to read. Individually, some of these buildings may seem like small stops, but together they give you a much better understanding of Samuel Clemens, his family, and what his childhood in Hannibal was actually like. Overall, Grant's Drug Store was very nice, well kept, and definitely worth including as you make your way through the Mark Twain sites in Hannibal. Enjoy!