Hannibal Missouri
- Major Airports:
- Lambert-St. Louis (STL)
- Abraham Lincoln/Springfield (SPI)
- States:
- Missouri
Step into the living world of Mark Twain
Where the Twain Meets
Walk in Twain’s footsteps, discovering the places that inspired "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Explore the eight buildings that comprise The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum to see the writer’s childhood home, a National Historic Landmark and one of the earliest home preservation projects in the country. Visit the home of Laura Hawkins, the little girl that inspired the character of Becky Thatcher; Mark Twain’s father’s Justice of the Peace office; 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings and a reproduction of the home of Tom Blankenship (Twain’s inspiration for Huckleberry Finn), as well as buildings featuring hands-on exhibits and artifacts detailing Twain’s life. Go out back of Twain’s house to paint the Famous Whitewashed Fence.
Tour Mark Twain Cave, Missouri’s oldest show cave and the cave in which the writer played as a child in Hannibal. While there, wine lovers can sample the unique Mark Twain vintages exclusive to the site’s Cave West Winery (and don’t leave Hannibal without sampling the cave-aged cheeses and homemade fudge). Catch a stage performance by a Mark Twain actor at historic Planter’s Barn Theater or Cave Hollow Theater. Ride the Mark Twain Riverboat on the Mighty Mississippi River, where narrated cruises take you past Hannibal landmarks and places Twain memorialized in his work like Cardiff Hill and Jackson’s Island.
Classic Fun & More History
Stroll historic Downtown Hannibal to browse locally-owned shops and dine at restaurants nestled along the river, as well as visit art galleries and theaters. Learn more about the Titanic’s Unsinkable Molly Brown, enjoy some mini golf or tour a mansion. Outdoor enthusiasts will find Hannibal’s 20-plus parks full of scenic overlooks, challenging walking and biking trails and historic statues. Golfers can enjoy Hannibal’s fine public courses. Watch Hannibal’s streets come alive at one of the many festivals that take place each year.
Fun Fact
Along with Mark Twain, Margaret Tobin Brown, known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” after the Titanic disaster, also made Hannibal her home.
Though Mark Twain wrote about Hannibal often during his career, he never specifically named it in his work, calling Tom Sawyer’s home “St. Petersburg.”