Missouri
These 11 Towns In Missouri Were Ranked Among US Favorites In 2024
The enchanting state of Missouri, known affectionately as the “Show Me State,” is home to a wide variety of attractions, including the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the National WWI Museum in Kansas City. Yet Missouri has a plethora of other towns and cities, scattered across 114 different counties, that are ranked as favorites to visit in the United States this year. From the town of Branson, home of the Butterfly Palace, to Hannibal and the Mark Twain Cave, to the town of Ste. Genevieve, located near Hawn State Park, here are eleven of the best towns in all of Missouri.
Branson
Branson, ranked a state favorite due to a variety of natural attractions, is an oasis of delight for every member of the family. From Table Rock Lake State Park, with scenic hikes through the White River Valley and around Table Rock Lake, to the Branson Scenic Railway, providing picturesque journeys through the majestic Ozark Mountains, the town of Branson draws in people from all over the country. Some great cultural attractions, like the Promised Land Zoo, the Titanic Museum, and the Aquarium at the Boardwalk, the last of which features sharks, jellyfish, and even seahorses, are available in and around Branson as well. The Titanic Museum, featuring artifacts from the ill-fated ship of 1912, is an excellent venue to share with friends, family, or pretty much anyone.
Hermann
The quaint town of Hermann, located on the southern bank of the Missouri River, is home to the Deutschheim State Historic Site, which works to preserve a variety of historic buildings from the mid to late 19th century, the Historic Hermann Museum, and the Caboose Museum. Each of these venues features a diverse German heritage in its own unique way. Several cultural aspects also provide that German influence to the town of Hermann, including its own version of Oktoberfest, which is held in October and honors the multitude of different wineries and breweries in and around town. Hermann has some great attractions as well, like being close to the Missouri River, which offers kayaking, boating, and even fishing opportunities.
Cape Girardeau
On the western bank of the Mississippi River and only a few miles northwest of the city of Jackson, Cape Girardeau is home to a variety of natural and historic venues that encourage people to return again and again. From the Missouri Wall of Fame, which honors nearly 50 different celebrities from the state of Missouri, to the Crisp Museum and the Discovery Playhouse, history is alive for every age in Cape Girardeau. There are also several natural attributes in and around town, including Cape Rock Park and the Lazy L Safari Park, the last offering guests and visitors the opportunity to enjoy interacting with over 50 different species of exotic animals from Australia to Africa.
Fulton
Approximately 25 miles east of Columbia, the quaint town of Fulton has a wealth of historic attractions. America’s National Churchill Museum, located on the site of Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, and the Auto World Car Museum, home of a variety of antique cars, including a 1903 Humberette and a 1931 Marmon, provide a taste of the past. Several natural and cultural attributes can also be enjoyed in and around the town of Fulton. Visitors can explore the rustic Mark Twain National Forest, which offers over 750 miles of hiking trails, or they can take part in “Morels and Microbrews,” a festival celebrating music, microbrews, and mushrooms in the Brick District in May, or the Fulton Street Fair taking place at the end of June.
Weston
The quaint town of Weston has several natural attractions that encourage visitors to return year after year, including Weston Bend State Park, which is best known for great hiking trails like Bear Creek and North Ridge, a peaceful campground, and fabulous vistas of the Missouri River. There are also some great historical and cultural aspects in the town of Weston. From the National Silk Art Museum, featuring over 500 different pieces of silk art from France and England, to a variety of fall festivities, like Applefest and the Whiskey Festival, both of which take place in October, Weston is the perfect blend of small-town cultural comfort and hometown sensibilities.
Hannibal
With a population of around 17,000 residents, the town of Hannibal, Missouri, is perfect for that romantic weekend getaway or even a week-long vacation with the family. From checking out the view at Lover’s Leap and having a romantic dinner for two on a riverboat on the majestic Mississippi River to walking through historic downtown Hannibal and seeing sites like Mark Twain’s Statue, Becky Thatcher’s House, and the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse, there is something for everyone in this charming town. There are even a variety of great festivals in downtown Hannibal, including the Folklife Festival, the Big River Steampunk Festival, and the Harvest Hootenanny Festival, each celebrating what the town of Hannibal means to both visiting guests and those who call this great townhome.
Boonville
On the southern bank of the Missouri River and southwest of the Franklin Island Conservation Area, the small town of Boonville is a haven of natural amenities. From Katy Trail State Park, which has opportunities for equestrians, hikers, bikers, and nature lovers, to the Lewis & Clark Historic Trail, connecting 16 different states, including Missouri, the scenic beauty of this town can be enjoyed by everyone in the entire family. There is a historic aspect to the town of Boonville as well. Home to Ravenswood, a plantation farmhouse built in the late 19th century, and the Lewis Miller’s Mitchell Collection, showcasing a plethora of antique wagons, motorcycles, and cars, all under the Mitchell brand, the small town of Boonville is an oasis of historical, cultural, and natural attractions.
Carthage
Named after the ancient city of Carthage, which was once located northwest of the Mediterranean Sea, the small town of Carthage, Missouri, is located along Route 66 and is home to several great historic attractions. From Red Oak II, a unique recreation of the original town of Red Oak, Missouri, by Lowell Davis in the 1980s, to the Carthage Civil War Museum, to the Phelps House, which was designed and built by Colonel Phelps at the end of the 19th century, historic value is alive and well in this town of around 15,000 permanent residents. There are also some great cultural values to be experienced in Carthage, like the Maple Leaf Festival, which draws thousands of people annually, honoring the maple leaf through a variety of autumn festivities over a period of nine consecutive days in the month of October.
Ste. Genevieve
A great weekend getaway for novice, intermediate, and avid historians, the town of Ste. Genevieve is a haven of excellent attractions detailing the past. Home to the Centre For French Colonial Life, which showcases the circa 1793 Bolduc House and the Felix Vallé State Historic Site, famous for the 1818 Felix Valle House, the town of Ste. Genevieve is steeped in heritage. There are also several cultural and natural venues in and around Ste. Genevieve, including Hickory Canyons, Pickle Springs, and Hawn State Park, the last of which offers seven great scenic hiking trails, including the Whispering Pine Trail, a plethora of picnicking areas, and even options for camping overnight.
Lebanon
Home of the Lebanon Route 66 Festival, Bennett Spring State Park, and the Route 66 Museum, the town of Lebanon offers a nice blend of cultural, natural, and historic venues to visitors and residents alike. Whether you wish to check out the activities available at the festival with friends, hike nearby Bennett Spring State Park with family, or explore the history at the Route 66 Museum alone, there is something for everyone in and around Lebanon. Several other great cultural attractions call Lebanon home as well. The Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Midway Speedway both supply that sense of true adrenaline, while the Lebanon Christmas Parade, occurring annually in November, provides a taste of the winter holidays.
Sedalia
With a population of 20,000 residents, the town of Sedalia is an oasis of natural and cultural attributes guaranteed to please even the most cynical of people. From the Bothwell Lodge Historic Site, displaying a 31-room lodge constructed atop a bluff, to the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art to the Grandfather Prairie Conservation Area, an eighty-acre tract of land, the area around Sedalia has enough attractions to keep people entertained for at least a week. There are even several festivals available in the town of Sedalia, including the Ozark Music Festival, which occurs annually in September and honors the music the way it should be.
Missouri, located within the midwestern region of the United States, consists of a plethora of small towns that are perfect for everything from a quick day trip to a weekend getaway to a week-long vacation. From small towns in the northwestern county of Atchison to small towns in southeastern Pemiscot County, the great state of Missouri has some magnificent gems that are worth visiting over and over. Along with the eleven towns listed above, Missouri holds a multitude of other towns that can be easily ranked as favorite places for travelers to visit.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 28, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 0-7-2
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 9-9-6
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 4-5-0-4
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 1-4-6-7
Evening Wild: 0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 28 drawing
Early Bird: 04
Morning: 07
Matinee: 09
Prime Time: 06
Night Owl: 15
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from June 28 drawing
05-08-12-33-34
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Missouri
UPDATE: Well-known mid-Missouri attorney charged after sting expected to request home detention | 93.9 The Eagle
A prominent mid-Misssouri attorney has pleaded NOT guilty to a felony charge of enticement or attempted enticement of a child.
56-year-old Daniel Walter Follett is charged in Boone County Circuit Court. He had served as the Missouri Department of Revenue’s (DOR) general counsel until he was fired after last week’s arrest.
Court documents filed by Boone County prosecutors say Follett was allegedly using a prostitution website “to solicit sexual services from a person whom he believed to be a 16-year-old child.” The Boone County Sheriff’s Department’s probable cause statement says Follett allegedly arrived at an address in Boone County last week to pay money to have sex with a female whom he believed was under the age of 17.
Follett, who is currently jailed without bond, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon before Judge Kimberly Shaw and is expected to request home detention, based on online court records.
939 the Eagle News contacted the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) after Follett’s arrest. DOR released a statement about Follett’s arrest and status last week. It reads: “The Department is aware of an out-of-office incident involving a staff member who was arrested and charged with criminal activity. Following departmental procedures, employment has been terminated with the individual.”
What’s next: Follett is scheduled to appear in Boone County Circuit Court on Tuesday at 1 pm for a bond hearing before Judge Kimberly Shaw. Follett is represented by defense attorney Jessica Caldera, a former Boone County assistant prosecutor. Follett is expected to request home detention from the court until his trial. Boone County prosecutors have described Follett in a court filing as a flight risk.
Sarah Laub tried everything to get her son with learning disabilities a better education.
She drove him to a private school an hour and a half away from their home in rural Missouri before being directed to the local public school. When he continued to struggle, she tried homeschooling.
The local school district in Stockton, a town with a population under 2,000, just couldn’t provide everything her son needed, despite teachers’ best efforts.
“They really did not have the funds to provide him with everything he needed, and he really, really struggled,” Laub told The Independent.
As her son approached high school, she researched schools near Kansas City and decided to move her family to Blue Springs, a growing suburb with 20 schools awarded a National Blue Ribbon by the U.S. Department of Education. There, her son learned to enjoy his education and immerse himself in activities like theater.
“Seeing the difference that funding made and the difference in resources that a rural school versus a suburban school had was so infuriating,” Laub said. “All kids deserve to have access to those resources.”
For years, she fought for her son to get what he needed, but now she’s bringing her anger to a larger fight — one she believes has vast implications for public schools statewide.
Laub is part of a coalition called Parents for Missouri Public Schools that is organizing families against a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow state lawmakers to raise sales and use taxes in order to repeal the state’s income tax. Fueled by parents worried about the future of their kids’ schools, the organization is one of many groups labeling Amendment 5 an affront to public education.
The fight over Amendment 5 has largely been framed as a tax debate, with those in favor of the proposal pitching it as a way to drive more business to Missouri. But for public school advocates, the central question is what happens to classrooms if the state phases out a tax that supplies a major share of general revenue and replaces it with sales taxes under the purview of the state legislature.
“Amendment 5 could dramatically harm the bottom line of public education funding in a time in which public schools cannot take another hit,” Molly Fleming, a professional organizer behind Parents for Missouri Public Schools, told The Independent.
State funding of public schools came up $138 million short this fiscal year due to the state budget’s overreliance on lottery and gaming taxes, reducing the amount of per-pupil funding by a couple hundred dollars. The discrepancy has a disproportionate effect on schools who rely more heavily on state support, which tend to be Missouri’s rural districts.
The budget lawmakers passed this spring, which has yet to be signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, keeps funding flat, coming $190 million under what the state’s formula for determining aid to public schools called for. And officials are predicting lean years ahead as the state reserves dwindle.
“The cut to public-school funding was a very serious thing for me to want to be able to get involved,” Sierra Kilpatrick, a mother of five in North Kansas City and regional organizer with Parents for Missouri Public Schools, told The Independent. “I need to do something, so I don’t feel helpless. I can go out and talk about this.”
Supporters of Amendment 5 argue Missouri should move away from taxing income and toward a system they say would make the state more competitive, attract investment and let residents keep more of what they earn. They have framed the proposal as a way to force lawmakers to modernize the tax code while giving them flexibility to replace lost revenue.
“Other states with no income tax have grown at a pace much faster than Missouri,” Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a recent radio interview. “We’re losing population, they’re gaining population. That isn’t sustainable.”
But opponents say the measure asks voters to trust lawmakers to replace the state’s largest revenue source without guaranteeing that public schools will be protected if the math does not work.
A woman at a pro-Amendment 5 town hall in Grandview earlier this month asked if public schools would face additional cuts, saying she worried lawmakers might not prioritize stable education funding if given more control over taxation.
Republican state Rep. Bishop Davidson of Republic, who sponsored the tax cut amendment, said he thinks public education would benefit from revenues being tied to consumption rather than income.
“States that rely on consumption taxes rather than income tax revenue have more stable budgets and more predictable budgets,” he said.
Davidson’s claim is largely true, with research showing that income tax revenues decline faster in a recession than sales taxes. But policy analysts have varying recommendations to fight volatility, advising states to plan ahead with large reserves or diversify its tax portfolio by not leaning too heavily on one tax system.
Amendment 5 calls for local governments to cut tax rates to keep revenue neutral, since it assumes more goods and services will be subject to both state and local sales tax. It includes a provision barring municipalities from lowering local funding of public schools under these clawbacks, but it does not prescribe any protections at the state level.
The Missouri Budget Project, a left-leaning public policy think tank opposing Amendment 5, estimates that the change could cut school budgets by 18%.
“It really does feel like a tax break for billionaires and millionaires versus safeguarding funding for public schools,” Fleming said. “There are a lot of parents who also are worried about their own bottom line, or worried about increased gas taxes, or whatever it may be.”
Fleming has an extensive background in organizing work, including the formation of a group called Parents for KC Kids which advocated for the passage of Kansas City Public Schools’ bond measure last year. Voters widely approved the $474 million bond, the first capital improvement bond to pass in the city since the 1960s.
Around 90% of those involved in Parents for KC Kids had never campaigned before, Fleming said. The group raised just over $11,000, according to Missouri Ethics Commission filings, contributing to a decisive victory through volunteer efforts and word of mouth.
The families who got involved in the campaign kept their advocacy work going, helping lay the foundation for Parents for Missouri Public Schools.
“When the bond passed, it was like a trigger went off in everyone’s head that, oh my gosh, we can do important things,” said LaNeé Bridewell, a mom in the district. “It is kind of like a bug. We got bit by the bug, and that first one gave us momentum and clarity about our ability to make change.”
Kathryn Evans, a Kansas City mom and nonprofit consultant, was used to helping charitable organizations advocate for themselves but hadn’t yet gotten involved in school matters apart from the parent teacher association. She joined the bond fight to help secure better facilities for neighborhood schools. But after the win, she hasn’t stopped seeing needs.
“Once we won that campaign, I became more aware that there are a lot of threats,” she told The Independent. “We just won a lot of money for our schools so that we can have nicer buildings and facilities, but there are plenty of threats to public education fundamentally.”
Across the state, parents in the Francis Howell School District in St. Charles County took on a similar battle this year.
In April, the county voted on a proposed property tax freeze, which would have stalled local revenue that public schools rely on, with 59% of voters rejecting the measure. The proposal was part of a bill passed by state lawmakers last year that also sought to incentivize sports teams to stay in Missouri.
Jamie Martin, who is president of a group called Francis Howell Forward, partnered with Fleming to educate her neighbors on why frozen property tax rates could harm local schools.
“Because of the property tax fight, I had learned a lot about taxes and how they’re divided up and how they work and how they fund schools,” Martin told The Independent. “So when I saw Amendment Five come on the horizon, I was like, ‘Oh, that is going to have major impacts for public schools,’ and public schools are something I care a lot about.”
Earlier this month, Martin led a training for parents in St. Charles to learn about Amendment 5. Her profession as an education researcher has put her at the front of countless training sessions, but the energy in this room stood out.
“These parents are ready, not just to hear the information and to complain, but these parents are ready to act,” she said.
Over the past few weeks, volunteers with Parents for Missouri Public Schools have held regional meetings in community centers, homes and restaurants. They ask attendees to spread information in a way that fits their schedule, whether it be in social media posts, play dates or more formal campaigning by flyering or making calls.
“The goal is to educate people on this so that they can go out into their communities and educate more people by word of mouth,” Kilpatrick said.
Although summer schedules are busy, Evans said, volunteers are finding ways to work advocacy into their schedules, motivated by the hope of helping their kids’ education.
“We as parents have the highest stakes, but we also have a lot of agency to make a difference in the outcome because of our relationships with each other,” she said. “We are going to be connected as a parent community because we all care about our kids.”
The coalition is also working to influence school boards to pass resolutions warning about potential impacts of Amendment 5. In the past week, school boards in Lee’s Summit and Kansas City have adopted such statements.
Parents for Missouri Public Schools has not taken a partisan stance, instead focusing on the impact to school funding and parents’ personal budgets.
“We are not affiliated in any way with any party,” Evans said. “There is a shared interest in protecting public schools, and that spans all kinds of differences.”
So far, the group has reported one contribution large enough to trigger 48-hour disclosure requirements: a $10,000 contribution from St. Louis-based Missouri Wins Investor Network. Smaller donations will be included in the committee’s July 15 report.
“It is pretty rare that we have an opportunity in Missouri to bring people together across such broad differences to all walk together towards something that we want to protect,” Evans said. “In this case, it is protecting public schools, protecting everyday Missourians.”
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