Located in north-eastern Missouri, Hannibal is a charming Mississippi River town strongly related to one of the nation's most well-known writers, Mark Twain. Twain grew up in Hannibal, and you can visit his youth home on Hill Street. The residence, which has been carefully renovated, is a museum containing manuscripts and.

Hannibal also includes numerous locations thought to have motivated settings in the stories of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn: Becky Thatcher's house, Grant's Drug Store and the fence that is allegedly the one Tom Sawyer cunningly convinced his friends to whitewash. Mark Twain Cave and Cameron Cave are just southeast of town—take a sweater if you visit them, as it is unpleasantly cold inside. At Cardiff Hill, there are statues of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, and a bust of the author stands in Riverview Park.

After you have seen the Twain tourist attractions, you may want to visit two of the city's most notable historic homes: the Garth Woodside Mansion, a graceful Victorian home, and Rockcliffe Mansion, a river manor with art-nouveau appointments. The Molly Brown Dinner Theater presents melodic revues April-December.