Jefferson City

Museums

Missouri State Museum

201 W. Capitol Ave., 573 751-4127. Tours are given for free every hour from 9AM to 4PM The Missouri State Museum is on the first floor of the Missouri State Capitol Building and managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.Today, the museum continues to showcase Missouri’s diverse history and resources. The museum houses both temporary and long-term exhibits, such as exhibits for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation Museum

2500 Country Club Dr, 573 636-8737, (http://www.visitjefferson...). No visit to Jefferson City is complete without a visit to this museum. Veterinary artifacts and instruments, many over 100 years old are on display. Instruments and equipment used in small and large animal surgery, old diaries and sample drug cases are a part of the display. The Museum is open M-F 9AM to 4PM, Saturday, by appointment.

Jefferson Landing State Historic Site

Jefferson St & Capital Ave 573 751-2854, (http://www.mostateparks.c...). Tu–Sa, 10AM–4PM, closed December. The area at the base of Jefferson Street, known as Jefferson’s Landing, was the site of the original river landing and the first area settled in the city. It is significant as a rare surviving Missouri River landing place. The structures in this historic site date back to 1839 making it the oldest riverfront landing on the Missouri River. As this site was later served by the railroad, several of Jefferson City’s largest businesses grew here.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Safety Education Center

1510 East Elm Street, 573 526-6149. The Center was opened to the public in April 1982. Nowhere in the State of Missouri is there such a comprehensive display of information concerning traffic safety, law enforcement, drug abuse and many items relating to the history of the Missouri Highway Patrol. Open M-F 8AM to 5PM

Museum of Missouri Military History

2007 Retention Drive, 573 638-9603. This museum is operated by the Missouri National Guard and is free of charge. It features displays about Missouri's involvement in every major military conflict since the Mexican War in 1846.

Outdoor and Landmarks

Missouri State Capitol Building

201 W. Capitol Ave., 573 751-2854. Recently the capitol building was rated as being the fifth most beautiful on the outside and first most beautiful on the inside of all 50 United States capitals by USAToday. Completed in 1917, the Capitol covers three acres in downtown Jefferson City. The Capitol tour will provide you with an excellent education on the State of Missouri and the structure that represents its home. Free tours are provided. M-Sa 9AM-4PM; no tours are offered during the lunch hour.

Missouri State Supreme Court Building

207 West High Street, 573 751-4144. The Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City became a permanent home for the Court at its completion in 1907 using funds from the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. Look for the glass floors in the library. Because the building did not have lights when it was built, the glass floors allowed light from the windows to filter down to the main floor. Tours of the Supreme Court are given M-F call ahead for times.

Runge Nature Center

330 Commerce Drive 573 526-5544, (http://www.mdc.mo.gov/are...). Year round, M-Sa, 8AM-5PM; Su from noon to 5PM. Enjoy the natural wonders of Missouri and the fish, forests and wildlife found here by strolling through exhibits or hiking nature center trails. Inside the center you will find an indoor wildlife viewing area, a nature library, and a small gift shop. Venture outside to explore over two miles of hiking trails. The Naturescape Trail is accessible to people with disabilities. Self-guided tours are always available; advance notice is required for naturalist-led programs. Free admission.

Governor's Mansion

100 Madison Street, 573 751-7929. The State’s first family invites you to tour their home to see its beautiful architecture and period furniture. Public tours of the first floor are conducted each Tuesday and Thursday from 10AM until 12PM and again at 1PM until 3PM, except during August and December. In December, Candlelight Tours are held on two evenings during the holiday season. Free Admission. Reservations required 24 hours in advance.

Carnahan Memorial Garden

100 Madison Street, 573 751-3249. The garden behind the Governor’s Mansion started in the late 1930’s as a WPA Works Progress Administration project. The WPA was created in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt to employ the thousands of craftsmen and the laborers out of work during the great Depression. The Governor’s Garden was renamed in 2001 as the Carnahan Memorial Garden after the death of Governor Mel Carnahan. A beautiful site for relaxing and enjoying the beauty and smell of blooming flowers. Many use the Garden as a location for weddings. To reserve the Carnahan Memorial Garden, please call 573 751-3249.

Lincoln University

820 Chestnut St, 573 681-5599. Jefferson City’s prized institution of higher education is the internationally recognized Lincoln University. The University was formed at the end of the Civil War by officers and solders of the 62nd and 65th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiments these units were mostly comprised of Missourians.

Soldier's Memorial Plaza

820 Chestnut St., 573 681-5599. To commemorate one of the most significant and selfless acts of empowerment, inspiration, and commitment to higher education in history, Lincoln University developed, constructed and dedicated the Lincoln University Soldier’s Memorial Plaza. This monument serves as a permanent tribute to the Lincoln University founders, the brave and benevolent men of the 62nd and 65th Colored Infantries who served gallantly in the U.S. Civil War.

National Cemetery

1024 East McCarty Street, (http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM...). Burials in Jefferson City National Cemetery date to summer 1861; its original purpose was for the burial of Civil War soldiers from the surrounding area. The site of the cemetery, which local residents Israel and Mary Read sold to the government, was surveyed for classification as a national cemetery during the war. However, its official designation did not occur until 1867, after the war and approximately 350 interments were completed. Jefferson City National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 1, 1998.

Louis and Clark Trail Head Plaza

Corner of Capitol Ave. and Jefferson St. A Lewis and Clark monument next to the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, officially called the Lewis and Clark Monument Trailhead Plaza, is now completed. The site recognizes again the city's connection to Lewis and Clark. The monument is near the corner of Jefferson Street and Capitol Avenue on the Capitol grounds overlooking the Jefferson Landing Historic Site and the Missouri River. This trailhead and monument connects the Katy Trail to the Capitol and the greenway trail network now that the Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge has been completed.

Missouri State Penitentiary

The longest operating prison west of the Mississippi, the MSP closed its doors in 2004. In 1954, overcrowding, the increasing violence of inmates and aging nature of the penitentiary climaxed into a three day riot. The national Guard was called in to suppress the rioting. When it was all over, four inmates were killed and millions of dollars of damage had been done. In 1963 -64, there were 550 serious assaults inside the Missouri State Penitentiary, including hundreds of stabbings, which is why TIME magazine called it the ‘bloodiest 47 acres in America. A few of the more famous prisoners include: Sonny Liston, James Earl Ray, and "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Recently decommissioned in October of 2004 by Governor Bob Holden, the City of Jefferson has great future plans for the prison with a large scale redevelopment plan.