For non-Missouri natives, my home state is just another boring Midwest state full of farming and fields and hillbillies. While it is true that there is an abundance of farms and crops (can't speak for the hillbillies since I've never met one), Missouri has a lot more than just that. Missouri is known as the "Show me State," and I think that rings true. At first glance it's endless nothingness, but with a closer look, you'll find that there's quite a lot to do.
1. Lake of the Ozarks
With over 1,000 miles of shoreline, the Lake of the Ozarks is one of Missouri's biggest tourist attractions and gets 3.5 million visitors every summer. The lake has numerous activities like swimming, fishing, boating, and restaurants. There's cliffs to jump off and fireworks every weekend. Cell service isn't the greatest there, but there's so many things to do (even if you're just napping in the sun on an air mattress in the lake) that you can afford to live with spotty service for a couple days.
2. Haha Tonka State Park
Yes, despite the totally bizarre name, it's a real place I promise. Haha Tonka is a state park next to the Lake of the Ozarks. It has miles of trails running through woods for hiking, and if you don't mind several hundred stairs, the burned ruins of a castle built in the early 1900s rests at the top of a cliff with a beautiful view of the lake. On the way back down from the castle, you can make a stop at the picturesque natural land bridge, formed from a collapsed cave and revel in the fact that you got in an excellent workout and got some pretty great pictures out of it.
3. Caves
This may come as a surprise to you since it certainly was for me, but Missouri is full of caves. And by that, I mean there's over 6,000. Obviously, many of these are too small for tours and only good for spelunking, but there is still a decent amount open for tours to the general public, such as Marvel Cave in Silver Dollar City, Cathedral Cave, Jacob's Cave, and Bridal Cave (where you can get married for anyone who's lifelong dream is to tie the knot in a subterranean cavern). So if you aren't claustrophobic and want to check out a cave, go forth and explore—
or get married.4. Float Tripping
5. Silver Dollar City
6. Kansas City Amusement Parks
Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun in KC go hand in hand and are a great summer outing, especially on hot days when you can ride rollercoasters in the morning and go to the waterpark in the afternoon. Side note: it's on the Missouri side of Kansas City (which is the cooler side).
