Missouri State Capitol

As we were driving back from Columbia, Missouri, Alex asked to stop to see the Missouri State Capitol building. I regularly travel to the capitol and thought it would be interesting for him to see the museums and possibly take a capitol tour. It was a Saturday and there were only a few people visiting the building. Alex had his camera and started snapping shots of the building and the statues outside.

When we went inside, Alex was mesmerized by the rotunda. I described for him the rallies and the events I have attended in the rotunda and showed him the seal of Missouri. We walked up the steps and looked at the ceiling and the rotunda floor from all areas.

While walking around, Alex opened a door and found a tour that was visiting the Thomas Hart Benton gallery. The gallery is only open for tours, so we joined the group and got to spend time in the gallery as well as in the House of Representatives gallery. The capitol tours are very informative and are run by the Missouri Department of Conservation/Missouri State Parks. All tours and the museums are free and open to the public.

 

We also enjoyed visiting the two museums that show the cultural and natural history of Missouri. One of the museums is interactive and allows kids to try on clothes from the 1800s and check out what a Civil War camp was like. Alex was especially interested in the manufacturing displays that showed Grape Soda.

For more information, check out the Guide to Touring Missouri's State Capitol