My husband and I recently went to Missouri to see the eclipse and visit with family. The eclipse was truly awesome, and I’m so glad I saw it. But my old iPhone didn’t do it justice, so you’ll have to try another place to see great pictures. However, there was another part of our trip that I’ll share with you today.
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Hannibal, Missouri is best known as the boyhood home of Mark Twain. He grew up there and based many of his characters, especially the ones in Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, on people he knew there. For example, Becky Thatcher was inspired by Laura Hawkins, his childhood sweetheart. Huckleberry Finn was inspired by his friend Tom Blankenship.
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Hannibal welcomes Mark Twain fans with open arms. The historic downtown has all kinds of attractions and gift shops, and you can drive to the nearby cave if you want to relive that part of his stories. We spent most of our time at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum Properties. They give a great overview of Mark Twain’s life and works, and they carefully preserved many buildings where he and his family lived and visited. I loved immersing myself in all things Mark Twain, and I even learned a few things I didn’t know.
If you ever get to that part of the world, I highly recommended spending a day or two in Hannibal. Here’s a good website to check out: