Six Missouri museums make list of “50 midwest museums we love” by Midwest Living

• May 21, 2015

Six Missouri museums have been named to Midwest Living’s list of “50 midwest museums we love.” Located all around the state, there’s sure to be something on the list for everyone in the family. Check them out:

• Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum
  Recognized as one of the leading art museums in America, this cultural powerhouse packs in more than 34,000 works of art. Asian and African art, European masterpieces, American classics, photography, sculpture—whatever your interest, you’ll find something to admire. For an in-depth experience, grab an MP3 player and headset in the lobby for a free audio tour about the collections, architecture and sculpture garden. Free.
• St. Louis: City Museum
  The word “eclectic” doesn’t begin to describe the zany world inside a former shoe factory. Kids and adults navigate their way through an Enchanted Caves area built into the factory’s spiral conveyor tunnel system. Some of the spirals have been transformed into giant slides—one that’s 10 stories tall. Other attractions include an aquarium, a rooftop Ferris wheel and an interactive sculpture called MonstroCity where kids crawl, jump and climb through a maze of materials. Tip: Wear long pants to avoid scrapes and bruises. Admission charged.
• Kansas City: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
  Films, photos and artifacts tell the story of the Negro National leagues that started in a YMCA in Kansas City in 1920 and spread throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America through the 1960s. It’s designed like an old brick baseball stadium, complete with antique turnstiles. Highlights include 12 life-size bronze sculptures of Negro League players, 11 of whom have been honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Admission charged.
• Kansas City: National World War I Museum
  Inside the front doors, 9,000 silk poppies each represent 1,000 lives lost during World War I. The moving experience continues with interactive exhibits and recorded testimonies that share the war experience from the viewpoint of soldiers, their families and the civilians living in affected countries. Take an elevator followed by 45 stairs to the top of 217-foot-tall Liberty Memorial Tower for sweeping views of downtown. Admission charged.
• Branson: Titanic Museum
  Beyond the fake iceberg puncturing the bow of the ship-shape building lies a sober story of history’s most famous disaster. Visitors get up-close looks at a deck chair, menu card, life jacket and other salvaged items. Re-created rooms show the glory of the central staircase, a first-class cabin and the tilt of the sinking ship’s deck. Admission charged.
• Hannibal: Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
  See the buildings Mark Twain made famous in his books. Just a stone’s throw from the Mississippi, the complex consists of eight buildings, including the Mark Twain Boyhood Home, Huckleberry Finn House and Becky Thatcher House as well as the Museum Gallery, which houses 15 paintings Norman Rockwell created for special editions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Wander the riverfront to see life-size statue of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Admission charged.

Midwest Living is a lifestyle magazine devoted to celebrating life in the heartland with features on the homes, gardens, recipes, people and places in the American Midwest.

See the full list