Discover the Show-Me State: Top 15 Fun Facts About Missouri That'll Surprise and Delight You
1. Missouri: The Real-World Gotham City
Missouri may just be the real-world equivalent of Batman's Gotham City – only with fewer vigilantes and more guided tours: The state is home to an impressive number of caves due to its karst topography, such as the Fantastic Caverns, Smallin Civil War Cave, and Talking Rocks Cavern that are open for the public to explore and witness rare cave life and fascinating geological formations.
Source => yall.com
2. Gateway Arch: The Tallest of the Tall
In a world where Lady Liberty and the Washington Monument play "Who's the tallest?", the Gateway Arch swooshed in saying, "hold my beer": The 630-foot tall Arch in Missouri not only claims the title as the tallest monument in the National Park system, but even towers over other famous landmarks, making Mount Rushmore's 465-foot tall head carvings look like a stroll beneath the legs of this sky-grazing beauty.
Source => nps.gov
Did you know that Colonel Sanders first created his iconic fried chicken recipe in a small café in Corbin, Kentucky? Learn more about the birthplace of KFC and its history of rising from literal ashes! 🍗🔥
=> Fun Facts about Kentucky
3. Kansas City: Bebop-a-Lula's Birthplace
Bebop-a-Lula, Kansas City style: Missouri’s very own Kansas City played host to a swinging jazz scene in the 1920s and 1930s, giving birth to the famous Kansas City jazz that saw legends like Count Basie and Charlie Parker jamming their way into musical history, as friendly competitions fueled endless variations of tunes in a single night.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
4. The Surprisingly Tasty Ice Cream Cone Origin
Before food art exploded on social media and ran the risk of being lost in the corn-fusing art-galaxy: one of the first ice cream cones was invented by a Syrian vendor, Ernest Hamwi, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, among grand palaces made of sweet corn, breathtaking sculptures crafted from butter, and awe-inspiring towers of breakfast cereal. Hamwi later opened the Missouri Cone Company in 1910, turning his waffle-inspired creation into a commercial success.
Source => thevintagenews.com
5. Captain Berry's Gravity-Defying Parachuting
Before skydiving became a thrilling bucket-list activity, a certain daredevil captain decided to test gravity, swapping his comfy airplane seat for a literal "leap of faith": In Missouri, US Army Captain Albert Berry became the first person to parachute out of an airplane, jumping from a Benoist plane piloted by Tony Jannus in St. Louis. The event involved Berry climbing onto a trapeze-type bar to put on his parachute, all while flying high in open air, showcasing true courage and a penchant for adrenaline-pumping pursuits.
Source => missourilife.com
6. Anheuser-Busch: A Century of Beery Tours
Hold onto your beer goggles and prepare to be "hoppy": The St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch brewery has offered public tours of its foamy wonderland since the 1890s, making it the hotspot for brewski enthusiasts to explore the birthplace of Budweiser and Michelob ULTRA for over a century.
Source => anheuser-busch.com
7. Missouri's High-Stakes Casino Playground
Well, who said Show-Me State folks don't like a little pizzazz? Known for more than just their BBQ and Mark Twain, Missouri residents have a penchant for trying their luck as well: Missouri is a casino haven, generating substantial revenue through gaming taxes, ranking 10th in the country and funding areas like education, veterans, and community programs. In fact, St. Louis/Illinois and Kansas City are the 9th and 12th largest casino markets in the U.S. respectively, creating a high-stakes playground in the heartland.
Source => missouricasinos.org
8. Gooey Butter Cake: A Delectable Mistake
In a world where superheroes are made through disastrous lab accidents, Missouri revels in its own sweet and sticky glory from a kitchen gone awry: St. Louis is the birthplace of the gooey butter cake, a dense yet delicious confection that originated as a delightful baking blunder in the 1930s by a German American baker, now enjoyed far and wide beyond its humble St. Louis beginnings, with flavors aplenty and even a convenient, individually wrapped version for on-the-go buttery bliss.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
9. Parks Galore: The Ultimate Adventure Haven
Missouri: where your hiking boots can earn more mileage than your car, and you can have a picnic without ants crashing the party: The state hosts an impressive park system with 3,500 campsites, 194 cabins, and over 1,000 miles of trails. With the longest developed rails-to-trails project in the US, and a whopping 200,000 acres worth of parks and historic sites, Missouri is the ultimate playground for adventurers of all ages and interests.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
10. Mark Twain Forest: Caves & Underground Wonders
You might say Missouri is crawling with underground nightlife and offers more knee-slapping fun for cave enthusiasts than a spelunker’s bachelor party: The state houses over 500 unique caves in Mark Twain National Forest, providing habitats for rare species like cave salamanders and southern cave fish, world-class white-water kayaking in shut-in creeks, and is home to one of the largest lead ore deposits on the planet—the Viburnum Trend.
Source => fs.usda.gov
11. Missouri: The Godfather of American Wine Regions
Missouri: where wine trolleys are the designated drivers and cars befriend grapes! In a place where wedding vows are sealed with a 'cheers', Historic Augusta – just 45 minutes from St. Louis – proudly holds the title of America's original wine region, having been the first federally designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the United States, recognized in 1980 even before Napa and Sonoma.
Source => visitaugustamo.com
12. The Unlikely Love Story of the Missouri Mule
Missouri – where horses and donkeys refuse to be defined by their species, and love conquers all, creating an odd couple with a big bite: The Missouri Mule is the state animal, offspring of a female horse and male donkey, known for its instrumental role in World Wars, resilience in agriculture, and once being the nation's top mule producer, finally gaining official recognition in 1995.
Source => sos.mo.gov
13. Missouri: Canoes, Canoes, and More Canoes
Who needs a luxury yacht when you can have a colossal canoe? Missouri's got you covered: Contrary to popular belief, the state's name, derived from the Missouri tribe of Sioux Indians, doesn't mean "muddy water" but actually translates to "town of the big canoes," according to the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology. Some interpretations add a little more flair to the name, suggesting "wooden canoe people" or the more mysterious "he of the big canoe."
Source => sos.mo.gov
14. University of Missouri: Pioneers of Western Education
In the land of Mark Twain and Daniel Boone, where the Show-Me State housed the first ever game of "shotgun, no returns": The University of Missouri holds the honor of being the first public university west of the Mississippi River, established way back in 1839, having since expanded to over 31,000 students, with an iconic school of journalism, and an impressive roster of alumni including Nobel Prize winners and U.S. Congress members.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
15. Missouri's Thriving Showbiz & Performing Arts Scene
Welcome to Missouri, where the hills are alive with the sound of music (and laughter): This lovely state boasts a thriving performing arts scene in theaters like the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre, Sight & Sound Theatres, and The Haygoods, where visitors can enjoy everything from country and gospel tunes to musicals and comedy acts.
Source => wanderlog.com
