• Get soaked in Hurricane Harbor waterpark, or go for head-over-heels thrills on the Cape Crusader looping super-coaster, among the many rides and attractions at Six Flags St Louis theme park (website: www.sixflags.com).

• Explore the St Louis Zoo (website: www.stlzoo.org), home to over 5,000 animals from 700 species. Exhibits included are The Insectarium, Sea Lion Show and 3-D Movie.

• Take the family to the Worlds of Fun (website: www.worldsoffun.com) entertainment complex in Kansas City. It has more than 120 rides, rollercoasters and live entertainment.

• Shop the Country Club Plaza (website: www.countryclubplaza.com) in Kansas City, the nation's oldest shopping centre established in 1922. Covering a 15-block district, the plaza has over 150 shops and dozens of restaurants.

• Enjoy the pristine beauty of the Lake of the Ozarks (website: www.lakelinks.com) in central Missouri. The lake is 148km (92 miles) in length, has more than 1,850km (1,150 miles) of forested shoreline, and offers watersports, canoeing, golfing, tennis, caves, shows and museums, as well as the Timber Falls Indoor Water Park (website: www.timberridgeresort.com).

• Experience Branson (website: www.explorebranson.com). A live entertainment capital offering pop, swing, rock and roll, country and gospel music performances at around 52 theatres, it attracts major artists and entertainment legends. Also famous are its three picturesque lakes, Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake, perfect for fishing and water activities.

• Spend the day at Branson's best-known attraction, Silver Dollar City (website: www.silverdollarcity.com). Explore the turn-of-the-century crafts village with daily music shows and rides like the Thunderation Rollercoaster, the Fire-in-the-Hole and the Powderkeg.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.