• Ride to the top of the landmark Gateway Arch (website: www.stlouisarch.com) on St Louis's riverfront. At 192m (630ft) it is the nation's tallest memorial. It honours St Louis as the starting point for settlers who began their trek to the western frontier from the city and contains an observation deck and exhibits on the American West.

• Tour Hannibal, Mark Twain's hometown during the 19th century. Many museums and shows celebrate the author's life and works, including the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and the New Mark Twain Museum (website: www.marktwainmuseum.org).

• Explore the Arabia Steamboat Museum (website: www.1856.com) in Kansas City. Displayed are artifacts recovered from a steamboat that sank in the Mississippi with cargo in 1856.

• Visit Bennett Spring State Park (website: www.mostateparks.com/bennett.htm), popular for its scenic trails, canoeing, camping and trout fishing. Ha Ha Tonka State Park (website: www.mostateparks.com/hahatonka.htm) is a geological wonderland of caves, sinkholes, steep bluffs and famous castle ruins.

See the site of the nation's first daylight bank robbery, the Jesse James Bank Museum, in Liberty.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.