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Capital CountryA field guide to Jefferson City, Missouri

Field guide · Jefferson City, Missouri

Missouri's capital, on foot and by the river.

Jefferson City is small enough to walk and old enough to fill a weekend: a Capitol rebuilt after lightning, a prison that ran for 168 years, and a footbridge that drops you onto a river island.

Plan one day See the sights

Drawing of the domed Missouri State Capitol on its bluff, with a footbridge arching down to a wooded island in the Missouri River
The Capitol on its bluff and the footbridge down to Adrian's Island.

The short listSix things worth the trip

  1. The Missouri State Capitol

    Finished in 1917 after lightning burned the old one. Free guided tours start inside.

    Time 1 to 2 hours

  2. The Benton mural

    Thomas Hart Benton covered the House Lounge walls with Missouri's story in 1936. Some lawmakers wanted parts painted over; his contract kept it as it is.

    Time 30 minutes, on a Capitol tour

  3. Missouri State Penitentiary

    Opened in 1836, closed in 2004. Guides walk you through the cell blocks and the gas chamber.

    Time 2 to 3 hours

  4. Bicentennial Bridge and Adrian's Island

    A footbridge from the Capitol grounds over the rail line to a wooded river island. Best at sunset.

    Time 45 minutes

  5. The Katy Trail at North Jefferson

    The country's longest rail-trail passes just across the river. Ride an hour out and back on the flat.

    Time Half a day

  6. Governor's Mansion and Jefferson Landing

    An 1871 mansion on the bluff and the riverfront buildings where the steamboat trade once landed.

    Time 1 hour

HistoryThe capital in nine dates

  1. 1821A bluff on the Missouri River is chosen as the site of a new capital, named for Thomas Jefferson.
  2. 1826The legislature meets in Jefferson City for the first time.
  3. 1836The state penitentiary opens on the east edge of town.
  4. 1837The first capitol burns down.
  5. 1911Lightning strikes the dome of the second capitol; it burns the same night.
  6. 1917The present Capitol is finished, paid for by a $3.5 million bond voters approved in 1911.
  7. 1936Thomas Hart Benton completes his mural in the House Lounge.
  8. 2004The penitentiary closes after 168 years; tours begin a few years later.
  9. 2021The Bicentennial Bridge opens, linking the Capitol grounds to Adrian's Island.

More on the town's history →

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