St. Joseph, Missouri (@StJoMo on Twitter) is one city that was the hub of numerous trails in American history.

The most famous is probably the Pony Express National Historic Trail; it runs for 1,966 miles from the launch point at “St. Jo” to California, and this year (2010) is the Pony Express Sesquicentennial 150 Year Anniversary.

You can visit the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph – interestingly, the Express only lasted 19 months because once the telegraph was run and then the trains were established, there was no longer any need for it.

Explorers Lewis and Clark camped on the Missouri River near what is now downtown St. Joseph. The Underground Railroad passed through here, too; find out more about it along with other African-American history in the Black Archives of the St. Joseph Museum.

Close to St. Joseph (mostly to the south and into Kansas) are more trails to explore: the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail and the California Trail.

Here is a National Park Service list:  all the National Scenic and Historic Trails.

For maximum fun, plan a trip to St. Joseph on the second full weekend of October, when the town goes orange for the free PumpkinFest fall festival (including hundreds of carved, lighted pumpkins on the “Great Pumpkin Mountain.”)

Coterie has kids in many of the productions, kids in the audience, kids learning from professional actors in acting classes, and they stage works written by teens during their young playwrights festival. This is a truly impressive facility and a real treasure in the Midwest; I particularly like how they tackle a lot of plays for tweens and teens, who are often left behind after the typical “Charlie Brown” school musical experience.

Raise your hand if you wanted to be Snoopy. I thought so.

The 2010-2011 season at Coterie includes a sci-fi triple feature (Flowers for Algernon is one of the three) a 13-and-older Sorority House of the Dead horror play around Halloween, Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, the Bridge to Terabithia, a Greek Mythology Olympiaganza that sounds amazing, Ben Franklin’s Apprentice, the young playwright festival and a new version of the musical The Wiz.

The quick video clip below is from one of their latest performances, “Lucky Duck.” Here is the direct link to the Coterie video on YouTube if you can’t see the box below, and don’t forget to say hello on the Coterie Theatre Facebook Page.

My own parents took me to the theater – all sorts of plays – at every stage of my young life. I am forever grateful to them for that, so get yourself to Kansas City and give your kids the gift of a live theater experience made just for them.

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction website, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me; that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin, West Virginia,  Washington,  Virginia,  Vermont,  Utah, Texas,  Tennessee,  South Dakota,  South Carolina,  Rhode Island,  Pennsylvania,  Oregon, Oklahoma,  Ohio, North Dakota,  North Carolina, New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Nevada, Nebraska, Montana and now we’re moving on to…Missouri!

The state is busy on all the major social media channels: they have multiple fun and engaging Twitter voices including @VisitMissouri plus @MoTravelMama, @MOTravelGuy, @MOPhotoGirl, @KatiesTrail, @MissMOitAll (awesome name!) and fishing updates from @VisitMOFish.  There is a Missouri tourism Facebook Page, a nice blog called The VisitMO Bistro and plenty of photos in @MOPhotoGirl’s  Missouri Flickr pool.

When I asked for Missouri travel ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for Missouri

***  From Sarah V. via @Wandering_Off on Twitter – I’m originally from MO! Columbia is a great college town.  St. Louis Zoo is phenomenal & free. Also, STL art museum.

***  From Sharlene via @DoubleAdventure on Twitter – Loved Main Street in St Charles when I was there earlier this month. And of course the arch.

***  From MoTravelMama via @MoTravelMama on Twitter – St. Louis offers many free attractions in Forest Park including an amazing zoo, history and art museum and science center. Kansas City also has a lot of free attractions: Money Museum, Kaleidoscope, Hallmark Visitors Center, great shopping and food. Branson ideas: Dixie Stampede, Silver Dollar City, Acrobats of China, Butterfly Palace, Titanic & Branson Landing, perfect for fams. Hannibal is a great family town. 4th of July is a great time there, Mark Twain Cave, Paddle Boat, Twain Home & downtown shopping.

(Can you tell she’s the Director of Communications for Missouri tourism?)

(cont.) Lake of the Ozarks has great family resorts, indoor/outdoor waterparks, shopping, water sports, mini golf and go-karts, and more! Jefferson City is has the State Capitol Building with museum, historic prison tour, Central Dairy Ice Cream, conservation center. St. Joseph is full of historical treasures. Pony Express , Patee House, Jesse James Home, Glore Psychiatric & Black Archive Museum. Hwy. 36 is the Way of American Genius. Disney, JC Penney, John Pershing, Mark Twain, Jesse James all lived along this highway. Springfield has a great Discovery Center, Jump Mania, Dickerson Park Zoo, Fantastic Caverns, Candy House & many historic theaters.

***  From Miss Dazey via @Miss_Dazey on Twitter – George Washington Carver National Park….families can learn history, explore science, hike and much more  http://nps.gov/gwca/index.htm Precious Moments Chapel, Carthage, MO  (town is neat too)  http://preciousmoments.com/content.cfm/park_chapel

***  From MASchweers via @MASchweers on Twitter – in St Louis – the Steam Ship Arabia…rather interesting.

***  From Andrea Torres via @AustinAndrea on Twitter – Never been, but my Missouri friends all reminisce about Silver Dollar City in Branson.

***  From Jared James via @count_01 on Twitter – Consider Elephant Rocks State Park, down in southeast MO, not too far from Ste Genevieve, which is itself worthy of mention.

***  From Allie Dillon via @AllieDillon on Twitter – Powell Gardens, 30m east of KC, MO on Hwy50. “Great place to grow family memories.” My sister loves this place. @powellgardens

***  From St. Joseph, Missouri via @StJoMo on Twitter – Visit the Pony Express Museum; all exhibits kid friendly including Play Area just for kids. www.ponyexpress.org St. Jo (MO) boasts 13 museums & 50+ listings on Nat’l Register of Historic Places (2000+properties) http://dld.bz/eQ6s This summer cool down at the St. Joseph Aquatic Park: enclosed water slides, lazy river & zero degree entry http://bit.ly/bFE4te Help celebrate the opening & dedication of the four-lane US Hwy 36 across the State of Missouri http://bit.ly/ddNGGL Remington Nature Center sits on the banks of the Mighty MO. Lots of kid-friendly attractions and activities http://bit.ly/cbOLlt

***  From Matt Flener via @mattflener on Twitter – Try fitz’s root beer in st. louis…great root beer fun! http://www.fitzsrootbeer.com Also if you like outdoor adventures…try devil’s ice box in columbia, mo http://www.mostateparks.com/rockbridge/cave.htm

***  From Mike via @VistaVision on Twitter – Kids like Lambert’s Cafe, Sikeston, Mo., where they throw much of the meal at you. http://bit.ly/aZ8G9r

***  From Jacqueline Conrad via @jhandleyconrad on Twitter – St Louis Zoo (excellent, well known and free,) Cardinal Baseball Game, Grants Farm, Lake of the Ozarks (huge,beautiful lake with tons to do.)

Facebook Travel Tips for Missouri

***  From Dara Quackenbush on Facebook – Visit Chillicothe, the home of sliced bread. While you’re there, go to the Hy-Vee and get a tenderloin sandwich. Evidently, it’s THE thing to do.

***  From Jen Miner on Facebook – Kansas City! The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

***  From Michel Hudson on Facebook – The University of Missouri in Columbia has a bunch of museums with a wide variety of things – all for free admission. Here’s a link to a page with current info: http://mizzouwire.missouri.edu/stories/2010/summer-fun/index Oh, and the Buck’s Ice Cream mentioned on that page is REALLY good – made on campus by one of their colleges.

***  From Todd Randall Jordan on Facebook – Missouri History Museum has large schedule of events - http://www.stlouiskidsmagazine.com/story/ice-cream-and-other-stories-history-museum

Get the Scoop: July 16 and 17 – Did you know the ice cream cone has a connection to 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis? Come learn about the history of this delicious dessert.

Aunt Katie’s Visit: July 23 and 24 – In 1990, local author Katie Rodriguez Banister survived an auto accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, she will read her book Aunt Katie’s Visit. She will also demonstrate some assistive technology.

Backyard Buddies: July 30 and 31– Listen to the adventures of the critters found in your own backyard.

And more throughout August.  ‎

Thanks so much for the contributions, everyone!

The BootsnAll Travel Network has some Missouri travel articles as well.

The next state in the series is Mississippi.

Send your Mississippi highlights to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (please tell me you’re a 50 state-er if you want to friend me.)

My purpose for this series is not only to highlight worthy kid-friendly vacation destinations in all 50 states, but by using Twitter and Facebook I want to also encourage tourism organizations to learn more about connecting with their visitors using social media and online networks.

Please add your own Missouri suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!

It’s a summer tradition in Missouri — the frozen custard dessert treat at Ted Drewes, so thick that the staff in their bright yellow T-shirts will hand it to you upside down, with the spoon jammed into the frosty goodness.

They also have a thick milkshake called “The Concrete,” pictured above. Don’t worry; it’ll melt into drinkability pretty quickly on a hot day.

There are two locations in St. Louis.

On our Midwest road trip last year, we visited the one at 6726 Chippewa, an old-fashioned walk-up place that has been there since 1941 (on a street that used to be old Route 66.)

There were tons of different kinds of ice cream and many sundae combinations — I got some version of the “All Shook Up,” because it involved a peanut butter mix-in.

Well worth a stop!

Related posts:

• Did you know about the Missouri Amish?
• Kansas City, here we come
• Photo of the Week: Gateway Arch

We stayed at the Hampton Inn at the Arch — I’m a big fan of Hampton Inns because the staff is always friendly, especially to families, and the breakfasts are great.

The Gateway Arch is also called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, in honor of President Thomas Jefferson’s involvement in the expansion of US boundaries to the West (through the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.)

Designed by famous Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, the Arch was built in 1965 to commemorate St. Louis’ role as the “gateway to the West;” the city was one of the last major jumping-off points for pioneer travelers.

Finding this photo reminds me that I never wrote up a proper post about our brief stop in St. Louis — look for that in the near future!

Related posts:

• Did you know about the Missouri Amish?
• Kansas City, here we come

We visited one such community — little Jamesport in bucolic northwest Missouri.

These are “old order” Amish, with the strictest requirements for plain clothing (no buttons, only pins) and they avoid using electricity, automobiles, gas-powered farm equipment, etc.

The result is a plain and simple life that has become a small but growing tourism draw in this part of the state.

I did not take any photos of the Amish for the blog because they forbid “graven images” of people, but the ones we spoke to were friendly and patiently answered a few polite questions about their lifestyle.

We stayed at the very comfy, well-supplied Arbor House Country Inn (hurray for their free WiFi!) which is right near “downtown.”

We’re talking a four-way stop sign and that’s it, folks.

There are several small antique and gift shops near the four-way, and a very helpful Visitor’s Center, but our favorite places to visit were the Amish businesses just outside of town.

After watching the busy bidding at the weekly Amish produce auction (which we just stumbled upon) my teenage daughter and I also admired beautiful quilts and furniture at Sherwood Quilts and Craft Shop, owned by Verna & Menno Graber, 1091 U Hwy, (660) 684-6802.

There was also an amazing variety of bulk foods and unusual items at H & M Country Store, owned by Sarah and Laverne Beechy, 21910 Hwy 190, (660) 684-6344.

I’m working up a possible travel article for a Texas newspaper, so can’t spill all the beans, but do consider a stop here if you’re traveling across northern Missouri.

I wish we’d stayed longer.

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, Amish, Missouri, Jamesport

Big enough for visitors to feel that bustling urban energy, yet small enough to be accessible for families, I think KC would be a great place to live as well. There’s a good cross-section of activities and interests, and the parks and fountains everywhere really add to the ambiance.

There are good itinerary suggestions here for the KC novice.

My teen and I visited two popular sections of town in the afternoon and evening. First up was the Country Club Plaza shopping area; the name is a little misleading because the architecture and art are Spanish/European and the colorful 15-block section was built in the 1920′s when that part of the city was “the country.” Many of the stores and restaurants are upscale chains that you can find elsewhere, but there are local spots, too. It’s very pretty and walkable, with free parking.

We were hungry as the evening wore on, so when the restaurant waits were too overwhelming at the Plaza, we drove to the historic 18th and Vine district for a fabulous Southern cuisine dinner (“Soul Food with Elegance”) at the Peachtree Restaurant. We still had to wait a little, but it was worth it. I had some terrific catfish with black-eyed peas and collard greens, and my teenager had the meatloaf. The sweet potato rolls were divine. We were a little underdressed since we hadn’t planned on ending up there, but the staff made us feel most welcome.

The soft live jazz during dinner made up for not having time to take in the show at the nearby Blue Room, which is attached to the American Jazz Museum. Minors are allowed with an adult, so it’s a good venue to take older kids to hear live jazz performances.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is also right up the street in this historically black section of town. Anyone who likes baseball should pay a visit to this tribute to players who had “a league of their own” until baseball was finally integrated when Jackie Robinson was recruited from the Kansas City Monarchs to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Negro Leagues actually lasted until the 1960s before they folded.

The next day, we spent a lot of time at the huge National World War One Museum, a highlight of Kansas City that opened in December 2006. Most Americans know little about WWI since we weren’t involved on a large scale for very long, but I had a grandfather who served aboard the USS VERMONT and a great-uncle who was gassed in France, so I’ve long had a personal interest.

You may wonder; why is this place in Kansas City?

The museum docent that I talked to felt that because the big Liberty Memorial was built in 1924, there has long been a tangible monument here specifically to commemorate the Great War. They’ve always collected WWI documents and artifacts, so opening the Museum was a logical next step. The focus is not just Americans in the War, but the War as a whole. It’s very comprehensive.

There are excellent videos, dioramas and displays, even little “Reflection Rooms” where you can sit and listen to selections of WWI-era music, poems, prose and personal histories.

In school, most kids only learn that the War started because of some mess in the Balkans, and they have to memorize a tangle of alliances that they don’t care about, so I strongly recommend this Museum to make this turning point in history come alive for them.

I’d love to return to Kansas City someday; it was a pleasure to visit.

Just remember that there’s a Kansas City, Kansas and a Kansas City, Missouri right next to each other, so check Web sites to see which side you’re going to.

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, Kansas City, WWI