Missouri is a state of two great cities and everything in between. Kansas City and St. Louis — separated by 250 miles of Interstate 70 — have been conducting a friendly rivalry for the better part of two centuries, disagreeing on barbecue (KC: sweet, thick, varied meats; St. Louis: pork steak, specific sauce), baseball (the Royals vs. Cardinals), and which side of the state deserves more of the attention. They are both right. Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District restaurant scene and its BBQ heritage make it one of America's most compelling food cities. St. Louis's Gateway Arch — 630 feet of stainless steel parabolically rising above the Mississippi River — remains one of the most architecturally extraordinary structures in America, and the city that surrounds it repays exploration.
Missouri tourism generates approximately $19 billion annually, with the two metro areas anchoring the economic activity and the Ozarks, Lake of the Ozarks, and Missouri River wine country drawing outdoor and leisure visitors throughout the state. The Gateway Arch National Park alone draws 2.5 million visitors per year — one of the most visited national park sites in the country.
The Arch, KC's Crossroads & The Ozarks
The Gateway Arch on the St. Louis riverfront is one of those structures that photographs cannot adequately represent — its scale and elegance only register in person, as it curves impossibly above the Mississippi. The tram ride to the top is an engineering marvel in its own right (tiny egg-shaped cars that rotate as they climb). The surrounding Gateway Arch National Park, the Old Courthouse where Dred Scott sued for his freedom, and the renovated Citygarden sculpture park make the riverfront a genuinely compelling half-day. The St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park — one of the finest art museums in the US — is free admission.
Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District has been transformed into one of the Midwest's great walkable neighborhoods — galleries, restaurants, bars, and the extraordinary National WWI Museum (recognized as the best WWI museum in the world) all within walking distance. The 18th and Vine Jazz and Blues District is where Charlie Parker was born and where Kansas City jazz — the swinging, after-hours style that influenced bebop — was developed in the 1930s and '40s.
"Arthur Bryant's BBQ in Kansas City is where President Carter ate, where food critic Calvin Trillin called it the single greatest restaurant in the world, and where the burnt ends were invented. Some arguments are settled."
KC BBQ, St. Louis Toasted Ravioli & Two Cities, One State
Missouri's food culture is dual-natured. Kansas City BBQ — specifically the burnt ends (cubed, double-smoked beef brisket point sections) that Arthur Bryant's invented and that every serious BBQ traveler must eat — defines one pole. St. Louis's toasted ravioli (breaded, deep-fried pasta pockets, invented in the Italian-American Hill neighborhood in the 1940s) and the St. Louis-style pizza (Provel cheese, thin unleavened crust, square cut) define the other. Both cities reward serious eating.
Kansas City BBQ royalty — the restaurant that food critic Calvin Trillin called the single greatest restaurant in the world. The burnt ends, the beef brisket, and the spicy sauce on white bread are the foundation of a food tradition. Presidents have eaten here. The burnt ends are not optional.
$ · BudgetThe Hill neighborhood is the heart of St. Louis Italian-American culture, and Charlie Gitto's is its dining room — toasted ravioli (invented here), house-made pasta, and a warmth that makes every table feel like a family dinner. The city's most beloved Italian restaurant.
$$ · Mid-rangeSt. Louis's answer to the BBQ conversation — slow-smoked over applewood and cherrywood, with a menu built around ribs and pulled pork that has won national competitions. Long lines, limited hours, and sells out daily. Arrive early or be disappointed.
$ · BudgetThe flagship restaurant of the Four Seasons St. Louis with dramatic views of the Gateway Arch — a wood-fired, Brazilian-inflected menu that is the most culinarily adventurous fine dining experience in the city. The cocktail program and wine list match the ambition of the food.
$$$$ · LuxuryTwo Cities, Two Scenes & The Ozark Lake House
Kansas City's boutique hotel scene anchors around the Crossroads Arts District — the Hotel Indigo Crossroads, the 21c Museum Hotel, and the Loews Kansas City Hotel run $150–$280/night. St. Louis's best properties include the Cheshire (a Tudor-style boutique hotel in the Central West End) and the Four Seasons overlooking the Arch at $300–$500+/night. Lake of the Ozarks, the state's sprawling inland resort lake, offers lake house rentals and resort hotels at $100–$250/night for a mid-Missouri getaway.
- Gateway Arch tram tickets sell out on summer weekends — book online through the National Park Service before your trip.
- Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City is cash-heavy and closes when the food runs out — typically 2–3pm. Arrive at lunch for the best burnt ends selection.
- The National WWI Museum in Kansas City is consistently rated the best WWI museum in the world. Allow 3–4 hours. It is not optional if you have any interest in history.
- Pappy's Smokehouse in St. Louis opens at 11am and regularly sells out by 2pm. Weekday visits give the best odds of getting ribs.
- Missouri's wine country along the Missouri River (Augusta, Hermann) is one of America's oldest wine regions — the first American Viticultural Area. The German-heritage towns and river bluff views make it a superb weekend drive.
- The Ozark National Scenic Riverways offer the best float trip camping in the Midwest — canoe the Current or Jacks Fork Rivers with overnight camping on gravel bars at virtually no cost.
Missouri: The Show-Me State Shows Plenty
Missouri is the state where the American Midwest meets the American South, where jazz met BBQ, and where two great cities have spent two centuries making each other better through competition. The Gateway Arch stands over all of it — 630 feet of elegant, impossible stainless steel framing the river that the westward expansion departed from, reminding visitors that this state was, for a century, where America pointed when it said "forward." It still points somewhere worth going.
Show me Missouri. 🏛️