Missouri's Heritage Highway - U.s. 36

Driving on U.S. Highway 36 reveals more than road signs to American small towns. It's a drive that tells the story of some of American history's biggest people and places. In Missouri, U.S. 36 is the East-West route between Hannibal and St. Joseph. On the eastern edge of the state, sitting along the Mississippi is Hannibal, the boyhood home of author Mark Twain and inspiration for his novels "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huck Finn." Hannibal celebrates their literary son with the National Tom Sawyer Days, a festival of fence-painting contests, races and great musicians. In Marceline, a man who made a mouse famous that is the hometown hero. A visit to the Walt Disney Hometown Museum reveals the family life of a young Disney that inspired the man and his magic. The leader of the American forces in World War I was once a boy. In Laclede, Missouri, you can tour General John "Blackjack" Pershing's boyhood home and visit the museum dedicated to his entire life. A stop in Hamilton reveals James Cash Penney's boyhood home and nearby is the museum containing memorabilia from his successful retail career as the founder of the J.C. Penney's stores. And finally, St. Joseph, the town of the Pony Express National Museum and the Jesse James Home. The Missouri River town was the first stop for the Pony Express and the last for Jesse James. To plan your trip along U.S. Highway 36, visit www.VisitMO.com or call 800-519-4800 to get a copy of your free Official Missouri vacation planner.