The Missouri State Museum occupies the ground floor of the Missouri State Capitol at 201 W Capitol Ave in downtown Jefferson City, overlooking the Missouri River. Founded in 1919, the free museum traces Missouri’s natural and cultural history, from its rocks and rivers to its bitter Civil War divisions, and it draws history buffs, families, and school groups year-round.
Exhibits fill two halls on either side of the Capitol’s ground floor. Resources Hall covers the state’s geology, minerals, wildlife, and the natural wealth that shaped settlement. History Hall follows Missouri’s people from Native nations through statehood, the Civil War, and the twentieth century. Museum staff also lead tours of the Capitol, a 1917 building whose House Lounge holds Thomas Hart Benton’s mural A Social History of the State of Missouri.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The museum is open daily: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends (source: [Visit Jefferson City](https://www.visitjeffersoncity.com/listing/missouri-state-museum/70/)). It closes on Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day (source: [Missouri State Parks](https://mostateparks.com/hours/971/historic-site/missouri-state-museum)). School groups and lawmakers fill the building during the legislative session, which runs from January to mid-May. For quieter halls, visit on a weekend or in late summer. Book Capitol tours through the museum’s new online reservation system, which covers tour dates from June 1, 2026 onward (source: [Missouri State Parks](https://oembed.mostateparks.com/historic-site/missouri-state-museum)). Afterward, walk downhill to Jefferson Landing State Historic Site to see its riverfront buildings from the 1800s steamboat era.
