We’re in Kansas this week visiting family and friends. We came by way of Columbia, Missouri where we watched two of our grandsons place 13th and 14th in the State cross country meet. Their team, coached by their dad, Ryan, and mom (our daughter Tobi), took FIRST in State for the third year in a row! We are busting our buttons! It was fun to watch the awards ceremony with their big brother, Reed, who took first in State two years ago, and Ryan’s parents.

Since we camped nearby in Jefferson City and had a few hours to kill, we decided to visit the capitol of our adopted state of Missouri. Wow! We were blown away! I’ll share just a few of the many photos we took. (And fall was such a great time to be there. The trees were stunning!)

A friend recommended Central Dairy Ice Cream and Ken wasn’t about to skip that! We were amazed that two huge scoops each cost us exactly $7!! And it was yummy! And charming!

Another friend who saw my photos on Facebook messaged me to say: “I saw your post about visiting Missouri‘s State Capitol building… Recently my husband and I have been visiting state capitol buildings and they are all amazing. We have been to 8 so far, Nevada, New Mexico, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Maine and Georgia. All have been free (parking too) and we have taken the guided tour for most of them. They are all unique and my favorite part are the libraries! Our favorite so far is Iowa.”

I told her that Ken and I would be adding state capitols to our bucket list and seeking them out when we travel now! Especially that FREE part! For Missouri’s capitol, that included all the area inside and outside the buildings, the museum, and the parking! And we were able to park right in front too!

Now we know so much more about our adopted home state and oh, my, there were SO many ideas for books that came while we were walking through the museum. If you write historical novels, your State capitol is a treasure trove of ideas but even for this contemporary writer, I came away inspired!

Have you visited the capitol of your home state? What about other states’ capitol buildings? If you haven’t, we highly recommend it! If you have, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!