Summer 2025
Summer is here! After a stormy and sometimes disastrous spring with tornados and floods, we are ready for some more carefree times. A summer in Missouri can provide the balm for our tired spirits. Kids, of course, look forward to time off from school, and even adults try to find more time to enjoy Missouri recreation and travel.
Many years ago, when I was one of those kids, I remember a popular song performed by Nat King Cole. It was called “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer”. I just listened to it again, and it still makes me happy. You can listen to it on YouTube.
It will open with an ad, but you can just click on skip to hear and see a young Nat King Cole (it was recorded in 1963) doing a great job with this song. The song was originally written in German, by the way.
The German title is “Du spielst ‘ne tolle Rolle”.
I was a brand new high school graduate in 1963. Much older and, hopefully, a bit wiser now, I still like the song. I also like to get out in summer to travel and visit our beautiful state.
In order to help you plan your trips, I have researched some Missouri travel internet sites.
Covered bridges are a relic of the past. Missouri once had at least 30 of these bridges, but only four have survived. You can read about their history and see photos at TravelInMissouri.com/covered-bridges-in-missouri. The site even provides highway routes to visit the bridges. I have been to two of them, so I have two more on my bucket list. The bridges were built of wood and covered to protect the structures. All four are now only open for foot traffic. The bridges can all be visited in a 334-mile loop. Another site with additional photos and videos of the bridges can be found at OnlyInYouSstate.com/trip-ideas/missouri/day-trip-covered-bridges-mo .
Of course, I cannot mention bridges without including the first all-steel railroad bridge in the world. The historic bridge was located in Glasgow and was built in 1878. The bridge cost more than $500,000, a fortune in 1878. Even though some naysayers warned that it would fall down during the first winter because “…steel is not a good material for bridges,” it served until the early-1900s when it had to be replaced because of larger locomotives. Construction details and photos of both the old and new bridges can be found at IndustrialScenery.blogspot.com/2021/05/first-all-steel-bridge-in-world-1879-c.html.
I have visited Hannibal several times. I was first there when I was in elementary school, and my last visits were while I was escorting a couple dozen seventh and eighth graders. I have also been there with adult friends. All those visits were interesting in different ways. Take 30-plus kids anywhere for a good time!
Hannibal’s website (VisitHannibal.com/explore) details many of the things to do there. Hannibal calls itself “America’s Home Town,” and you will find it a great place to visit. I am looking forward to a repeat visit myself.
You can tour a couple of caves, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum and birthplace of Molly Brown, the “unsinkable” Titanic survivor (biography.com/activists/molly-brown). Many shops and good places to eat will complete your visit. You will surely find a friend in Hannibal.
Have a great Missouri summer. If we should happen to cross paths IRL, be sure to say hello. We might see each other at a covered bridge or in Mark Twain’s hometown. If we meet in Glasgow, I’ll show you the famous bridge and tell you about our other history. It’s always good to meet friends in Missouri.
Many years ago, when I was one of those kids, I remember a popular song performed by Nat King Cole. It was called “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer”. I just listened to it again, and it still makes me happy. You can listen to it on YouTube.
It will open with an ad, but you can just click on skip to hear and see a young Nat King Cole (it was recorded in 1963) doing a great job with this song. The song was originally written in German, by the way.
The German title is “Du spielst ‘ne tolle Rolle”.
I was a brand new high school graduate in 1963. Much older and, hopefully, a bit wiser now, I still like the song. I also like to get out in summer to travel and visit our beautiful state.
In order to help you plan your trips, I have researched some Missouri travel internet sites.
Covered bridges are a relic of the past. Missouri once had at least 30 of these bridges, but only four have survived. You can read about their history and see photos at TravelInMissouri.com/covered-bridges-in-missouri. The site even provides highway routes to visit the bridges. I have been to two of them, so I have two more on my bucket list. The bridges were built of wood and covered to protect the structures. All four are now only open for foot traffic. The bridges can all be visited in a 334-mile loop. Another site with additional photos and videos of the bridges can be found at OnlyInYouSstate.com/trip-ideas/missouri/day-trip-covered-bridges-mo .
Of course, I cannot mention bridges without including the first all-steel railroad bridge in the world. The historic bridge was located in Glasgow and was built in 1878. The bridge cost more than $500,000, a fortune in 1878. Even though some naysayers warned that it would fall down during the first winter because “…steel is not a good material for bridges,” it served until the early-1900s when it had to be replaced because of larger locomotives. Construction details and photos of both the old and new bridges can be found at IndustrialScenery.blogspot.com/2021/05/first-all-steel-bridge-in-world-1879-c.html.
I have visited Hannibal several times. I was first there when I was in elementary school, and my last visits were while I was escorting a couple dozen seventh and eighth graders. I have also been there with adult friends. All those visits were interesting in different ways. Take 30-plus kids anywhere for a good time!
Hannibal’s website (VisitHannibal.com/explore) details many of the things to do there. Hannibal calls itself “America’s Home Town,” and you will find it a great place to visit. I am looking forward to a repeat visit myself.
You can tour a couple of caves, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum and birthplace of Molly Brown, the “unsinkable” Titanic survivor (biography.com/activists/molly-brown). Many shops and good places to eat will complete your visit. You will surely find a friend in Hannibal.
Have a great Missouri summer. If we should happen to cross paths IRL, be sure to say hello. We might see each other at a covered bridge or in Mark Twain’s hometown. If we meet in Glasgow, I’ll show you the famous bridge and tell you about our other history. It’s always good to meet friends in Missouri.