With a depot located in Hannibal's Downtown Historic District along Main Street, the Hannibal Trolley Company Sightseeing Tours offer guests several stops throughout Hannibal, including the famous Mark Twain Cave, Sawyer's Creek and Rockcliffe Mansion. Apart from guiding passengers through the area's popular attractions, it also helps relive classic Mark Twain adventures so visitors can step back into history aboard an old-fashioned trolley ride.
The trolleys run open air during the summer months, and then run as enclosed rides from early spring to late fall. A gift and snack shop offers localized souvenirs and delicacies for tourists.
The Big River Train Town Museum and Gift Shop along Third Street features a variety of new and vintage toy trains that introduces guests on a journey starting from the golden age of railroading.
Immersing visitors on how railroads have become a significant part of life in Hannibal, the museum's moving trains also showcase elaborate dioramas, as tourists stroll around and enjoy the fully operational and interactive train layouts. Toy train memorabilia makes for fitting souvenirs from the depot store.
Hannibal's history and culture thrives around the Historic District, an area officially registered at the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Some of the Historic District's most famous attractions include Mark Twain's Boyhood Home and Becky Thatcher's Home.
Aside from being the hometown of Mark Twain and a backdrop to many of his literary masterpieces, Hannibal was also home to the Titanic passenger "Unsinkable" Molly Brown. A few blocks from downtown, her original 1860s Irish immigrant's cottage is open to visitors and features a room dedicated to the Titanic voyage.
Offering tours for more than 100 years, the Mark Twain Cave is considered the oldest show cave in Missouri. It served as a hideout for the outlaw Jesse James and was a site for the famous Underground Railroad harboring runaway slaves. Visitors can enjoy many other Hannibal attractions all over the city such as Mark Twain's Statue at Riverview Park, overlooks of the mighty Mississippi River, Sawyer's Creek, Orpheum Theatre, Old Jail Museum and Barth Library.
Visitors have diverse tour options from taking self-guided visits to checking out walking and bus tours including the popular ones like the Mark Twain Historic Hannibal Tours and the Haunted Hannibal Ghost Tours.
Hannibal is also known for its sightseeing cruises. The Mark Twain Riverboat features one-hour trips complete with commentary about the historic river, its sights and legends. It has an open snack bar with sandwich and beverage offerings.
Besides the regular sightseeing cruises, guests can also check out dinner cruises and weekend jazz night cruises to view the evening sights around Hannibal.
