arrow rock state historic site

Nice historical town with great people offering informative information. My kids 9 & 14 enjoyed the day trip plus learned interesting historical facts of the early 1800's. Shops, houses restored and visitors center. Home of famous frontier artist George Caleb Bingham.

We attended their heritage festival which included barbeque dinners, homemade lemonade, homemade desserts, shops and vendors. We ate lunch at the restaurant operated by The Parks Dept - the food was excellent. We also enjoyed the historic buildings. Some of the buildings were opened for tours.

Entering the little town of Arrow Rock is like stepping back to a time when horses pulled carriages down Main Street, a street lined with a unique stone gutter and well-preserved historic buildings. Only 50 people live there year-round, and another 100 come for the weekends, but it is so lively--in a gentle way--with boutique shops, an old tavern, hiking trails, a visitor center, several historic homes open for touring (free), three quality restaurants, all seeping with history, you'd think there were many more residents keeping this place alive. There is a variety of B&Bs to stay overnight, and the locals will welcome you with a friendly wave.

Kathy, our guide at the visitor's center did a fantastic job with our group. She stayed with the group until after the play at 11 PM. She toured us around the facility and then into the historic town of Arrow Rock. She shuttled some of those in our group, who could do the walking around the town. The visitor's center itself is a fantastic look into the history of the area and Arrow Rock itself. There is a good deal of walking and some obstacles such as cobblestone street cutters in the town, but the visitor's center is easily accessible. A worthwhile stop in Missouri.

Great walking trails and visitor's center. Take the 20 minutes to watch the video then walk into the town and step back in time!

We loved the walk around town with all the information explaining the quiet remarkable history of the sites.

We really enjoyed our day trip to Arrow Rock. What a quaint little town with reminders of times past. It was great to slow down and visit all the interesting stores and museums. Well worth the time

Arrow Rock is a hidden treasure! The community pride in this small, quaint community is obvious. It's a place once visited, you want to revisit over and over.The museum is very interesting for all ages. It is new construction with a rustic feel, built with universal design and assessibility. It not only shares the rich history of the area, but have interpretive guides who makes it come alive. It lies next to one of the fingers of the myriad of hiking trails which run throughout the area: in the timber, around the state park, taking in creeks, springs, lots of wildlife. The trails are well marked.

You will want to take the tour (About 1 hour) to learn about the history in this small town and it significance to the civil war and the Santa Fe Trail. The tour guide is very knowledgeable and makes learning some history very interesting. It is amazing how this small town could have so much history, but at one point there were 1000 people living in the town that is now about 56 people. If you enjoy Missouri History, this is the place to visit. If you are a student of the Westward Expansion, this is also the place to be. The people are very friendly and want to show you around this great little community. It certainly meets the category of "Off the beaten path.". It is a gem in the rough.

Take time to visit Arrow Rock and go back in time. Everything about Arrow Rock was over the top interesting.Be sure to eat at Huston's Tavern/Restaurant you will not be let down. The fried chicken was like the kind grandma use to make, a pure taste treat.

It was a very cute town but too far off the beaten path to not be open. The one store was open only by chance. Weve visited small towns for years on the days after Christmas for our anniversary and always found them open and ready to sell Christmas inventory.

We are blessed to have some really great state parks in Missouri. This is a declared historic site where many of the buildings are open to explore along with a very nice bordering park for hiking etc. This is a really nice walking town where some buildings date back to the 1830's. It is a well preserved town with a very interesting history. This is about 20-30 minutes north of I-70 west of Columbia Missouri. Well worth the visit if you are in the area. There is also a couple of restaurants and (1) family style dining out of the tavern built in the 1830's.

I said in an earlier review that we had visited Arrow Rock on September 26th to celebrate my sweet Mom's 96th birthday with an unforgettable dinner at Catalpa on Elm Street. What I did not say is that Arrow Rock itself is a romanitic, charming historical town where, almost 50 years ago on a Sunday afternoon, I proposed to my wife of 48+ years at the town park high above the river valley. We drove back through the park in September and it was exactly as we remembered it except for updated facilities. We also visited the tiny museum where artifacts and history of Dr. John Sappington who developed quinine pills for treatment of Malaria in the early 1800's. This place is a must-see for all visitors to Missouri! And, don't fail to dine at Catalpa (reservations recommended)!!!! Don Hagan

The visitor center had a very nice small museum with Indian artifacts, guns, and info. I was surprised to see that the village had residents living there. I would like to have seen living history characters. The shops in the village were a disappointment. Most things were something available in any downtown. There is a restaurant but we did not go in.

This is a great small village. it offers shops, wineries, hiking and camping. Everyone is friendly and eager to share the town's history. We camped and hiked. It was beautiful. The shower houses were very clean. Overall we had a nice visit.