Charleston, Missouri - Community Tourism

Charleston Dogwood-Azalea Festival

Join us each year in April when our dogwoods and azaleas are at peak bloom.  The Dogwood-Azalea Festival is a feast for the senses!

Please click the link above to visit the festival site.

Charleston's Beautiful Historic Homes

There are more than 200 historic homes in Charleston.  They are surrounded by 50 year old dogwoods, azaleas and older oaks, maples, pecans, and walnuts that form a canopy over the streets.

The home pictured here was built in 1900 as a wedding gift for Mrs. and Mrs. Paul Byrd Moore from their parents.  The home was designed by St. Louis architect J. B. Legg.

Mississippi County Historical Society

Mississippi County Historical Society, known as the "Joseph Hunter Moore Home," was built in 1899.  This lovely Victorian home remains one of the county's loveliest links to the past  It provides a permanent showcase for displays of period furnishings, some original to the house, vintage clothing, documents and articles from county residents and government, Civil War memorabilia as well as pottery and artifacts of early area Mississippian Indian culture.

Tours are available by appointment by calling 573-683-6509.

Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Visitors Center

The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Visitors Center is located at Whipple Park in Charleston.  This site features a black granite map, flags, and large mural paintings based on Meriwether Lewis' journal while camped at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in 1803.

Location:  I-57, Exit 10.  To learn more about Lewis and Clark in Missouri please click the link above.

Robert G. Delaney Lake

Robert G. Delaney Lake, located approximately one mile north of Charleston, is a beautiful 110 acre lake offering year-round catfish, crappie, bass, and bream fishing.

Big Oak Tree State Park

Flood plains covered with giant trees that once greeted early explorers to the "Bootheel" region of the state have been preserved in Big Oak Tree State Park.  Trees within the park are unsurpassed in the state for size, with six qualifying as state champions of their species, and two registered as national champions.  Beneath the canopy lies a luxurious undergrowth of woody vines that flourish in the swampy land.  Large baldcypress trees with their unique "knees" make their home in the park's cypress swamp, the only one of its kind in the state park system.

A boardwalk traverses through the park, providing access to the park's unique landscape.  An interpretive center near the boardwalk provides educational displays explaining the natural history of the park.  With more than 150 species of birds, several considered rare in the state, the park is a favorite with bird watchers.  After a nature hike through the forest, visitors can enjoy a picnic lunch under the open shelter or at one of many picnic tables nestled beneath the lofty trees.

Information was provided by The Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  Visit www.mostateparks.com for more information about Missouri's State Park System.

Dorena-Hickman Toll Ferry

The Dorena-Hickman Toll Ferry is one of the few remaining riverboat ferries in the United States, and is the only operating ferry crossing the Mississippi River between Missouri and Kentucky.  Ride the Dorena-Hickman Toll Ferry and take advantage of this unique opportunity to experience the wonder and beauty of the mighty Mississippi and America's Heartland, an area rich in heritage and natural beauty.

Information provided by the Mississippi County Port Authority.