The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2015
From sea to shining sea, our top picks for the most amazing American small towns to see this year.
By Bess Lovejoy
smithsonian.com
April 16, 2015
When it comes to places to take a vacation, it’s easy to think of America’s big cities: Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Miami. (SEE BELOW ARTICLE AND CLICK ON A PICTURE TO VIEW LARGE PHOTOS)
- Cooper County Court House
- Thespian Hall, Boonville, Missouri
- 2nd Street, Boonville, Missouri
- Picture headed West from Main Street, Boonville, Missouri
- Boonville YMCA (part of historic Kemper Military School)
- Boonville, Missouri’s Caterpillar facility
- Boonville’s City Hall
- Historic Fredrich Hotel
- Isle of Capri River Boat Gambling
- State Fair Community College (part of historic Kemper Military School)
- St. Peter & Paul School/LSE Champions
- St. Peter & Paul/LSE Tournament Champs
- Quinlan Agency.com
- www.boonviller1foundation.org
- Cooper County Memorial Hospital
- Boonville Cal Ripken Little League P:itcher
- 1971 Quinlan Agency Little League Champs
- Interstate 70 & Main St
- Boonville School
- Rotary International Germany visits Boonville, Missouri
- Boonville School
- University of Missouri just 20-miles away.
- Lake of the Ozarks, 59-miles South of Boonville, Missouri.
- Lake of the Ozarks, 59-miles South of Boonville, MO
- Wal Mart Supercenter
- Central Methodist University, 15-miles North of Boonville, MO
- 2012 Cal Ripken Major Champions QA.com
- Cal Ripken Midget League
- 2012 Cal Ripken Major Champions
- 2008 14-y Quinlan Agency.com League Champs
- Bill Simmons Field
- Boonville Cal Ripken 2nd State
- 2004 Cal Ripken Major Champions
- 2005 Cal Ripken Champions Quinlan Agency.com
- 2006 Cal Ripken Champions Quinlan Agency.com
- Cal Ripken Little League Regional Tournament
- Alliant Bank
- Boonville Correctional Center
- Boonville Fire Department
- Boonville High School
- Boonville Schools
- Boonville Schools
- Gene Reagan Field
- Boonville Police Department
- Boonville Swimming Pool
- Central Bank of Boone County
- Citizens Community Bank
- Daughters of the American Revolution Headquarters
- Boonville Dialysis Center
- Harley Park
- Hartmann Village
- Huebert Fiberboard, Inc.
- Immanuel Lutheran Church
- Main St Boonville
- National Guard Armory
- St Peter & Paul School
- UMB Bank
- 1005 Main St., Boonville, MO
BOONVILLE R-1 EDUCATION FOUNDATION
UPCOMING 6th ANNUAL DONOR DINNER April 13, 2016
Mark Hittner is a 1975 graduate of Boonville High School, Boonville, MO,
played as Quarterback for BHS State Championship Team in 1974.
His Parents owned Hittner Furniture in downtown Boonville until sold in
1986. Also, his parents owned and operated A&W Drive-in during the 1960’s.
Mark is a 1980 graduate of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. He
was Quarterback on the football team for four years.
Mark earned a double degree in accounting and economics at PSU.
He was employed at Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, OK until 1986 when he
moved to Kansas City, MO, and has resided in KC ever since.
He married Rebecca Overstreet of Boonville, MO in 1982 and they have three
sons: Jason, Grant, Lincoln.
Mark began refereeing football in 1980, refereeing the Big 8 Conference from
1984-1995, the Big 12 in 1996, then moved up to the NFL in 1997 to today.
He has refereed in three Super Bowls: SB 36, SB 38 & SB 40.
The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2015
From sea to shining sea, our top picks for the most amazing American small towns to see this year.
By Bess Lovejoy
smithsonian.com
April 16, 2015
When it comes to places to take a vacation, it’s easy to think of America’s big cities: Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Miami.
But America is filled with wonders that are less heralded but no less magnificent, from the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest to the moss-draped bayous of the South.
Along the way, there are sparkling caves, thundering waterfalls, quirky festivals, historic buildings, inspiring art and world-class food—
all packed into towns with a smaller population than many college campuses.
For the fourth annual version of our list, we once again worked with the geographical information company ESRI to sort the nation’s small towns
(those with a population under 20,000) according to their number of cultural attractions, historical sites, nature opportunities and food-and-drink destinations,
then researched to find the places commemorating important anniversaries, openings, renovations, recoveries and other milestones in 2015.
Think of this list not as a ranking but as a menu, with something for every taste—whether it’s country bluegrass, Florida’s white beaches or Alaska’s blue mountains.
- Boonville, Missouri
Settled by sons of Daniel Boone, who established their salt business nearby, Boonville is home to hundreds of historic locations—from 2,000-year-old
Native American burial grounds to the 1860s Rivercene Mansion, built by a wealthy riverboat captain and now a graceful bed and breakfast.
There are also sites associated with the Sante Fe Trail, the Civil War and Jesse James, not to mention the Katy Trail—
the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad converted into the nation’s largest rails-to-trails project, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
2015 also sees the 40th anniversary of the Missouri River Festival of the Arts, held August 27-29 at Thespian Hall, the oldest theatre still in use west of the Allegheny Mountains and
a former Civil War hospital. One of the nation’s most extensive collections of antique Mitchell cars and wagons
also just opened up at the Mitchell Antique Motorcar Museum, while a little further out of town, you can meet the Budweiser Clydesdales at their 300-acre breeding facility, Warm Springs Ranch.