The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum: The Story of Samuel Clemons in Hannibal, Missouri
Samuel Clemons, known better by his pen name Mark Twain, is arguably the most famous literary figure to come out of Missouri, and one of the state’s most famous people outside of Harry Truman. Mark Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, and this fact has almost single-handedly put Hannibal on the tourist map. Many establishments in and around Hannibal make use of Mark Twain or his characters in their own operations.
One of the most educational is the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum. Owned and operated by the nonprofit Mark Twain Home Foundation, the Home and Museum encompasses eight buildings in downtown Hannibal.
Getting There
The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum is located at 415 N. Main Street in Hannibal (Google Maps link). It’s important to know that, if you use Google Maps or another navigation app, you might also get the address of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home Museum Gallery at 120 N. Main Street in Hannibal (Google Maps link). That’s because this second address — located a few blocks down from the first address — is indeed part of the museum, but it’s also not intended to be your first start. You’ll want to begin your journey at 415 N. Main Street.
The museum is about an hour and a half (110 miles) from St. Louis, less if you’re in St. Charles. The easiest route is to take U.S. 61 North from near Wentzville, then head into downtown Hannibal.
Parking
The best place to park is the lot right at the corner of North Street and N. Main Street. It’s not a large lot, but the museum is also not typically that busy. If by some chance it is full, there is ample parking up and down Main Street, including across from the Interpretive Center. Hannibal isn’t busy outside of special events, so on a normal day finding a spot shouldn’t be a problem.
Costs and Considerations
As of 2025, admission costs $14 for Adults (ages 18-59), $12 for seniors (ages 60 and up), $6 for students (ages 6-17), and $6 if you only want to tour the Mark Twain Museum. Children 5 and under are free.
The hours vary with the season. As of 2025, here are the hours:
- March 15 through October 31
- Monday – Sunday | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
- November 1 through March 14
- Monday – Sunday | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
The complex is closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. It may also close early on New Year’s Eve, and Christmas Eve, and will close for inclement weather in the winter.
Things to Do
The Boyhood Home and Museum consists of a full eight buildings. They are:
- The Interpretive Center. The starting point of the journey, this building hosts several displays giving an overview of Samuel Clemons’s life, including his family.
- The Huckleberry Finn House. A reconstructed home based on that of Twain’s friend Tom Blankenship, who inspired Huck Finn, it has a few Interpretive exhibits related to that character and the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
- The Boyhood Home. The house Twain grew up in, this home has a series of glassed-off areas showing some of the home’s rooms and spaces.
- The Boyhood Home Gift Shop. This is one of a few gift shops in the museum complex, and also the largest.
- The Becky Thatcher House. This house was the home of Laura Hawkins, Twain’s childhood friend who inspired Becky Thatcher.
- The J.M. Clemons Justice of the Peace House. A small space dedicated to Twain’s father, who worked as a justice of the peace in Hannibal.
- Grant’s Drug Store. This space is devoted to the Grant family and the drug store they operated in Hannibal in the 19th century.
- The Museum Gallery. This newer building, opened in 1995, is an open, multi-floor space that features a number of hands-on exhibits, a few film presentations, and a top floor filled with art, including Twain-themed paintings by Norman Rockwell. It’s intended to be the last stop on the tour.
Our Thoughts
We tend to view the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum as an essential experience in Hannibal. If we were to suggest the best “first experience” in town, this is it, as it sets the stage for a lot of what you see elsewhere in town. (If you have time, it’s also worth going 40 minutes west to the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site, which deepens the history of the man and is free to visit.)
The Boyhood Home and Museum are meant to be experienced in a certain order, which we recommend as it puts the pieces together well. Each building and exhibit adds to the ones before, creating a picture of life in Samuel Clemons’s time. The Becky Thatcher house is a highlight, as it has a lot of exhibits that also allow for some interaction by younger kids. The Museum Gallery — down the street from the rest of the buildings — is another, it being the largest space in the Home and Museum and one loaded with hands-on exhibits, making it a fitting endcap to the experience.
Overall, we found the Home and Museum to be one of the better parts of Hannibal, and a great launchpad for our other explorations in town. Worth a trip, especially if you want to know more about Mark Twain and his writing.
