Surprising Missouri Town Named Most Scenic of All

Call me jaded if you want, but I've been on this Earth long enough that it's hard to surprise me since I feel like I've seen it all. Well, paint me surprised as there's a new list of the most scenic towns in Missouri and number one was completely unexpected.

If I asked you to guess Missouri's new most scenic place, you'd probably guess one of the more trendy places like Rocheport, right? I would have guessed that, too, but that's not correct. If you look at the brand new list of Missouri's most scenic towns that's just been dropped by World Atlas, you'll see their top spot is occupied by a very familiar old friend of mine.

They describe this small Missouri community as "amazing outdoor spaces make you want to leave any indoor confines" and "sweeping panoramas" plus "delightful nature trails, picnic shelters, and a playground for the public's amusement". They are talking about my hometown of Hannibal. I've said many times that Hannibal is notorious for being overlooked despite its many legacy activities like the Mark Twain Riverboat and Mark Twain Cave. Then, there's the iconic lighthouse which gives Hannibal character most Missouri places can't claim. I know that many will eyeroll this honor and focus on the challenges that my hometown has had in recent years, but all towns have negatives if you prefer to focus on them. I prefer to appreciate this nice national shoutout and hope these kind of things happen more often.