When I learned that a travel industry friend — who is not from Missouri — would be spending her weekend in Columbia, visiting her daughter and getting to know the city and surrounding mid-Missouri area, I had to share some recommendations.
The daughter is a freshman at the University of Missouri, just like I was some years ago.
While I have returned to Columbia, Missouri numerous times in the years since graduation, I needed to check that my favorite places were still going strong. While going down the Google ‘rabbit hole” I reminisced about good times in Columbia, and found some new things enticing me to make a trip back to mid-Missouri soon.
Here are my 10 recommendations of what to eat, drink or do in Columbia, Missouri (that do not involve going to a football game) – Go Tigers!
1. Explore the University of Missouri Campus
You must explore the University of Missouri (also called Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) campus at least one time, beyond the dorms.
The Mizzou campus is surrounded by beautiful trees, flowers, and gardens. Since 1999, the entire campus has been turned into the Mizzou Botanic Garden with hundreds of new trees and shrubs and thousands of flowers planted each year. You will find specialty gardens and tree trails throughout the campus. Check this list of gardens, their locations, descriptions, and a printable pdf map.
Next, head to the Francis Quadrangle (the Quad) — oldest part of the campus where you will find Jesse Hall, built in 1895, and the Columns, all that remains of Academic Hall, which burned in 1892.
Around the Quad you can check out the Chancellor’s Residence, an Italianate Villa-style house that is the oldest building on a public university campus west of the Mississippi River. Look closely in front of the house to see an obelisk that was Thomas Jefferson’s original tombstone. It was given to Mizzou by Jefferson’s family in recognition of Mizzou being the first public University founded within Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase.
2. See why Shakespeare’s Pizza has Flourished Since 1973
You might be hungry by now so it is time to check out Shakespeare’s Pizza, a Columbia, Missouri landmark since 1973 known for its popular, creative pizzas and unique decor. The original location is at the intersection of 9th and Elm — just across the street from the Quad part of the Mizzou campus.
While the original restaurant was demolished, a new building reusing the decor and building materials opened at the same location in 2016. There are two other locations in Columbia: Shakespeare’s West at the corner of West Broadway and Broadfield Drive, and Shakespeare’s South on Peachtree Drive, off Providence Road. Frozen pizzas are also available in select Missouri grocery stores.
3. Enjoy German Comfort Food at The Heidelberg
‘The Berg’ — located close by at 410 S. 9th Street — has been a cornerstone of the MU Campus since 1963. The Fried Pork Loin or mouth-watering Reuben with the warm German Potato Salad on the side will make you happy. There are plenty of non-German options on the menu — from fresh salads to burgers, wraps and a range of appetizers.
4. Share a Seat with a Life-Size Statue of Beetle Bailey
Cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of the comic strip Beetle Bailey, is a Mizzou alumnus.
Beetle Bailey: Daily & Sunday Strips, 1966
While still a student at the University, Walker created his first Beetle Bailey comic strips while hanging out at The Shack, a local beer joint which burned down in 1988.
A life-size statue of Walker’s cartoon character Beetle Bailey, sitting at a table resembling those in The Shack, is in front of the Reynolds Alumni Center. In addition, Mort’s Grill, a restaurant in the Student Center, is named in Mort Walker’s honor.
5. Make Time for a “Tiger Stripe” Break
Try the “Tiger Stripe” premium ice cream at Buck’s Ice Cream Place, located on the south side of Eckles Hall under the black and gold awning on the University of Missouri campus. All ice cream at Buck’s is made fresh on the MU campus by food science students.
Tiger Stripe ice cream is the official ice cream of the University of Missouri with chocolate “stripes” swirled through a golden French vanilla. Buck’s always has other flavors available if Tiger Stripe is not your thing.
6. Stroll, Relax and Enjoy the Shelter Gardens
Visit the Shelter Gardens at 1817 W Broadway in Columbia. These popular gardens are home to more than 500 different plants from the Missouri area. This lovely spot is often where locals and tourists take remarkable pictures with gorgeous backgrounds.
The gardens — sponsored by Shelter Insurance — are a popular picnic spot, or a place for a nice stroll. There is a waterfall, a rock garden, the Vietnam veterans’ memorial, and more, sure to provide you with a relaxing atmosphere.
7. Have an Outdoor Adventure at Rock Bridge State Park
Visit the Rock Bridge Memorial State Park at 5901 South Highway 163, five miles south of downtown Columbia. If you are looking for a great outdoor adventure, the Rock Bridge Memorial State Park has got you covered. This geological preserve and public recreation area cover more than 2,000 acres of land waiting to be explored.
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park allows its visitors to hike, bicycle, and explore the world of sinkholes and an underground stream. The boardwalk on the Devil’s Icebox Trail gives access takes you to the opening at Connor’s Cave.
Park trails are available for hiking and cycling, and horseback riding is offered in the 750-acre Gans Creek Wild Area. Download a trail map here.
8. Hike or Jog the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail
One of my favorite places to exercise when I was at Mizzou was the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail. It is a nine-mile-long recreational trail is built on the right-of-way of the former Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. Developed from 1982 onward, it is a spur of the longest rail trail in the United States, the Katy Trail.
There is a map to download for all of the hiking/biking trails in Columbia.
9. Pretend You are on a Tropical Beach
Tropical Liqueurs — where it is always 85 degrees and sunny — opened its first frozen cocktail bar in downtown Columbia, Missouri in the fall of 1985.
A variety of different “slushy” frozen cocktails are made in the big metal machines every day — with flavors such as “Cherry Bomb“, “Jungle Juice“, and “Tiger Paw“.
Perhaps the “Brain Freeze” or the “Silver Bullet” are more your style. There is always at least one non-alcoholic flavor every day. Normally, those under age 21 can enter Tropical Liquors before 7:30 pm, but that is not allowed under the current COVID -19 restrictions. There is an outdoor deck where you can enjoy your slushy with food you bring with you, or from a visiting food truck. Some of the locations sell 1-gallon buckets to go for your next party at home.
While Tropical Liquors has always been locally-owned in Columbia and not a part of a chain, the company has added three more stores in addition to the downtown location at 515 East Broadway; there’s a South Columbia location at 3805 South Providence Road; a St. Louis location at 1800 South 10th Street; and a Springfield, Missouri location at 420 South Campbell Avenue #100.
10. Consider Staying Outside of Columbia at a B & B
Ever since the Mizzou Tigers became a part of the SEC conference, it is often difficult and expensive to find hotel rooms in Columbia during football weekends.
The small town of Rocheport, Missouri is about 15 miles west of Columbia. My “Theta” sorority friends and our husbands stayed at the School House B & B in Rocheport during one of our Columbia weekend gatherings several years ago. The location is close to the Katy Trail, which is beautiful for a fall foliage walk along the Missouri River. There are wineries nearby as well.
Have you visited Columbia, Missouri? What place would you add to this list?
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