COMO Can’t Miss

CAN’T MISS COMO

There are certain things visitors can see and experience that give them a sense of the people, place and history of Columbia, Missouri. Some are older and timeless, while others are new and refreshing. These are a few Columbia can’t-miss opportunities sure to leave you wanting to see and do more in 2021-2022.

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Throughout Columbia, public art installations are accessible by car or foot by using Otocast, a free mobile app. Discover more than 35 pieces of public art on the Public Art Tour. The app includes photos, descriptions and geo-location for each piece. Each work has a connection to Columbia history and plays a part in the city’s cultural heritage.

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In addition to the public art tour, you can find the African American Heritage Trail on the Otocast app. This two-mile walking tour weaves through Columbia’s historic Black business district, Sharp End, and other important locations in Columbia. tvvv By the slice or by the pie, the pizzas at

Pizza Tree are made with twists on traditional and not-so-traditional pizza combinations. The

Banh Mi features sriracha-glazed pork belly and house-made kimchi for a Korean pizza twist, and the Ranch Hands is amped up with buttered onions and peppered bacon. Even the Steven

Cheese, their take on a cheese pizza, has six different kinds of cheese set off with garlic-herb butter. Sure, you could opt for a slice of pepperoni, but when in Rome ...

The University of Missouri is more than a collection of buildings for higher learning; it is also home to the Mizzou Botanical Garden, which is set across 735 acres on the campus to extend educational opportunities through “collections, displays, interpretation and conservation.” The Gardens on the Francis Quadrangle (The Quad) are popular as many visit the iconic Columns, but seek out Rollins Spring for a less traveled path planted with native Missouri plants or the Woodland Floral Garden, one of the oldest specialty gardens on campus, that features native and exotic flowering trees.

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tvv A local sweet spot since 2003, Sparky’s Ice Cream offers up unique flavors like Honey Lavender, Banana Nutella and Oreo Speedwagon (coffee ice cream chock full of Oreo chunks). They also use other local food and drink items in some of their specials, like Boone Olive Oil Co. Blackberry Ginger Balsamic and Harold’s Doughnuts Red Velvet White Chocolate Doughnut. They’ll even make you a float or a shake with Red Bull. Of course, they make all the regulars, too, and their homemade sweet creams are cold creative.

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It’s hard to beat the bluffs along the Missouri River at Les Bourgeois Vineyards, 14020 W. Hwy. BB, for a view of the sunset. The A-Frame patio is perfect for finding a spot to share a bottle of wine or a signature Captain’s Cooler while you enjoy the view.

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North Village Arts District is a one-stop shop for arts and culture in Columbia. Catch artists at work at Orr Street Studios, or take in a show at Rose Music Hall. But make a point to stop at Artlandish Gallery. In a previous life it was a cold storage area for the Wabash Railroad; today, it’s a gallery that features the work of several local artists and provides a unique viewing experience in the catacombs, a series of underground stone spaces framed with wooden beams and doors of yesteryear.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park offers 2,272 acres of hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and vistas of Missouri’s natural landscape. Visitors can see a natural rock bridge, sinkholes, springs and caves, a great spot to cool off on a hot day.

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tvv Explore Columbia’s three nearby Missouri Department of Conservation Areas: Eagle Bluffs, Rocky Fork Lakes and Three Creeks. Eagle Bluffs is to the southwest of Columbia near McBaine. The area encompasses more than 4,400 acres and 10 miles of river bank along the Missouri River and Perche Creek. It also features 17 wetland pools that contribute to marshes and crop fields and provides a habitat for migrating and wintering birds and other wildlife. Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area is a calm spot to kayak or canoe through the water. North of Columbia, this rugged conservation area was a former strip mining site. MDC restored the forest and prairie and maintains more than 60 bodies of water of varying sizes. South of Columbia, Three Creeks Conservation Area protects the streams (Turkey Creek, Bass Creek and Bonne Femme Creek), bluffs and forests in its boundaries. The area has more than 1,500 acres on which to hike, camp, fish, birdwatch and ride horses.

tv Struck by lightning in 2020, the nearly 400-year-old big Bur Oak Tree near McBaine should be on your can’t-miss list. Towering 74 feet over the Missouri River bottoms along the Katy Trail, the bur oak is the largest of its kind in Missouri and one of the largest in the country. It is a quintessential

Columbia and Boone County icon that won’t be around forever.

The Center for Missouri Studies Logo on Elm Street houses the State Historical Society of Missouri, established in 1898. Iconic works by Thomas Hart Benton and George Caleb Bingham, among others, are on display in the first floor gallery. In the research center, visitors can discover history, genealogy, culture and other aspects of Missouri’s past in the collections held by SHSMO. tvv