Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
4.5
Speciality MuseumsHistoric SitesHistorical & Heritage ToursHistory Museums
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Visit the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum and learn how a small boy from Hannibal became America's most beloved author! You'll experience the unique blend of fact and fiction that can only be felt on a journey through the museum properties. This unique mix of interactive museum exhibits and historic buildings that played a role in the boy who would grow up to become Mark Twain can only be experienced in Hannibal. The museum includes 7 buildings and includes Twain artifacts, 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings, seasonal live performances, and more. Make sure to take a phot in front of The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, a National Historic Landmark on your self-guided tour!
Hannibal, Missouri
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,063 reviews
Excellent
572
Very good
347
Average
119
Poor
20
Terrible
5
Keenomanjaro
Croydon, UK179 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
We were driving the Great River Road from St Louis to Minneapolis and decided to break the journey here at the childhood home of the author who had first brought the Mississippi into my life as a child. We'd expected to have a brief stop here visiting Mark Twain's house, but found our ticket also allowed us entry to a replica of 'Huckleberry Finn's home, 'Becky Thatcher's home, a restored village store (closed on our visit), the courthouse where Twain's Father worked and a museum, which was great value for money and meant we ended up spending a whole morning here in the end. The museum has a wide range of interesting exhibits and focuses on some of Twain's less well known works as well as the obvious classics. Perhaps the highlight is the collection of 15 Norman Rockwell illustrations on the upper level. Information across the sites is plentiful and varied enough to keep everyone interested, with lots of child-friendly material, especially in the Becky Thatcher house. Oh, and they also have a paint pot and bucket outside Twain's childhood home, so you can take a photo of you kids 'painting' the picket fence!
Written January 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peggy B
Bettendorf, IA51 contributions
Sep 2020
This was the highlight of our trip to walk through the many different houses, museum, and learn of his adventures that made his writing.
1. Tickets for all the homes and both museums are $12.00 / person
2. Lots of reading. Younger children may be bored.
3. There are lifts in the house to reach the second floor. I did not see this for Mark Twain's home.
4. The Lighthouse can be reached by driving up to it. It has a small parking lot. You will have to walk the final steps (60+) to get to the lighthouse and it is not wheelchair accessible.
5. You will get a better view from Lover's Leap than the lighthouse and it is 100% wheelchair accessible.
1. Tickets for all the homes and both museums are $12.00 / person
2. Lots of reading. Younger children may be bored.
3. There are lifts in the house to reach the second floor. I did not see this for Mark Twain's home.
4. The Lighthouse can be reached by driving up to it. It has a small parking lot. You will have to walk the final steps (60+) to get to the lighthouse and it is not wheelchair accessible.
5. You will get a better view from Lover's Leap than the lighthouse and it is 100% wheelchair accessible.
Written September 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traveling018
Fairfield Illinois61 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
We visited Hannibal for the 1st te this past weekend not realizing it was the 67th Annual Tom Sawyer Days so there were several people in town but everyone was friendly we met. We were lucky & found a parking spot at the museum & paid $20 for the self guided tour. It was well worth it because it included seeing several exhibits & buildings in town including Mark Twain's home, Becky Thatcher's home, Grant's Drugstore & . , his dad's justice of yhe piece office plus others. Everyone in each building were courteous & helpful. For the $20 tocket price, you could go in & out of the museum exhibits so we stopped & at lunch at the Mark Twain diner & then walked & checked out several cool shops in town, walked down to the riverfront, then came back & finished the rest of the exhibits ending with museum where a gentleman impersonating Mark Twain gave a 30 minute talk, which was excellent. I am thinking he was just there because of it Tom Sawyer Days, but not sure We were in Hannibal from about 10 AM till 5 PM. Enjoyed a fried chicken dinner at Nark Twain's diner for supper.
Written July 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
klhchicago
Chicago, IL112 contributions
Jul 2020
This was a pleasant surprise. We stopped thinking this little museum would be a quick visit and fortunately it turned into a great experience about Mark Twain, Hanibal and US history. We visited during July 2020 with the expectation of going in and out, but this gem holds an adventure. You first start in the boyhood home and then go into several other nearby buildings tracing the life and times of the Samuel Clemens and his family. Not being overly well versed in the author's writings I was surprised how well everything was curated, making this a fun learning experience that was easily digested. However, if you have read Clemens' books I am sure you could get a whole lot more out of the experience. Definitely worth the visit and if you have time check out the little stores on main street.
Written August 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurieuhoo
Washington, IL237 contributions
May 2021
The $10 ticket buys a self-guided tour of the museum, as well as 5 other buildings. We felt the museum and homes were very well done and well worth the admission fee. Everyone was very welcoming and we felt comfortable and safe. there are steps in some of the houses, with no other options. There were some displays in the museum that did not work at all, or properly.
Written May 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Curtis S
Kingsport, TN2,615 contributions
Sep 2021
First off, get the ticket (should be available in any of the buildings and museum) that lets you see all the buildings and the museum…It’s not too pricey. We started at the museum, but I imagine you can start at the houses just as well. The museum documents mostly the literature and some of Mark Twain’s musings. It also houses some original Rockwell drawings. The houses document the childhood of Mark Twain and how life likely informed the literature ultimately produced. You don’t need to be a Mark Twain fan to enjoy the tour. Recommended
Written November 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beloved 1
Fort Worth, TX3 contributions
Mar 2020
Definitely worth visiting! Very informative and interesting. We visited the visitor's center first, then the lighthouse, we saw the river, then went on to enjoy the museum and homes. Everything was within walking distance. The family enjoyed it.
Written August 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jennyw1999
Evansville, IN, USA67 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
We really enjoyed the Mark Twain museum complex. It was great that you could pay one reasonable price for all the stops. It was also great that you could take your time and drop out to have lunch. And there were options nearby for lunch. We loved that it was interactive and geared for all ages.
Written August 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beth R
Ballwin, MO11 contributions
Jan 2021
My husband and I enjoyed a few hours walking thru the Mark Twain's museum, home, and characters' homes. Each location is well detailed and gives great information. Its all within small walking distance which is great!
Written January 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim J
Vienna, IL60 contributions
Sep 2022
Really enjoyed the experience. It is self guided so you can take as much time as you want to see and read everything. It was well worth the time spent and would recommend it to everyone who comes to town. The cost was very inexpensive for all that you are able to see.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
All of the the below locations are included in this price
Interpretive Center – A timeline of Mark Twains life and includes interactive exhibits
Mark Twain’s Boyhood Home & Garden – see where Sam Clemens grew up (and where the REAL adventures of “Tom Sawyer” took place) in a lovely garden flanked by a stone wall built by the WPA. The home is on the register of National Historic Landmarks.
Boyhood Home Gift Shop – the original museum, the 1937 stone building built by the WPA
Huckleberry Finn House – where the REAL Huck Finn (Tom Blankenship) grew up
Becky Thatcher House – home of Laura Hawkins, the inspiration for Becky. The home is a museum dedicated to Laura Hawkins and also explores what childhood was like in the mid 1800’s.
J.M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office – where Sam’s father held court
Museum Gallery – lovely 2-story building featuring interactive exhibits, the Norman Rockwell Gallery, and treasured Clemens family artifacts. Time your visit to see a live performance by Mark Twain!
Tom & Huck Statue – at the foot of Cardiff Hill, available to the public for a great family photo
Written April 21, 2019
The $9 admission is for seniors and admission tickets can be purchased at the Interpretive Center, the Becky Thatcher House or at the Museum Gallery. The museum prices are:
Adults $11
Seniors $9
Children $6
Children 5 & under are free.
Written August 7, 2017
We did not take the tour, simply strolled around and the signage was very helpful. However, if you look on the official website , there is a click link to the tour options with prices. Enjoy your visit, it is a great Town.
Written July 22, 2017
How long does it take to visit the attractions?
Written January 21, 2017
The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum suggests allowing at least an hour to view the historic homes and two interactive museums. But you could easily spend more time with all of the information available.
Written January 23, 2017
Hours are:
April 1 through January 4
Monday – Sunday | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
(Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day)
January 5 through March 31
Monday – Sunday| 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
(Closed Easter Sunday)
Written November 1, 2016
Is it possible park a truck with 18 ft. Camper nearby?
Written June 30, 2016
Yes, there is camper, rv and bus parking located at the foot of Center Street. Just a block down from the museum gallery at 120 N. Main.
Written July 12, 2016
How much does it cost and do you have to have a reservations
Written March 24, 2015
My memory is of a $10-$12 entry fee for adults with a discount ($2?) for senior citizens above the age of 60. This is one composite fee that covers the museum, and the boyhood home. If you want to take the cruise, that is separate.
We went on an off-season day, so no reservations were needed, and we could see everything at a leisurely pace without crowds jostling for space. But we were told that often there are school trips arranged for children, so it is better to check before you decide on a date for your visit.
Written June 30, 2016
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