This is not exactly breaking news to those of us that have lived here a majority of our lives, but it's nice that Hannibal's downtown area has been named one of the 7 best in Missouri.

Only In Your State is one of the better known sites that champion the best of different parts of America. They recently narrowed down the best road trip destinations for great downtown areas in Missouri. Hannibal was declared as the 6th best downtown in the state.

If you're wondering why the love, Only In Your State answered your wonderings in their article:

Nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River, Historic Downtown Hannibal is perhaps best known for one of its most famous residents, Mark Twain. Explore downtown on the Hannibal Trolley; get a glimpse of Tom Sawyer's fence, and visit Mark Twain's Boyhood Home & Museum. Save some time for shopping and eating, too.

I grew up in Hannibal and my parents did a lot of their shopping downtown along with what was then known as the Huck Finn Shopping Center. The Pastry Box was a favorite of our family thanks to their awesome donuts. I miss them.

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My other memory of downtown Hannibal involved marching in the 4th of July parades when the high school band would often follow the horses. I'll leave why that was a challenge to your imagination, but I will say the horses must have been fed well prior to their parade appearance. Ahem.

Other Missouri downtowns mentioned include Hermann (I agree) and Saint Charles among others. Check out the Only In Your State article to see the complete rundown.

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