With fall color and beauty in full swing, your personal piston-powered aircraft is ready to take to the air. What better way to enjoy the great outdoors? We’d like to suggest a hidden gem of a destination that offers breathtaking river views, outdoor activities you can’t find anywhere else, and an airport that will surprise you!
Hannibal, Missouri, on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River in Northeast Missouri, offers amazing scenic beauty from the air. You’ll get an eagle-eye view of the new, 6 million dollar riverfront improvements taking place, as well as pastural farmland and river bluffs bursting with color. Once you get a lay of the land from the air, you will be pleasantly surprised by the amenities at the Hannibal regional airport.
The Airport
The regional airport itself has a newly remodeled terminal, complete with meeting space and information on local attractions. Located a few short miles from Hannibal’s historic district, the airport offers a secluded and safe environment for your personal aircraft. Once you have landed and taken on some low-cost fuel with the airport’s self-fueling system for your return flight, hop into the courtesy car and decide where your Hannibal journey will take you next! Here are a few of the possibilities:
Outdoor Recreation
Fall is the perfect time to explore Hannibal’s outdoor beauty. Both Riverview Park and Sodalis Nature Preserve offer miles of scenic biking and hiking trails. Riverview, as the name suggests, offers some beautiful views of the Mississippi and its bluffs. There are several bike shops that cater to cyclists, and bike rental opportunities if you chose to leave your wheels at home.
One thing you will find in Hannibal that you can’t find anywhere else is Sodalis Nature Preserve. The 185 acre park, Hannibal’s second largest, offers a paved walking and biking loop and the opportunity for woodland hiking. The biggest surprise comes with the cavernous openings cut into the limestone bluffs within the park. It is home to 1/3 of all known myotis sodalis – an endangered species of bat and where the park gets its name. Bats are nocturnal so don’t worry! You can explore the preserve during the day without spotting a single bat.
Attractions
Hannibal is home to all things Mark Twain, including his Boyhood Home, the cave that inspired The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and of course the Mississippi River, where you can catch a sightseeing or dinner cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat.
However, Hannibal has so much more to offer! Stroll historic downtown Hannibal and browse shops, art galleries, and indulge in decadent treats. Mark Twain Brewing Company offers a variety of microbrews you can take
with you. Whether you choose a can or growler, you can enjoy fine craft beers wherever home may be. Cave Hollow West Winery has wines that can only be purchased in Hannibal, and they make great gifts and keepsakes for your trip. Information on everything Twain, and the many other attractions in Hannibal can be found at VisitHannibal.com.
We cannot cover EVERYTHING there is to see and do when you land at the Hannibal airport, but we hope this entices you to visit. To keep current on airport activities, join our FB page or visit our website for more details. For lodging, please visit VisitHannibal.com.