Choose St. Louis for the Gateway Arch and Kansas City for a city stay with a verified hotel tax; Branson, Hannibal, the Lake of the Ozarks and Springfield have few verified details. The table compares them and the picker narrows the list. Judgments are marked as our assessment.
Comparison table
| Destination | Best for | Trade-offs | Getting around | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branson | Residents and visitors using official listings | No verified visitor services on this page | We verified no local transit fare | Read the guide |
| Hannibal | Residents and visitors using official listings | No verified visitor services on this page | We verified no local transit fare | Read the guide |
| Kansas City | Residents and visitors using official listings | Layered lodging charges; no verified visitor services | We verified no local transit fare | Read the guide |
| Lake of the Ozarks | Residents and visitors using official listings | No verified visitor services on this page | We verified no local transit fare | Read the guide |
| Springfield | Residents and visitors using official listings | No verified visitor services on this page | We verified no local transit fare | Read the guide |
| St. Louis | The Gateway Arch and a city base | Tram tickets sell out; lodging total and transit fares not verified | Metro fares conflicted in sources; none published | Read the guide |
City and region picker
City and region picker
Choose what matters most; the picker ranks the six destinations using our editorial scores (0–3). It is a starting point, not a rating.
How we compared
Facts come from the sources below; 'best for' and trade-offs are our editorial assessment. We have no verified data for safety, price or crowds, so we publish no scores for them. See the hotels guide for taxes.