“The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is located on 206-208 Hill Street, Hannibal, Missouri, on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the United States. It was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as author Mark Twain, from 1844 to 1853.” Wikipedia

The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum consists of seven buildings that combine to tell the story of Samuel Langhorne Clemens growing up in this Mississippi River town, and how his experiences influenced the writing of his pen name, Mark Twain. As you take the tour of the buildings it is difficult to distinguish between fictional characters Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Huckleberry Finn and the real lives of Samuel Clemens, Laura Hawkins, and Tom Blankenship.

The buildings have been well maintained and the self-guided walking tour was designed to allow visitors to take as much or as little time as they wanted, with a myriad of exhibits. The tour starts in the Interpretive Center with a time-line of Clemens’ life, followed by visits to Huck Finn’s House, Twain’s Boyhood Home, Becky Thatcher’s House, J.M. Clemens’ Justice of the Peace Office, and Grant’s Drug Store. My tour ended at the Mark Twain Museum/Gallery. The admission of $10.27 (Senior Admission) was well worth it.

The Mark Twain Museum had a lot of memorabilia including one of Twain’s famous white coats. There is also a gallery containing several pieces of art honoring Twain. Included in the gallery are the Norman Rockwell illustrations of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I love Rockwell’s art, and these illustrations did not disappoint.