AMTRAK Station at Jefferson City

The closest AMTRAK station to Columbia is in Jefferson City.   These pictures are in order from walking down to the station, looking around a bit, and then entering then exiting the waiting room.  The station is ran by volunteers. 


The first two pictures are of some historic buildings as you approach the tracks and the station proper.

These pictures were taken down at the tracks.

These are pictures of the waiting and ticket area.

A favorite trip of mine is to take the kids on a train trip from Jefferson City into St. Louis. Then my wife will meet us at the downtown station.  It is a lot of fun and highly recommended especially if  you, or  your children, have not traveled by train. 

The Missouri State Capitol

Located around thirty minutes from Columbia, south on HWY 63, is the state capital which sits on the west bank of the Missouri River.  It is open for tours most days and is impressive.  It is certainly worth the trip especially if you have not been there for awhile or your kids have not visited it yet.  It sits next to the governor's mansion, and both are favorite sites for taking family pictures.  This time of year, in the fall, the setting is stunning.

First two photographs of the governor's mansion: 

Believe it or not, the mansion even has a web site, and one that is worth viewing.  Now we leave the mansion behind to start the tour of the state capital which is located about one block away from the mansion:

Since the Citizens United versus the Federal Election Commission ruling this is now the home of the best legislature that money can buy.

This is the third capital in Jefferson City and the sixth Missouri capital.  This building was completed in 1917.  The last capital was in the same location, and burned in 1911 after being struck by lightning.

The Missouri River is just on the other side of the wall down below the considerable bluff. 

The view from the capital is very nice.  In the picture below you can see the bridge crossing over into Jefferson City, the railroad tracks, and the Missouri River.

Press have prime reserved parking spots just outside the capitol.  This is an example of just two of those spots.

 Now for some pictures of inside the building:

Even the bathrooms are beautiful!

The museum is outstanding but not lit in a way that is conducive to photography.  This is the only  picture I felt was good enough to post. The rest were too dark and my on board flash too anemic.  

The carriage way which is where the entry/exit for tours is located.  

A Sunday afternoon seems about perfect since there is not much of a crowd.