Trail of Tears State Park lies about 12 miles north of Cape Girardeau on the Mississippi River bluffs and marks one of the crossing points used during the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from their southeastern homelands to Oklahoma in 1838–39. The park sits on high wooded bluffs above the river and has a museum, hiking trails, and an overlook with views across to the Illinois shore.
The museum covers both the Cherokee removal and the broader history of the Trail of Tears, one of the most consequential and tragic episodes in American history. The bluffs and river scenery are beautiful in a way that feels at odds with the history — something the park's interpretive materials acknowledge directly. This is worth the short drive from Cape Girardeau if you have any interest in Native American history or in the social history of the antebellum United States.