Hannibal's downtown along North and South Main Street is one of the best-preserved 19th-century commercial districts in Missouri. Brick storefronts house antique shops, art galleries, ice cream parlours, and small restaurants. The Mark Twain Boyhood Home is two blocks back from the river end of the street.
The whole strip is walkable in an hour, with the river just beyond. The annual Tom Sawyer Days in early July fills it with parades, fence-painting contests, and a frog jump.