St. Louis, MO 63112
Admission and Parking: free
http://mohistory.org/
The museum was originally built as the first national monument to Thomas Jefferson so it makes sense that upon entering, one is greeted by a large statue of Jefferson.
This second sculpture shows Jefferson signing the Louisiana Purchase.
Also obvious to the visitor's eye when one enters is this plane hanging above the Grand Hall. It is a sister plane to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.
The museum consists of six galleries on two floors in addition to a display area in the lower level which we did not see. We also did not visit the two second-floor galleries with continuing exhibits that focus on the history of St. Louis.
We had not planned to visit the larger museums of St. Louis in our quest to visit museums in our home area, but we were drawn to this toy exhibit which is leaving St. Louis on January 22.
We first visited the toys of the '50's.
All the members of our group were born in the mid-to-late '40's so these toys were truly the toys of our childhood. We so enjoyed seeing the dolls that we owned as young girls.
As children we all had to learn how to spell - no spellcheck in our childhood!
Gilbert had been making Chemistry sets for decades and this one from 1956 was just like one that many of us had in our homes.
Although this toy was first sold in 1912, the colored sticks weren't added to Tinkertoys until 1952. This set is from 1955.
This metal Livestock Carrier came before the days of plastic toys...
as also did these from the Mighty Tonka Line: Loader, T-9 Dozer, and Dump Truck.
Here are the skates, but where is the key?
It was fun to learn more about our toys of the past - and to be reminded of the fun we had with them.
This display was a reminder that Barbie made her debut in March 1959.
Each decade area had an era-appropriate sitting area to watch television from that decade...
which of course in the '50's was The Mickey Mouse Club.
Next was the '60's decade...
and it's sitting area.
Fisher-Price Queen Buzzy Bee Pull-toy with new added plastic parts, mid 1960's
Spirograph, 1967
The troll dolls were a huge hit in the early 1960's.
Liddle Kiddles were made by Matel in the mid 1960's.
Johnny Seven One Man Army, 1964, became popular when the battles of war started being shown on the nightly news broadcasts. The weapon had seven functions.
And finally the '70's...
and it's sitting area. Ah, the gold sofa!
In case you were wondering, the Star Wars figures first came out in 1977 and 1978.
This was also the decade of lots of little people; McDonald's Familiar Places play set...
Fisher-Price Play Family Fun Jet...
The first hand-held electronic game was Simon, 1978.
And one can't forget the had-to-own-one Pet Rock, 1975.
There was also a section on toys and safety. No surprise that Jarts were in this section.
We then visited the other temporary exhibit: Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis which will be open through July 16, 2017.
This large wall map shows you the route of the old Route 66.
Facts and more facts...
Furniture from Coral Court Motel.
The Chase Hotel
Remember those keys? And that you could drop one in a mailbox to return it?
Examples of vehicles that rode Route 66.
And of course these vehicles needed gas!
Route 66 in literature
An interesting display in the exhibit
Toys, games, and souvenirs of the Mother Road.
There were many interactive displays in the Route 66 exhibit.
Do you remember what this is?
We also visited one continuing exhibit: The 1904 World's Fair: Looking Back at Looking Forward. The museum offers a free audio tour of this exhibit.
There are a few beautiful paintings of the park and the buildings.
Pieces of the buildings' ornamental facades on display.
This grandfather clock powered a giant timepiece made out of flowers which was the biggest clock in the world at that time.
Beautiful artifacts.
Actual clothes from the World's Fair - note the ostrich feather in the pink hat!
A Chinese Kneehole Desk exhibited in the Palace of Liberal Arts
Ever heard of aluminum playing cards?
Lots more artifacts from shopping at the fair.
This marble sculpture of Aurora was sculptured by an Italian artist in 1903 and exhibited in the Palace of Manufactures.
The Golden Book Plaque, brass with inlaid glass, was designed for the U.S. Government Building and included allegorical figures representing each continent.
Natives of the Philippines played these brass gongs at the fair.
There were a couple of models in the exhibit including this one of the Observation Wheel. The model was made in 2004.
There were also some interactive activities plus an Activity Guide book for children.
And finally we checked out the History Clubhouse. Even though we are adults and not children we very much enjoyed it.
Children visiting the clubhouse are exposed to lots of local history.
The clubhouse is full of interactive opportunities making the experience so great for young children. Here children can dress to have dinner on a steamboat.
Or to work on the steamboat.
Or they can ring the steamboat bell!
They can play games passed down from Native Americans living in the Cahokia area.
Or go fishing!
Learn about Eads Bridge.
Play with puppets in the World's Fair section.
There are many possibilities for learning.
Interesting facts are displayed throughout the clubhouse.
This museum has one of the best gift shops one can find in a museum.
In addition to the books, jewelry, clothing, educational kits, ornaments, etc. which they carry at all times, they also have items for sale associated with current exhibits.
We ate lunch in the restaurant on the second floor of the museum. The food was wonderful. 
Shaved Pear and Blue Cheese Flatbread
Crab Cakes
Poached Egg and Brussels Sprout Salad "Lyonnaise"
We asked for a window table and really enjoyed the view. With the leaves off the trees we could see all the way to the St. Louis Art Museum.
Comments: This was the twentieth and largest museum the Museum Muses have visited since starting our quest in September 2015 to see all of the museums in St. Louis.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Missouri History Museum. They had a record number of visitors in 2016 and that is no surprise with the quality of the exhibits. They were laid out well and there was a good balance between objects to see, signs to read, and interactive activities. The museum has great collections plus they take advantage of other museums' collections such as the toy exhibit which was organized by the Minnesota History Center.
It took us two hours to visit three galleries, the clubhouse, and the gift shop. There is a lot to see there so obviously one could spend even more time in the museum. The museum was not crowded though we went on a Thursday morning that had snowy weather and no school field trips were scheduled which helped keep the crowds down.
I wish all my friends my age could see the toy exhibit which unfortunately leaves in 15 days. This is definitely the kind of museum that you need to check often to see what new exhibits are being set-up in the two galleries that house the short-term special exhibits. All exhibits currently there are free however occasionally a special exhibit will have an admission fee. The website tells one of other events happening at the museum such as plays and speakers.
Next time I go I hope to have the time to use the audio option while visiting the World's Fair gallery.
The restaurant was excellent: http://bixbys-mohistory.com/ The menu was not extensive but included a wide variety of luncheon items. The service was excellent. Reservations are recommended. There is also Bixby's Express Dining on the second floor.
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