Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum

10/23/2026

TOMORROW!!!!!! Be sure to come to historic Historic Downtown Hannibal to experience Wicked Fest! Vendors all day, contests in the afternoon, prizes, and a spooky good time. SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/20/2026

This Saturday the Boyhood Home Stage will be filled with hopeful ghosts, ghouls, witches, and warriors as Wicked Fest takes the stage. Costume contests begin at 3 pm but there will be fun and shopping all day. Vendors will be on the mall area on Hill Street beginning at 9 am. You may just find that item that has been haunting your dreams! Stick around Historic Downtown Hannibal after the contests for the Hannibal Jaycees Halloween Parade and the Living Dead Window displays. Don't be frightened, it's all in good fun.

👻NO TRICKS, JUST TREATS!

🕯A little Halloween magic goes a long way! A spooky cauldron full of THANKS to the local businesses donating prizes for our Wicked Fest costume contests! 👻
🎢 Sawyer's Creek Hannibal, MO - Bumper Boats and Mini Golf Passes (4)
👻 Whispering woods haunted trail- Haunted trail passes (2)
🧩 Mississippi Mind Trap Escape Room- Escape Room Gift Card ($40.00)
🗓️ Big River Comic Convention - 2027 weekend passes (8) and
WICKED Boo Baskets for 1st and 2nd place winners.

🔮And don't forget to come explore our vendor lineup, shop unique spooky finds, discover handmade treasures, and support the fantastic small businesses joining us on-site!

🎃 COSTUME CONTEST TIMES! 🎃
🏆 3:00 PM ~ Kids Costume Contest (Ages 0–17)
🏆 3:30 PM ~ Adult Costume Contest (Ages 18–105)
🧙‍♀️ 4:00 PM ~ Witch Please! Contest
👑 4:30 PM ~ Scream Queen Contest

📍 Wicked Fest
📅 Saturday, October 24
⏰ 9 AM~ 5 PM
📍 Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, Hill Street, Hannibal

🎃 FREE to attend ~ bring the family and get WICKED with us!

10/16/2026

50th Annual Hannibal Folklife Festival weekend is here and we love seeing the activity in Historic Downtown Hannibal. You better get your hands on some of these commemorative mugs created by Ayers Pottery. You can make sure to get yours by visiting a Hannibal Arts Council beverage booth or stop at the HAC studio to see the FOLKLIFE@50 exhibit and get one!

50th Annual Hannibal Folklife Festival mugs by Ayers Pottery are here! Grab yours this weekend at the Hannibal Arts Council c***r, coffee or root b**r booths...or stop by HAC and see the FOLKLIFE@50 exhibit while you're there.

10/15/2026

We are happy to be the guest location for the Hannibal Free Public Library book club next Tuesday while they have a big project going on in their building! Don’t forget to, Hannibal residents get FREE admission to the museum. Enjoy a book discussion then explore the places that inspired our very own great author! ✍🏼

10/14/2026

You get your very own Hannibal Folklife Festival booklet at the Hannibal Arts Council from noon to 5 pm the rest of the week. You can also find copies this weekend during the 50th Annual Hannibal Folklife Festival at the Hannibal Arts Council, HAC drink booths, the Tom & Becky booth (corner of Hill & Main), and at the kiosks at each intersection. Tom & Becky will also be handing them out throughout the festival! You can view the booklet online at https://hannibalarts.com/folklife/

10/10/2026

Official Book Launch for Huckleberry Jim with author Adam Nelson

10/06/2026

“There's nobody for me to attack in this matter even with soft and gentle ridicule--and I shouldn't ever think of using a grown up weapon in this kind of a nursery. Above all, I couldn't venture to attack the clergymen whom you mention, for I have their habits and live in the same glass house which they are occupying. I am always reading immoral books on the sly, and then selfishly trying to prevent other people from having the same wicked good time.”
- Mark Twain, Letter to Denver Post dated Aug. 14, 1902; also published in NY Tribune Aug. 22, 1902 (regarding banning of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the Denver Library.)

10/01/2026

Carol Highsmith has been traveling America for 45 years capturing the country through the lens of a camera. She provides all of these photographs to the Library of Congress royalty free for everyone to use. She recently visited Hannibal and PBS followed along to tell Carol's story. We were honored to take part in this project and are proud of how Hannibal looks in the piece. Thank you Carol, PBS, Kayla, and Tony!

Nearly 50 years ago, Captain Steve Terry was a young man seeking hi...