The Missourians definitely know how to put a capital together. The building itself was huge. The only other so far that we have seen that was even comparable was the Utah Capital. The grounds surrounding the capital were beautiful and this capital too had an entire block to itself. There was beautiful statuary around the grounds as well as lovely gardening. Once we were into the security free capital we were immediately impressed. The architecture and artistry was beyond much of what we have previously seen. The hallway ceilings were arched multi-directionally and decoratively painted. This arching created vignettes on the walls that were each individually painted with murals depicting the history of the state from the beginning. While we were walking around looking at the vignettes we saw something very odd. We came around a corner and saw an open vault door that had a regular hall door on the interior. The girls thought it was hilarious and pretended to try to lock each other in there. We assumed that this one and the other one we found were for the treasury protection however only one was anywhere near the treasurer's office. Curious?

In the rotunda area there was a ceiling unlike most capitals that would simply be open and look directly up to the dome and there were exhaustive paintings that frankly had symbolism that was difficult to understand but was still well done. The dome itself was not exceptional but yet was quite attractive. One of the most fun and creative things that the Missouri Capital had that we really enjoyed was an extensive collection of busts of people that were Missourians or had helped Missouri to a large extent and were both alive and dead. A few of these people were Walt Disney, Rush Limbaugh, Marlin Perkins, Ginger Rogers, Josephine Baker, George Washington Carver and the list continues. They intend on continuing to add busts as there are even more people contribute significantly to Missouri.

As it was Sunday, we did not get to go into the Congressional Chambers, but we were able to view them through the small door windows. Both of the chambers were very attractive and had exceptional stained glass. In both there was a circle in the center of the ceiling that had beautiful violet colored glass that radiated out from the center. The Senate Chamber was different from the House in that it sat at an angle as well as the columns were placed in such a manner to create a semi-circle.

On the first floor there was a museum of sorts set up with dioramas of wildlife, soil, civil war encampments, boxes of artifacts, story boards about specific history and information about Missouri. There was a large metal recreation of the USS Missouri and shadowboxes of memorabilia from the ship and its crew. It was the most extensive museum type exhibit we have seen so far in our capital exploits. Missouri's capital was a highlight with regard to its art and its museum. - Carrie