Visitors Guide to the
Clarksville Tourist Information Center
& River Heritage Museum
Highway 79, North end of town
Clarksville, Missouri
573-242-3132

Located on the northern edge of Clarksville on the Great River Road (Highway 79) is the Clarksville Tourist Information Center. The main floor of the center has a staffed visitor information desk as well as racks of brochures and maps. The center provides visitors with information about Clarksville, its many events, Pike County and the surrounding area, and travel in Missouri. Books for all ages are available to assist visitors on subjects ranging from Bald Eagle to the Mississippi River. A display of informational posters and signs about the river and the lock and dam are provided by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The recently opened River Heritage Museum is located on the lower floor below the Information Center and concentrates on the Mississippi River and its significance in the livelihood of persons from late 1800s. The Museum has large displays with hundreds of items and artifacts about the various cultures societies that have lived in the Middle Mississippi River Valley. The emphasis of the Museum is on the commercial aspects of river life and its displays cover fisheries, the mussel-shell pearl button industry, water fowling, furbearer harvesting, family fish markets, vintage boats and outboard motors, and a typical river man’s workshop.

Clarksville is one of the most noted spots in the Middle Mississippi River Valley for Bald Eagle watching because of Lock and Dam #24 and the Clarksville Tourist Information Center overlooks this facility. During the winter months hundreds of eagles will gather in the area because of the ice-free water. The churning water that the lock and dam creates will stun fish and the eagles will swoop down for the easy meal. The Center has an observation deck and spotting scopes (photo right) to aid visitors in seeing our national symbol as well as other birds such as the American White Pelican during its spring and fall migrations.

Bird Watching The Clarksville Visitor Center is listed on the National Audubon Society's Great River Birding Trail. They report that  a viewing platform at the dam provides views of Bald Eagles (mid-November through March,) Ospreys, and several species of gulls and terns during spring and fall migration. An annual Bald Eagle Event is held in late January. Be sure to inquire about the development of two new birding and interpretive sites in Clarksville at the Holcim Concrete grounds and Silo Park.

Visiting the Clarksville Tourist Information Center
Visiting Hours
          DUE TO FUNDING PROBLEMS THE CENTER IS OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
There is no charge to visit the Clarksville Tourist Information Center.

Visiting the River Heritage Museum
Visiting Hours
          DUE TO FUNDING PROBLEMS THE MUSEUM IS OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
An admission is charged to visit the River Heritage Museum: $3 for Adults, reduced fee for children and seniors.

Directions: The Clarksville Tourist Information Center is located on the northern edge of Clarksville on the Great River Road (Highway 79.)

Learn more about the Clarksville area.
  

FEATURED ATTRACTIONS ALONG THE GREAT RIVER ROAD
Fort de Chartres State Historic Site	U.S. Grant National Historic Site	Mississippi River Ferries	Camp River duBois Hartford, Illinois